Inside Chicana Lowrider Culture – LA

♪ hip hop ♪
[music fades]
Good afternoon, guys.
I’ve been doing
a lot of videos about Chicanos
in Southern California
but I haven’t focused much
on the female side of things.
Chicanas.
So today we’re gonna meet up
with a local Chicana at a car show
and get her perspective on the culture.
♪ hip hop ♪
All right, we’re here in Downtown LA
and I’m here with Sandy.
-This is Sandy.
-Sandy.
Hey, what’s up?
Vanessa.
Vanessa.
You’re part of a car club, is that correct?
I’m the president, vice president
of an all-woman car club.
I hit switches, I hop my car,
I do all that sh*t.
My husband works on my car.
-So he’s at home working on the car.
-Oh, okay.
He’s my mechanic, he’s my go-to.
On my car, I have two pumps
and my car does this with weight.
-I like to sing.
-What do you sing?
Everything.
[giggles]
Hip hop, rap…
You wanna do Grandmaster Flash?
♪ Son says daddy, I don’t wanna go
to school ’cause the teacher’s a jerk ♪
♪ he must think I’m a fool. ♪
[laughing]
You have the same hair.
They do, right?
Yes.
When you’re in a relationship
it’s sort of hard to be with someone
that doesn’t lowride, right?
Yeah…
As a Latino, yeah, definitely.
It’s a “No.”
[laughter]
You talk about Chicanas out
in the lowrider scene
she is one of the main dope
Chicana b*tches out here.
She’s the OG?
She’s one of the main OGs
out here for sure.
It’s not her first time posing is it?
Oh, no. [laughs]
Photography is a big part of this.
Oh, definitely.
That’s what this event is.
It’s like a showcase
for all the photographers.
and all their pictures.
[upbeat music]
That’s kind of like a dope…
Can you put your hand out?
You see, ’cause this is my good hand.
[laughs]
-That’s two inch nails, right?
-Yeah.
[Latin music]
This is another one of my
Chicano homegirls
She is a lowrider.
I grew up with my uncles owning lowriders.
It’s in my blood.
So just grew up…
I seen that car for sale
I told my husband, “Pull it over.”
I told the guy, “I’ll give you cash.”
It was a rust bucket,
I built that car from ground up.
Walk us through the fashion.
-Stripe shirts with collars is normal.
-Charlie Brown.
The Charlie Brown, okay.
-Black pants?
-Yeah, black pants, the khakis.
The slippers, these…
Slippers?
This car is my youth.
It brings me back.
Back in the days, my youth.
I enjoy it.
Stress reliever.
I work for an aerospace company,
the Boeing company legal department.
So I come out even though
I have that professional life
still, this is what I like to do.
Do your co-workers know
that you have this side?
They do now.
[all laughing]
You’re not driving yet are you?
No, I’m riding a bike for now
but in a few years I’ll get mine.
I’ll get my car.
Did you style your bike out yourself?
Yeah, my dad helped me build it
when I was about nine.
-Okay.
-I’m 13 now, but…
You’re 13, okay.
So you have like…
In the perfect world,
in three years you’re lowriding?
Yep.
-Okay.
-I’ll be out in these streets right here
riding my own car.
You been dressing like this the whole time
or you just start?
This is my baby.
Oh, okay is it…
-No, the car.
-Oh, okay, the car, yeah, yeah.
I don’t know the kid. [laughs]
Yeah, this is my car.
It’s a 1963 Impala.
Why don’t you want to do
hydraulics on this?
It has never been an interest of mine.
Not for me, not on this.
Yeah.
That just depends who you are,
your personality.
-Who does that, right?
-Yeah.
Well for one, I’m a little bit too much
of an old lady already
to be hoppin’ around.
I’ve sen older ladies hopping.
Some have no business.
[laughs]
-She’s hoppin’.
-Yeah, yeah.
She’s in her 30s, I’m in my 40s.
-You’re 36.
-[laughs]
-And your friend here?
-That’s Star.
-Star…
-Woo.
[car bouncing]
There we go, there we go.
Watch out at the events,
you could get hopped on.
You know, I was hopping a couple
days ago, I loved it.
It’s a lot of fun, first time.
[cackling]
I know I could get in better shape
but yeah, yours, there’s a lot of jiggle,
you need a special bra.
Too much going on, yeah, yeah.
Too much going on.
Your matching your shirt,
Star, to your car?
-Were you really hopping?
-I was hopping, yeah.
Like up and down or in a car?
-Both, all of the above.
-Okay. [chuckles]
Nice, talk about your bike.
What’s going on here?
You got suspension up front.
Classic link wheel.
Oh, there we go.
Are you the father?