Courtney Love Defends Olivia Rodrigo Years After Calling Her ‘Rude’
Several years after Courtney Love publicly criticized Olivia Rodrigo, she is defending her online. Rodrigo is at the center of social media controversy because of the babydoll dresses she has worn during her album rollout. In a series of posts, Love appeared to throw her support behind the younger singer.
Courtney Love defended Olivia Rodrigo’s right to wear babydoll dresses
As she prepares for the release of her third album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So In Love, Rodrigo has made a number of public appearances in babydoll dresses. She wears one on the album’s cover, and in the music video for “Drop Dead.” She also performed in a floral mini dress with matching bloomers.
These looks have sparked online debate, with several social media users accusing Rodrigo of simultaneously infantilizing and sexualizing herself. Still, a number of people have come to her defense, including Love.
In posts to her Instagram Stories, Love shared several TikToks. One has the caption, “Me in my babydoll dress and bloomers watching Olivia Rodrigo get cooked by angry Twitter users.” She shared another video where the poster says, “My hot take is that you’re the gross one if you think this outfit is inappropriate.” In the background is an image of Rodrigo in the floral babydoll dress.
In another video shared by Love, the poster writes, “You can pry my babydoll dress from my cold dead hands.” In another clip, the poster describes Love as the “Queen of the punk babydoll dress” and speculates that this is what Rodrigo was trying to emulate.
Courtney Love previously called Olivia Rodrigo rude
In 2021, a promo image for Rodrigo’s album Sour showed the singer dressed as a prom queen with mascara streaked under her eyes. This appeared to be directly inspired by the cover of Hole’s 1994 album Live Through This. Love pointed this out in a social media post.
“Spot the difference! #twinning! @oliviarodrigo,” Love wrote.
A commenter asked Love whether she meant this as a genuine message of support or was being passive-aggressive.
“She didn’t ask. So bit of both,” Love responded. “I dig manners.”
In another comment, she said that Rodrigo and her label should have asked her and cover photographer Ellen von Unwerth for permission to use the cover as inspiration.
“It was rude of her, and [David Geffen] not to ask myself or Ellen von unwerth. It’s happened my whole career so i.d.c. But manners is manners.”
In another comment, Love said that she wasn’t angry, but she thought that Rodrigo had misstepped with the cover image.
“Stealing an original idea and not asking permission is rude,” she wrote. “There’s no way to be elegant about it. I’m not angry. It happens all the time to me. And he really [sic] I’m very gracious or say nothing. But this was bad form. That’s not bullying or bomb throwing. This persons music has nothing to do with my life. Possibly never will. It was rude and I gave [sic] every right to stick up for my work…”
Rodrigo responded to the initial comment to say “love u and live through this sooooo much.” Love’s response to her was friendly. Love later deleted her post.
She responded to the drama
Rodrigo was aware that Love called her out on social media. She didn’t seem all that bothered by it, though.
“To be honest, I’m just flattered that Courtney Love knows that I exist,” she told GQ in 2021.
