ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the interaction between Faithfull and the Stones in the late 1960s and the impact of their engagement on gender perceptions in rock culture. It examines the concept of the persona from performance studies to highlight the performative nature of gender in rock, arguing that the story of Marianne Faithfull assisted in "heterosexualizing" Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, thus submerging the homosocial aspects of rock performance and reception. If rock culture demonized Faithfull, her fabricated persona had much to do with it. She claims that she has to "be Marianne Faithfull" every time she takes the stage, and that it is exhausting. The chapter concludes by considering how the stories about Faithfull and the Stones in the 1960s have helped them maintain their careers, suggesting that in Faithfull's case, they have enabled her and other "women in rock" to carve out a space for themselves within discourses of authenticity.
