Power Under Her Foot

Since their introduction in 1964, American muscle cars have been closely associated with masculinity. In the 21st century, women have been a growing presence in the muscle car world, exhibiting classic cars at automotive events and rumbling to work in modern Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers.

Informed by the experiences of 88 female auto enthusiasts, this book highlights women’s admiration and passion for American muscle, and reveals how restoring, showing and driving classic and modern cars provides a means to challenge longstanding perceptions of women drivers and advance ideas of identity and gender equality.

As an independent scholar, Chris Lezotte’s research focuses on the relationship between women and cars. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Chris Lezotte
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 200
Bibliographic Info: 45 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7016-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-3173-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vii
Preface 1
Introduction: Muscle Men to Fast Women 7
1. The Generations 25
2. Women’s Roles in Muscle Car Culture 69
3. Making Meaning Out of the Muscle Car 113
4. The Woman Driver and the American Muscle Car 144
Chapter Notes 173
Bibliography 179
Index 185

• “Eighty-eight female American muscle car enthusiasts were interviewed for this volume, which is full of individual stories and photos of the women and their cars…. Lezotte has found an untapped niche in the area of women and muscle cars…. It was refreshing to examine a book about women drivers that is not a guidebook, handbook, or manual claiming to provide everything a woman should know about car maintenance or operation…. recommended”—Choice

• “You don’t have to be a gender-identity scholar to find this topic fascinating, and this book an important read.”—Hemmings Muscle Machines

• “Lezotte bestowed a great favor upon both the automotive history community and the car hobbyist crowd when she authored this insightful, engaging, and just plain fun book, one that probes in considerable depth a previously unexplored area of automotive history. …outstanding contribution to automotive history…will provide a range of reflection points that may reshape the way you may haave thought about women and their cars.”—SAH Journal