Kinderwhore
Kinderwhore is a fashion style most notably worn by some female grunge and alternative rock musicians in the US during the early to mid-1990s. The style is characterized through the combination of cute, feminine fashion items like babydoll and Peter Pan collared dresses, with more adult aspects like smudged red lipstick and dark eye makeup. It has its origins in the mid-1980s band Pagan Babies, which featured future Babes in Toyland vocalist/guitarist Kat Bjelland and future Hole vocalist/guitarist Courtney Love, who lived together and shared clothes. Following the band's disbandment, the two's subsequent bands achieved significant mainstream success and led to the fashion being popularised amongst the general public and being referenced by high fashion designers including Marc Jacobs.
Fashion
Kinderwhore fashion is based around a childlike
Interviewed in 1994, Love commented:
I would like to think—in my heart of hearts—that I'm changing some psychosexual aspects of rock music. Not that I'm so desirable. I didn't do the kinder-whore thing because I thought I was so hot. When I see the look used to make one more appealing, it pisses me off. When I started, it was a
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? thing. My angle was irony.[8]
History
In the mid–1980s, musicians
Following the 1987 disbandment of Pagan Babies, Bjelland formed Babes in Toyland and Love formed Hole, and both continued to sport this look. In the 1990s, these groups received significant mainstream success.[15] As early as 1992, the style was beginning to slip into mainstream and high fashion, with Perry Ellis' 1992 Grunge collection, by Marc Jacobs embracing elements of kinderwhore.[3] The Guardian specifically cited the 1994 music video for Hole's song "Miss World" as when "The look went viral."[1] Soon, major fashion magazines like Seventeen and Sassy featured editorials on how to achieve the look.[3]
Legacy
With the rise of the
The style received a minor revival in the early 2020s through videos posted on the video sharing application TikTok and mainstream musicians including Olivia Rodrigo taking influence from its aesthetics for her debut album Sour (2021).[18] The 2020 novel Dead Rock Stars by the English author Guy Mankowski depicts a fictional Kinderwhore band called Cherub, whose lead singer Emma draws from the Kinderwhore aesthetic of 'Hollywood glamour of tiaras and satin dresses... with a twisted, girlish sensibility.' Mankowski added, 'I was influenced by the urge that such artists had to use their body to offer a message, with them making the very most of the textual space that comes with being in a band.'[19]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Cochrane, Lauren. "Stylewatch: Hole in 1995". The Guardian. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ "Kinderwhore grunge fashion guide". Mookychick. 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Way, Mish (July 20, 2015). "My Kinderwhore Education". i-D.com. Vice. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
- ^ Garis, Mary Grace (July 9, 2014). "The Evolution of Courtney Love". Elle. Kevin O'Malley. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ "Miss World" music video. dailymotion.
- ISBN 978-0-86547-979-1. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ a b Singer, Olivia. "The Political History of the Babydoll Dress". Another Magazine. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Fricke, David (December 15, 1994). "Courtney Love: Life Without Kurt". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Karakas, Melisa. "Friends To Enemies: The Complicated Relationship Between Courtney Love And Kat Bjelland". Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Clarke, Betty. "Babes in Toyland review – sublime seditious rock". The Guardian. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Yarm, Mark. "Babes in Toyland Reunite, With a Little Help From a Tech LLC". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Andrews, Charlotte Richardson (February 27, 2013). "Hidden treasures: Daisy Chainsaw – Eleventeen". The Guardian.
- ^ Garland, Emma (October 8, 2018). "Searching for Utopia: An Interview with Katie". Vice.
- ^ Bright, Kimberly J. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABE IN TOYLAND KAT BJELLAND". Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-60901-969-3. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
- ^ ROSS, MARTHA. "Kanye West and Kim Kardashian revive grunge 'kinderwhore' look for kids clothing line". The Mercury News. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Schneier, Matthew (February 13, 2019). "Angry Dolls Meet Their Mother". The New York Times. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
- ^ "Can Riot Grrrl TikTok Re-Imagine a Flawed Scene?". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ "'Six Of The Best': Guy Mankowski". Narc Magazine. Retrieved September 29, 2020.