In the heart of the Bay Area, the traditionally male-dominated lowrider scene is undergoing a revolution, powered by a group of extraordinary women making their mark from San Francisco to San Jose.
A pioneer in San Francisco’s lowrider community, Ruby Ramirez has been passionate about lowriding since her youth.
“I fell in love with lowriding as a young girl,” she says. “I used to go to the grocery store and, like everyone else, pick up that Lowrider magazine, flip through it and say one day I would own one of these.”
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Today, Ruby owns a custom 1950s Chevy, which he proudly displays at car shows and events. Her hard work has not only broken stereotypes but also earned her countless trophies. “This is our trophy room… as you can see it’s a bit dusty,” she jokes. “We like to call these the dust collectors.”
Meanwhile, the Dueñas Car Club in Sunnyvale is an all-female group pushing boundaries and passing on the lowrider tradition to future generations.
The club is a close-knit sisterhood, led by women like Sarai Perez, who has passed on her passion for lowriders to her children.
“My kids were really little when I got my first car, and it’s a great feeling to know they want to be involved,” Perez said. “My daughter has her ’84 Cadillac that I ended up getting for her when she graduated from community college, and I can’t wait to pass it on to my granddaughter now.”
The lowrider movement, which began in East Los Angeles after World War II, has long been considered a male domain. But, as Angel Romero, president of the Dueñas Car Club, recalls, women began to make their mark on the scene in the late 1970s and 1980s.
“It was like we were in the backseat, helping our spouses or significant others, our husbands, our boyfriends, get ready for events,” Romero said. “But we weren’t on the driver’s side. It wasn’t our car.’
Now the Dueñas Car Club, with its 20 members, is dedicated to much more than just cars. The women are committed to community service, organizing toy drives and providing safety kits to those in need. They also actively involve the younger generations.
“Look at our kids… our youngest, she’s a year and a half,” Romero said proudly. “She’s in our cycling club… you see our daughters helping us. It’s all about pride and ownership, not just about being ‘chingonas’ but about being proud of where you come from and celebrating the culture .”
From San Francisco to Silicon Valley, these women are driving a cultural shift. Ruby Ramirez celebrates this inclusivity, noting, “It’s so beautiful to see that, to see that generation rising up and expressing lowriding not just in cars, but in nails and haircuts.”
As these women continue to rev their engines, they are also creating a more inclusive community, one that celebrates everyone, regardless of age or gender.
