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Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides: A History of Badass Women Skateboarders
"All thriller, no filler.”— Dr. Indigo Willing, sociologist and lead researcher of Skate, Create, Educate and Regenerate and co-author of Skateboarding, Power and Change
A vibrant, meticulously researched celebration of the women and non-binary skateboarders who defied a hostile industry and redefined skateboarding around the world
With enthusiasm and empathy, Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides celebrates the relentless participation of women in skateboarding from the 1960s onward who defied a hostile industry to carve out their own space through underground networks. Skater librarian Natalie Porter presents interviews and meticulous research, including the DIY zines created by female and non-binary skaters as a means of communication, to expose this unacknowledged story while offering a personal narrative about the importance of community-building and validation, with or without your own video game.
Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides disrupts the image of skateboarding as an exclusive male domain, offering historical context for the seemingly rapid progress of female skaters today seen competing on the Olympic stage. Discover how the collective action of a grassroots movement in the 1980s established meaningful change, building a foundation that has led to greater inclusion and diversity, which has inspired women, girls, and non-binary youth worldwide to roll on a skateboard for the first time or rediscover their youthful obsession as an adult and feel inspired to drop once again.
A vibrant, meticulously researched celebration of the women and non-binary skateboarders who defied a hostile industry and redefined skateboarding around the world
With enthusiasm and empathy, Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides celebrates the relentless participation of women in skateboarding from the 1960s onward who defied a hostile industry to carve out their own space through underground networks. Skater librarian Natalie Porter presents interviews and meticulous research, including the DIY zines created by female and non-binary skaters as a means of communication, to expose this unacknowledged story while offering a personal narrative about the importance of community-building and validation, with or without your own video game.
Girl Gangs, Zines, and Powerslides disrupts the image of skateboarding as an exclusive male domain, offering historical context for the seemingly rapid progress of female skaters today seen competing on the Olympic stage. Discover how the collective action of a grassroots movement in the 1980s established meaningful change, building a foundation that has led to greater inclusion and diversity, which has inspired women, girls, and non-binary youth worldwide to roll on a skateboard for the first time or rediscover their youthful obsession as an adult and feel inspired to drop once again.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 16, 2025
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About the author
Natalie Porter
6 books7 followersNatalie is a skater librarian and writer living with gratitude on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin First Nation. She is the founder of the Womxn Skateboard History archive and Instagram account, and was interviewed in Thrasher magazine (May 2025) and Bust magazine (Winter 2023).
In 2003, Natalie wrote a thesis paper called "Female Skateboarders and their Negotiation of Space and Identity" from the perspective of women in skateboarding - a first in academia. Natalie is now a subject expert for the Smithsonian Museum's skateboarding advisory board, and a columnist for Closer Skateboarding magazine.
Natalie has been skateboarding since 1995 and became a librarian in 2009.
In 2003, Natalie wrote a thesis paper called "Female Skateboarders and their Negotiation of Space and Identity" from the perspective of women in skateboarding - a first in academia. Natalie is now a subject expert for the Smithsonian Museum's skateboarding advisory board, and a columnist for Closer Skateboarding magazine.
Natalie has been skateboarding since 1995 and became a librarian in 2009.
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