How to Dress Kinderwhore Like Courtney Love

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 11, 2020 Approved

Kinderwhore is a fashion style that was popular in the 1990s thanks to punk and grunge singers like Kat Bjelland from Babes in Toyland and Courtney Love from Hole. The idea behind kinderwhore style is a subversion of traditional notions of femininity, so the style is characterized by both its childlike look and the empowered sexuality of the women donning it. Whether you want to revive the 90s, are going to a Halloween party, or just want to claim the style as your own, the main components of the kinderwhore look are babydoll dresses, ripped stockings, and Mary Jane shoes, and most of these items can be found at local markets and thrift stores.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Finding the Right Outfit

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Buy a few babydoll dresses. The babydoll dress is the key to the kinderwhore style, but there is quite a bit of freedom in terms of dress style. Babydoll dresses are short dresses that are either billowy or have empire waistlines that flare from the waist. Check thrift shops and second-hand stores to find one that’s a little more distressed, worn, and grungy, as this is integral to the kinderwhore look.^{[1]
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- Because these dresses are meant to be childlike, look for ones with lace, bows, or ruffles. Courtney Love sometimes wore a babydoll dress with capped sleeves.
- She also wore button-down babydoll dresses with Peter Pan collars (flat collars with large rounded ends that meet in the front of the garment). If you're looking to replicate her exact style, look for a black dress with a white collar or a blue dress with a white collar and white-tipped sleeves.
- Another babydoll style that Love rocked was the white babydoll with a Peter Pan collar and three-quarter length cuffed sleeves with the cuff rolled up.
2
Get some ripped stockings. Black stockings, ripped black fishnets, and white knee-high socks are truest to the Love style, but you can wear any stockings you like.^{[2]
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- You can personalize the look by wearing any tights you want or even layering different styles of tights, such as wearing fishnets over basic stockings.
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3
Pair the look with the right shoes. Combat boots and Mary Janes are the most common shoe styles in the kinderwhore look,^{[3]
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Research source} and Love typically wore Mary Janes with a slight heel or wedge.
- Either stick with black Mary Janes (anything low-cut with a strap across the instep) or open-toed Mary Janes in a beige-pink for a true Love kinderwhore style.
4
Pick out a few accessories. Any jewelry that young girls typically wear is acceptable, such as lockets and charm bracelets,^{[4]
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Research source} will do, but for the real Courtney Love style, wear a tiara. Aside from that, the only jewelry Love often wore was a little heart necklace.
- While Love rarely wore jewelry, she often posed for photos with baby dolls or teddy bears.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Perfecting the Hair and Makeup

1
Apply some eyeliner and mascara. The keys to Courtney Love kinderwhore makeup are thick, dark, smudged eyeliner and full eyelashes.^{[5]
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Research source} Apply a thick line of black or dark brown eyeliner on your top eyelid, from the inner corner to the outer corner. Below your eye and beneath your lower lashes, trace a line of eyeliner from the outer corner of your eye to the center.
- When you have applied the eyeliner, use your finger to smudge and blend the eyeliner on your lid upward so you spread the eyeliner over the bottom of your lid below the crease.^{[6]
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  Research source} Don’t worry about being even or perfect, as the kinderwhore makeup aesthetic is all about looking like a child who put on makeup for the first time.
- Below your eye, use your pinky finger to gently smudge the eyeliner. If you want, slightly pull the smudge down from the center of your eye at an angle toward your ears.
- When your eyeliner has been applied and smudged, apply multiple layers of mascara on your top eyelashes so they are full and thick.
2
Add lots of color to your lips. One of Love’s most signature looks was the bright red and sometimes smudged lipstick that she wore.^{[7]
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Research source} For the smudged look, simply apply bright red lipstick to your lips, and don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Use the tip of your finger to smear the lipstick outside the lip line in one or two places.
- To achieve the perfect red lips that Love also donned frequently, apply your bright red lipstick, and then trace your lip line with red liner to accentuate the border of your lips.
3
Experiment with a couple hairstyles. Love’s kinderwhore hair was always peroxide blond,^{[8]
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- To get your bangs the same, cut them to eye length and leave them hanging down in front of your face. Don’t worry if they aren't perfectly even or if some of the strands are slightly longer than others.
- Part your hair down the middle, but zig zag your hairline slightly so it’s not perfectly straight. You can then leave it straight but messy (like you just got out of bed and haven't combed your hair), or use a curling iron to give your hair some curls.
- If you do want to die your hair blond, don’t worry about letting the roots grow out by an inch or two. Love usually kept her hair between shoulder and chest length.
4
Get some kinderwhore hair accessories. Love often wore a single barrette in her hair on the right side of her face around eye level. To replicate this look, stick a purple, blue, or black barrette (one that contrasts with the blond hair) loosely in your hair, almost so it looks like it will soon fall out.
- Other classic kinderwhore hair accessories include ribbons tied in the hair, headbands, and other clips.^{[10]
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