Though, not as famous as her husband Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love was also highly influential in the rock scene of the 1990s. Called the Queen of Grunge, Love was a controversial figure due to outrageous performances, her alleged drug abuse during her pregnancy with Frances Bean, and her often-still argued over role in her husband’s death. Nevertheless, Love founded the rock band Babes in Toyland and was the lead singer of Hole. She paved the way for woman in rock-and-roll. And her feminist critique in her song lyrics is as timely now as it was in 1991, as it addresses issues that are still relevant and making headline news today.

1. “Asking For It”

With the recent conversation surrounding rape culture, including the gang rape of a teenage girl in Brazil that was videotaped and posted online, this song is as relevant as ever. “Was she asking for it? Was she asking nice? If she was asking for it/ Did she ask you twice?” A lot of the conversation surrounding rape culture is if a woman is “asking for it” based on how she dresses, or if she flirts. These behaviors are used as justification for sexual assaults, even though these behaviors by women don’t mean anything.Some men say that no really means yes, and so Love sarcastically asks “Did she ask you twice?” (to make sure there was consent). The song is mocking the bigoted attitudes that people who commit sexual assault have towards their victims. It acts as a piece of education and activism on the ways that victims of sexual assault are tricked into believing they are guilty, even though they are not.

Note: I also want to acknowledge that men are victims of sexual assault as well as women, though it is less known. Regardless of gender, fear, intimidation, and power over the victim, are used by the perpetrator against the victim—totally not OK!

2. “Celebrity Skin”

On the title song on Hole’s fifth album, Love made a commentary on the temporary nature of fame and how it affects women. Mocking the tabloids’ weekly lists in the style of “hot or not”, Love sings “beautiful garbage, beautiful dresses/ Can you stand up, or will you just fall down?” This reminds listeners that no matter what women in the eyes of the media wear, they are judged for their appearances; whether it be positive or negative. Following advances in technology and the media, the celebrity was created in the 1980s. Celebrities have always existed, but with the invention of TV broadcasting, celebrities, both men and women, were expected to have an ideal body type. This particularly affected women. Another issue with celebrity culture is that figures frequently fade in and out of the eyes of the media.“Wilted and faded somewhere in Hollywood”, Love sings. “I’m glad I came here with your pound of flesh.” This is a harsh criticism on celebrity culture, as the celebrity culture positions people as products to be consumed, and their sizes are shaped and restricted according to what will appeal to viewers. Throughout this song, Love reminds listeners that celebrities are people. You can’t put a price tag on a person.

3. “Violet”

While it’s a good song by itself, "Violet"’s true brilliance lies in its music video. The video includes images of Burlesque dancers, young women dancing ballet, a jar of eggs that symbolize the female sex, and a theatre with an all-male audience. Love herself said that the imagery of the music video was meant to show the contrast between women enjoying themselves while dancing ballet, and the degrading nature in which women are exploited in male-dominated clubs.The video also includes images of female rockers on tour, in which they are shown to be treated as objects by male rock musicians. In this way, Love lashes out at sexism, including in the record industry, in Violet.

4. “Jennifer’s Body”

This song tells the story of unfaithfulness within a marriage or romantic relationship, and the way that it makes the narrator feel insecure and bitter. The line “You’re hungry, but I’m starving” lets the listener know that neither the narrator nor the narrator’s husband/boyfriend is content in the relationship. The starving may refer to starving for love or attention from the partner, and they both have different needs in the relationship. The narrator’s partner is having his needs for love or sex met through the other woman, or “Jennifer”, and the narrator feels as if she is not good enough. However, she knows, she has evidence, that “Jennifer” is just a pretty body for her partner—hence, the song title and the lines “Found pieces of Jennifer’s body”.Love’s voice on the track sounds bitter and untrusting, as anyone who has experienced unfaithfulness within a romantic relationship can testify to.

5. "Miss World"

The message of "Miss World" is “I’m not interested in being in your beauty pageant”. As Love sings “Cute girls watch, when I eat ether (a highly flammable substance)”, she asserts herself among the ranks of (male) rockers, both in her talent and her toughness. She doesn’t want to be a “cute” girl.Why? Because 1. She doesn’t want to feel restricted to traditional gender roles such as “gentle” and “kind”, and 2. Being a girl, especially Miss World, is a lot of work. The lines “I am the girl you know so sick I cannot try” and “Kill me pills” might be references to extreme dieting that some women in beauty pageants are encouraged to take part in. And beauty pageantry is a huge business, one that puts increasing pressure on young women to appear a certain way every year.