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She moved in a calm hurry around the apartment gathering her things for a day out and sat only to line her lips with a fiery red and to roll a spliff with her long-ass red fingernails — the first of the day. It’s a day of celebrations — her favorite holiday, 4/20.
After she grabbed the last of her things, Lydia Mae Martinez, 24, sauntered onto the sunny Downtown Los Angeles streets to get the party started. Once in her shiny white Mercedes Benz, which moved like a beam of light in the frenzy of downtown, near Seventh Street, she lit her spliff and moved calmly through the city traffic. She smiled and leaned back in her seat with one hand on the wheel, she drove toward Marissa Martinez, her older sister's house.
Lydia is an established professional skateboarder from Long Beach, Calif who has skated with the greats including Tony Hawk. From homelessness, a stint in foster care and tossed around many family members since her mom died, all before kindergarten, Lydia has found her footing by making a name for herself in the world of skateboarding. And as daring as her skateboarding, she is causing a ruckus.
Everything she does is focused on skateboarding and her established brand and movement to empower women in skateboarding — Skate Pussy. Being a woman skateboarder, she explained, “isn’t easy.”
Lydia Mae Martinez’ passion for skateboarding has taken her to new heights and opened up opportunities, but she continues to work diligently to break stereotypes of women in skateboarding.
Though not easy, she also vocally laments, passionately, the discriminatory practices in the world of professional skateboarding against women skaters. But without pity, she aims to change it herself. Even if it means causing controversy. Toward the end of 2020, Lydia decided to launch her own Only Fans channel and more recently started rapping.
“I’m gonna make my boards and make myself a pro,” she said firmly. “I’m not gonna wait in line for a greasy, wrinkled, guy to take a percentage of my board money. If I’m risking my livelihood, I want to make 100 percent of my money. I’m building my lemonade stand and y’all can wait in line.”
Smoking her second spliff, around noon, she ordered French toast, not overly sweet, with frosting on the side but drowned in fresh strawberries and blueberries paired with a large iced coffee, from one of her favorite eateries, Blu Jam Cafe. There’s a slight smile of delight on her face. Any other day, she’d throw on her bikini and skateboard wherever her heart desired. But on 4/20, it’s the one day she allows herself to relax. Minutes away from her sister’s apartment, she coasts to Jungle Pussy's “Main Attraction’s” on full blast.
Sipping her iced coffee, Lydia finally made her way inside Marissa’s apartment. The sisters addressed each other with utmost respect and admiration, every line of dialogue between them ended with positive encouragement from one another. Marissa, 31, is also a professional skater and six years older than Lydia. She is also a successful entrepreneur who has built her own company that sells a popular brand of comfy chino pants with the deepest pockets known as Mamaskate.
By 1 p.m. the trickle of smoke from Lydia’s spliff flirted with the Los Angeles skyline as the sisters frolicked in the saltwater pool on the rooftop of Marissa’s building. As the sun-kissed Lydia’s tan skin, she reached for her bag for more weed, Trainwreck by Broccoli Brands, one of her favorite strands. Rolling the sixth spliff, she reminisced of a time when she used to grow her Trainwreck. Meanwhile, Marissa swapped a few stories of their childhood and how they overcame struggles.
The truth is, Lydia was homeless just a few months ago. But her living circumstances weren’t limiting. If anything, according to Lydia, it helped her stay focused to keep working on her skateboarding and Skate Pussy brand that essentially has led her to financial stability. Presently, she leased her first Benz and secured a home for herself, “without anyone's help,” she added proudly.
After smoking the seventh spliff, Lydia and Marissa change and hop in the Benz.
“The day is still young,” Lydia noted. And with more spliffs to smoke and people to see, the sisters were off to their usual shenanigans. Once in Eastside Long Beach, Lydia stopped for coffee at Sunrise Donuts to combat sleepiness from so many spliffs.
Sunrise Donuts, according to Lydia, kept her fed while she was homeless. Even when she didn’t have enough money for a sandwich, they would give her a discount or even free food for being a loyal customer and a respectable person, she shared.
