When grunge first emerged, a war broke out between two bleach-blond gals. At around the same time, Madonna didn’t seem so trashy anymore.
So yeah. A war. In short, frenemies Courtney Love (Hole) and Kat Bjelland (Babes in Toyland) both claimed to have pioneered the “kinderwhore” look. But take the ripped up baby-doll dress out of the equation, and both bitches borrowed from Nancy Spungen!
She was the original sin. Knock her if you will—and many have—but she’s a legend, and in her living day, she also happened to be a whore. People have compared her to Yoko Ono, mostly because she seemed to snatch Sid Vicious from his crew. But other than John Lennon’s poor assessment of his second wife’s musical talent, I don’t see the similarity. Yoko Ono is an accomplished artist (so long as she sticks to sculpture), where Nancy Spungen was a professional groupie.
I don’t hold that against her, though. Like so many whores before her, Nancy Spungen became Sid’s muse and maker, albeit to his demise (and hers). Still, this all reminds me of these Picasso and Klimt exhibits I saw a few years ago. While both displayed many exclusive paintings, much of both exhibits featured sketch upon sketch of naked woman upon naked woman. Then came the “horizontal” series, with these surprising labels that betray such a frigid side of the artworld. Most read “Reclining nude,” when what they really meant was, “whore showing off her cootch.” The most hilarious label read, “Reclining nude, with leg raised,” shyly describing a masturbation scene.
And what did every “reclining nude” have in common? Each was a prostitute. Now she’s art. A lot like this iconic photo:
The lesson here? Whores don’t judge, just in case…
OLIVIA COLLETTE 