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by Mark Vayne |
The
Devil Dolls female motorcycle club is hot as hell and, baby,
don't they know it. This tiny five-member self-proclaimed
"outlaw biker babe" motorcycle gang was the subject of an
hour-long PBS TV special and a 6-page cover story in one of
San Francisco's top weekly newspapers. Their booth at the
annual December Harley-only Swap Meet was awash in gawkers,
wanna-bes and well-wishers. They've generated a smokin'
media buzz that's completely out of proportion for such a
small club less than 2 years old. The Devil
Dolls--Goth Girl, Calamity, T. Rexxx, Angel and Shewolf have
a carefully crafted public image of sneering, hard-ridin',
hard drinkin' and druggin' independent sexy femme outlaws
who care not one whit for anything the establishment has to
offer. They call on their Hell's Angels boyfriends to solve
problems sans intervention by the hated local police. I
would make double sure not to block a Devil Doll's driveway
with my car; chances are you'd return to find a small pile
of smoldering ashes instead of your new Mercedes coupe.
These are not women who exude an aura of peaceful, calm,
happy, warm, fuzzy satisfaction about themselves or the life
they choose to lead. For outlaws
they're highly image-conscious, slick, media-literate and
overtly capitalistic. Their sexy, simmering, red-drenched
web site--www.devildolls.com--has
lots of branded merchandise for sale, including t-shirts,
hats, and the ubiquitous glossy calendar. This is a classic
Easyriders-style "Hot Girls 'n Hotter Harleys" product
that's identical to many other male-fantasy pinup calendars
except that the women portrayed here actually ride the
motorcycles instead of merely posing provocatively
semi-nekkid atop them. If it seems like a small distinction,
you're probably right. As a red-blooded
American hetero male, I'm a stone-cold sucker for lithe,
sexy, leather-clad women on bikes, so I buy into the Devil
Dolls' image and escapades 110%. Actually I'm afraid that
I'll encounter them on the road one day and they'll beat the
living crap outta me for not riding an American machine. But
I also wondered how other female motorcyclists felt about
their club. So I asked three of my female riding
acquaintances to look at the Devil Dolls' website, view a
tape of the PBS TV special and read the newspaper articles.
I wanted a woman's perspective and some frank female
opinions of the Dolls. Bettina lives in
Redwood City, California, owns 5 bikes (2 actually run) and
has been actively riding over 15 years. She's done dozens of
track days and races in both AFM and AHMRA events on
borrowed bikes. She's a computer help-desk supervisor for a
Silicon Valley corporation, and is active in a large
national female motorcycle club called WOW (Women on
Wheels.) Shari fettles her
Ducati Monster 900. She's owned two older mid-sized Japanese
machines and uses the Duck for her only means of
transportation, logging over 12,000 miles/year in the
process. As a long-distance bicyclist, she often competes in
centuries (100 mile rides,) double-centuries (200 miles of
the same) and even the much-feared Markleeville Death Ride,
thousands of vertical feet of multiple mountain pass
climbing in one staggering16-hour pain-a-thon. Shari also
belongs to WOW. Jayne is a native
San Franciscan. She's married to a Harley-Davidson mechanic
and they both ride Big Twins. Busy raising her family, Jayne
still finds time to run a growing small business that
publishes motorcycle-specific touring books. She goes on
runs, toy rides and attends every Harley event she can
during the season. She most closely fits the "female outlaw"
description, but doesn't hate cops, use drugs or drink.
Here are their
opinions of the Devil Dolls: Shari: "This seems
more like theater than anything else. The hair, the makeup,
the hard facial expressions, the prepackaged bad attitude...
are they a throwback to the days when being an outlaw
actually meant something?" Jayne: "I think
anything a woman can do to better her position in this
male-oriented society is okay with me. These chicks know
exactly what they want, and they're out getting it the best
they can. God bless 'em." Betina: "How come
I never see these women on the race track? Looks like all
they do is talk, act out, dress up and pose. Anyone can ride
a bike down Haight Street and set off car alarms... where's
the danger, the risk, the accomplishment, in that?"
Shari: "I don't
care if they all ride nude all the darn time. I'm disturbed
by the abusive backgrounds, that party lifestyle drugging
and drinking and hating authority figures as their message.
That might influence younger girls to think that stuff is
ok. Well, it's not ok..." Betina: "Can we
get real here? The real outlaws these days are Asian
high-tech kids who hack into DOD computers, steal internet
data on 50,000 credit cards, send out viruses, stuff that
has a huge impact on straight society. The nasty-looking
Harley-riding biker guy next to you on the freeway is
probably your accountant or a corporate lawyer or a geek
dot.commer...the traditional outlaw thing is just a
middle-class lifestyle choice now. " Shari: "The Dolls'
web site is great, but the longer stories are impossible to
understand, too many teeny-tiny red words on a black
background. They should try to actually read it themselves
once in a while." Jayne: "They have
created their own community, and I respect that. Not all of
us can fit so well into boring mainstream society... they've
found some soulmates in each other, and it really shows."
Shari: "I don't
get why they are so proud of being arrested. Getting
arrested isn't cool or hip or glamorous, it's just a clear
indication that you are really screwed up, and how many
problems need to be fixed in your life. Being a woman in
jail is pretty much the lowest rung. It only goes up from
there." Betina: "They know
how to use the media, that's for sure. I hope they make lots
of dough from selling their stuff." Jayne: "Freedom is
what I see here. Freedom to make their own lives, to say
"screw you" to anyone who doesn't respect them." Shari: "Oh, well,
what's so free about having to get down on your knees and
beg a male-dominated motorcycle club for permission to wear
your own colors? Is that any different than needing to ask
your boyfriend for permission to wear a sexy dress? It looks
like there are the same old tired rules for girls here that
apply in straight society... I don't see any enlightenment
at all." Betina: "They do
seem to watch out for each other. That's good, there's a lot
of camaraderie in their club. These women really care about
each other and they would go to bat for each other no matter
what..." Jayne: "Yes. They
seem to have a great bond." Shari: "I don't
know... these are low-achieving women. They don't know how
to make things happen in a bigger way, in terms of careers
or education or becoming successful, cultured, worldly
individuals. Shining shoes for a living, and then making fun
of the clients who actually support you, seems pretty
juvenile and defensive. They want to be judged on limited
terms, like they're afraid to belly up to the bar with the
rest of us." Jayne: "They're
having a lot of fun doing this, I'll bet..." Betina: "Oh yeah,
I'm sure they've all got dates whenever they want 'em..."
Jayne: "Not for
me, but I do respect them for shaking things up."
Shari: "Just as
long as they don't beat up my boyfriend..." Betina: "Can I try
your Harley, Jayne?" Shari:" Sure,
let's ride down to Stormy Leather (local sexy clothing store
-ed.) and buy us some leather corsets!" Jayne: "Yeah!..."
So there you have
it, three different female rider's reaction to the Devil
Dolls motorcycle club. Love 'em or leave 'em alone, one
thing is for sure- the Dolls know how to make a splash in
the media. The next time you hear the rumble of a big
Harley, check your rear view mirror and move over, baby, you
just might see the Devil Dolls m/c club on a midnight run to
fame and fortune. M.M.M.
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