Photo courtesy of Gaby Jimenez.

Stephanie Sical, Community News Reporter November 18, 2021

Women are not just posing in front of low riders in sexy bikinis and hot pants.

Now they have low riders and change the status quo with their own style, car club and culture.

Lowrider culture is traditionally predominantly male, and females are mainly marked with their boyfriends or husbands and remain silent behind the scenes. However, in the past ten years or so, more and more women have bought, repaired and arranged their own cars, which has enabled a new generation of women to engage in this hobby.

"I recently saw a lot of girls driving low-speed racing cars. It's really cool to see it. I respect the low-riding community very much. When something happens, they all get together. When you have a breakdown, people will lend a hand, It's so cool to drive these beautiful cars," said Gaby Jimenez, who lives near Wilmington, Los Angeles.

Patty Pineda, who moved from South El Monte to Corona 12 years ago, said that she met her husband at a small truck club owned by small truck owners and has been there ever since. In this community.

As the photographer and owner of MiniTruck Era magazine, she is more involved in this culture, which is dedicated to showcasing mini trucks and low-speed cyclists.

Pineda added that one of the qualities that distinguishes female rider culture from male rider culture is the encouragement and enthusiasm for pure competition.

Pineda said: "People start to applaud every time they see a woman jumping up and down with a low rider, because it's still very unusual."

Pineda believes that the acceptance of women in this male-dominated sport has been slow for many years, but as more and more women join the ranks, men are used to them and even like their participation, and their acceptance is obvious. improve.

Lowriding's LA and the roots of male dominance

If culture has a stronghold, it is Whittier Avenue in Los Angeles, a wide commercial street that runs through the main blocks of the city, including East Los Angeles.

Lowrider culture originated in the post-World War II era, when veterinarians had the money to buy cars and repair them, and it became popular during the civil strife in the 1960s, when Mexican Americans wanted to differentiate themselves culturally and express their own feeling style.

These people will customize their cars to make them low to the ground and equipped with special hydraulics that enable them to bounce up and down.

Although women were mainly bystanders or passengers at the time, as more and more women entered the labor market and obtained higher-paying jobs, they wanted to experience a low-level culture.

Enter the Lady Bugs car club in the 1970s. It is one of the first women's car clubs, founded by Stella Perez after the Volkswagen Beetle boom in the early 1970s. According to "Auto Trends" magazine, its early members came from places such as Sun Valley, East Los Angeles and Echo Park.

Now, looking for women to buy and convert their rides and participate in low rider scenes has become more common. Clubs such as "Ladies and Lowriders United" provide a space for lowriding ladies to gather together to hold annual competitions, such as the "Female Rider of the Year" competition.

For example, Jimenez has been engaged in low-speed cycling since 1994. The first low-speed ride she owned was the 1962 Chevrolet Impala, which she bought about eight years ago and still owns it.

"It's in the garage, so it's clean," Jimenez said.

Jimenez is very fortunate that her father has a 1947 Cadillac, and her brother likes to repair a low bike and his Volkswagen. But the biggest influence on her was her husband who worked in the car club. They watched many low-speed racing cars together and even went to Cuba to inspect old cars.

She conceives and designs, and her husband helps her execute these ideas.

Jimenez said that she likes to go to exchange meetings and auto shows to see cars and find inspiration for her cars.

Paul Sandoval, who has been a low rider for a long time, has helped Snoop Dog and others' low riders. He said that he saw more women active in the community and formed his own car club. This was in 10 years. The former is unusual. Each of his daughters has their own low rider.

Nevertheless, some stereotypes are slowly disappearing.

"It really gave them a lot of attention. They were always asked if it was really their car or their father, but they told people it was actually their car," Sandoval said. "I know at least eight to ten female owners, and they now come from different backgrounds."

He had to fight other misunderstandings about low-speed riding.

When he first started dating his wife Laura Sandoval, she did not like his involvement in the low rider community because she was worried about their safety: the low rider was associated with gang activities at the time.

So, once, Paul asked her to go to an event with him and see for himself.

Laura said that her experience that day changed her perspective: "I expected a battle to happen, but instead, only the family got together to show off their low-level riders, talk about them and build meaningful long-term connections."

Paul added: “An old lady came in to talk about how her husband used to own a car exactly like mine, and even started to cry. Since then, my wife has started to enjoy riding and is no longer afraid of the world.”

When she came back, Paul said he believed others would: "The stereotype of low riders and gangs is slowly disappearing, and now more and more women are investing in cars and joining the cruise lifestyle. This is at the end of the day. All are family and culture oriented."

In fact, Sandoval said, he believes that low riding has prevented many young people like him from pursuing other harmful pastimes, such as drugs or gangs.

Lowriding attracts fans, not just car owners

News about lowriding spread quickly, even among those who are not actively participating.

For example, Kate Montalvo, the regional director of the clothing store in dd's DISCOUNTS Commerce, became a fan of bystanders because she learned about this culture through low-level customers (including some women) and likes to watch them after get off work.

Some low-speed cycling activities took place in the parking lot of the Commerce shopping center where she worked.

"Working here allows me to experience cultural expression through their reunion here," Montalvo said. "On Sundays, low riders walk through the city and it's fun to watch. Especially those low rider girls who have their own cars. They look cool."

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