The Caramel Curves Club

These glam gals aren’t your average biker chicks and they changing the motorcycle world one pink-clouded rev at a time

- Kim Abrahams

SKY-HIGH stilettos, ultra-trendy outfits, perfect makeup, cutting-edge helmets . . . suffice it to say this group of uber-glam gals aren’t your average biker chicks.

There’s also a lot more to them than a love of motorbikes and the flair they demonstrate as they burn rubber on the highway. They’re the members of the Caramel Curves, a club based in New Orleans that’s all about women empowerment.

“When I was growing up, and even now, the main image in this country of a woman and a motorcycle was a white woman riding on the back, hanging onto her boyfriend,” says Shanika “Tru” Beatty, one of the founders of Caramel Curves.

“We’re trying to show women this: if you want to ride a bike, go ahead, get your bike and ride it!”

Caramel Curves has made such an impact and attracted such a following that they feature in a new book by photographer Akasha Rabut entitled Death Magick Abundance, a photobook that captures the colourful cultures of New Orleans, a city known for its round-the clock nightlife and vibrant live-music scene. For the past decade Akasha has been photographing people who continue to persevere, survive, strengthen and transform the American city.

Devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans was left a rotting shell of itself but it’s slowly recaptured its eclectic glory – and the Caramel Curves have helped to boost the city’s image.

Each woman in the group has her own biker name and all the members are connected by a passion for motorbikes.