Ron P. Coates. "Moms Don't Rock: The Popular Demonization of Courtney Love." 319-333.

Ron Parks

November 20, 2007

WGS 220-05

Coates. Moms Don’t Rock: The Popular Demonization of Courtney Love (319-333).

Description:

-Love was seen as a bad mother—due to her involvement with the male and young rock world; eventually removed from rock mainstream because she was a mother, “responsible” (320).

Analysis:

-Became famous for her bad mothering skills, not because of her music or her husbands death (319).

-Rock became anti-mother figure: motherhood in rock seen as softening, weakening, sell-out (320)

-Media publishes articles saying that “good” moms “don’t do drugs, stage dive, expose kids to rock lifestyle, are asexual/desexualized” (324).

-Media portrays rock as a danger to children, mothers given task of protecting children (326).

-Courtney Love had an unstable upbringing with an unconventional mother—blamed for Love’s bad parenting skills; only women blamed, not men (328)

-With rumors of Love’s involvement with drugs circulating, her children were taken away (love admits to drug use during pregnancy)--receives a lot of bad press, no one criticizes father for drug use (328).

Vision:

-(Implied): Females have every right to be musicians without scrutiny not equal to male peers

-(Implied): Don’t hold females to separate standard

Strategy:

-None stated