Coffee in tow and destination set to the legendary skate park, Cherry Park, Lydia rolled the eighth spliff — Broccoli Brands’ Blue Dream; another one of her favorite strains.
Immediately upon arrival, it felt like a family reunion. Everywhere, everyone in the “illegitimate” family smiled, hugged and passed around joints. In the crowd, Juice, a local Long Beach legend and a member of the Hammer City Skate Gang, kissed the top of Lydia’s forehead.
The sisters, who would skate on any other day, settled to just chatting and catching up with the other skaters. Lydia only rode her board to re-up with an ounce of a Gelato strain after Blue Dream and Trainwreck had evaporated into the evening sky.
By spliff number 10, Lydia flawlessly rolled another despite her three-inch-long sparkly red nails while the skater crew and Lydia sang every word to “Ain’t No Fun” by Snoop Dogg. The vibes were intoxicating as smoke spilled from every mouth around her. In the distance, a woman who appeared drunk from too much Hennessey started bouncing her butt on the car to the left of Lydia’s.
The owner of the car got into fight mode and started yelling at the bouncing drunk. While the crew held her back from starting a ruckus, Lydia laughed and said, “Oh you wanna fight? I got a fighting song!” and played “Smack a Bitch” by Rico Nasty as loud as her speakers could play.
As sunset lit up the sky in an array of pastel coloring, it was time to move on, Lydia and Marissa left the skate park and headed to Romantix, a sex shop, just a few blocks over. The sisters needed new outfits for a photo shoot scheduled that night for their Only Fans.
“How to be single 101,” Lydia said as she perused through lingerie, “buy an ounce and a vibrator.”
They helped each other pick flattering lingerie. Lydia paid for a black two-piece with slits on the pants and sleeves and an orange lace two-piece.
Aside from doing photoshoots for companies like Apple, Nike or Urban Outfitters, shooting commercials and getting other work in the skate industry, Lydia has earned a large chunk of her income from creating and managing her Only Fans. While people in the skate industry have expressed to her that they feel this is “unprofessional,” Lydia takes their criticism with no gravity.
“I do shoots for companies all the time and they want me to be sexy.” Lydia said, “People think it's okay for someone else to objectify you and make money off of you, but when I do it myself, I get called a pornstar.”
She shrugs it off without a care. Despite the heat she gets from wanting to control her image, Lydia rarely if ever posts nude photos on her Only Fans, the pictures are simple, classy, and reveal her carefree and attractive personality. If anything, she said, it has motivated her to continue to forge her own path.
After purchasing their outfits, they stop on the corner after running into a few friends who own the smoke shop next door to the sex shop. The friends invite the sisters upstairs to the green-lit room where people sit stoned to the point of no communication under balloons and holding goody bags filled with a grinder, a small pipe and a free t-shirt. The owner gave Lydia her first gravity bong rip which sent her into a minor cough attack, not unexpected for the first gravity bong experience.
Lydia nods, in between coughs, and takes a minute to bask in the newfound broken barrier of highness.
About 11 p.m. and almost two ounces later, Lydia is busily applying makeup and smoking her spliff, number 14. As Marissa came into focus in the mirror, Lydia complimented her for her sexy choice of lingerie.
With one more hit of the spliff, Lydia walked onto the set of the photoshoot and transformed into a model when the shutter of the camera clicked. She moved easily into the light, slightly seductively tilted her head.
The shoot goes on until 4 a.m. with a barrage of spliffs, coffee and even a spaghetti break. As Lydia packed her belongings, she smiled and complemented Marissa on the fit muscles and shape of her sculpted arms.
“I got it from our mom,” Marissa said with a gentle smile.
Lydia looked at her similar arms in the mirror, “This is our inheritance from her,” she said with a nod.
Lighting the last spliff of the night, number 21, to be exact, Lydia took a hit, as she and Marissa loaded up the Benz and headed home. Tomorrow she’ll skate.
