For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of the Spice Girls. Posh Spice (or Victoria Beckham) has always been my favourite with her simplicity and attitude. I even had her “shorter from the back, longer from the front” bob-like haircut for a good four or five years. One of my earliest memories was sitting in the car with my sister, blasting “Wannabe”, and singing at the top of our lungs. The Spice Girls have had a big influence on, not only my life, but the lives of many young women and here’s why:
- Top Tracks
The Spice Girls are arguably one of the most iconic, all-female bands to have ever existed. They’ve blessed us with four albums since the group came together in 1994, including Spice and Spiceworld. A couple of their most popular songs are “Stop” and “Say You’ll Be There”. Even if you’re not a Spice Girls fan or you don’t know much about them, I can almost guarantee that you’ve heard their hit debut song “Wannabe” (my personal favourite and go-to karaoke song). “Wannabe” alone got the group to sell 10 million records worldwide and topped charts in 37 countries. In total, the Spice Girls have sold over 90 million records globally. By becoming popular and winning the hearts of many, the Spice Girls were able to spread their girl-power mantra to the world.
- Fashion
I can’t talk about the Spice Girls without talking about their fashion sense. Over the past 25 years, these women have given us some of their best statement looks. Whether it was in a music video or at a concert, their outfits have always made them stand out. The 1997 Brit Awards gave us some of the best Spice Girls outfits, but at that event, Ginger Spice took the cake for best dressed in her Union Jack dress. Posh’s outfits were always very, well, posh, with her often-in-black mini dresses. Simplicity at its finest. You could always find Mel B dressed like a rebel with her flare pants and bralette tops with fun patterns and a coverup on top. More than her outfits, Baby Spice’s hair was always done to match her personality, giving cute vibes to go with her name. You can’t forget about Sporty Spice’s outfits giving us jock vibes. Crop tops and pants were her go-to vibe and she never missed. Regardless of who’s fashion sense you love the most, each one of the girls truly embodied their characters to perfection.
- Girl Power
We all know that feminism has been extremely important to the world, but back in the ’90s, there weren’t as many opportunities for women as there are now. The girls had known each other from before and even moved in together before deciding to start their band. The Spice Girls made it their mission to preach feminism, making “Girl Power” their mantra. They chose to direct their music to their female fan base, being people that young girls could look up to. Once again referring to “Wannabe”, the song is meant to show girls that they’re in charge of themselves and have the ability to choose. The lyrics from this song also carry the message of how important friendships are. The group’s whole brand is based on authenticity and feminism which was of huge importance in the ’90s when they weren’t seen as topics of importance.
Although the band may not be making music anymore, that doesn’t mean they’ve lost their spice. Victoria Beckham, better known as Posh Spice, has her own clothing, makeup and skincare brand. Posh designed t-shirts inspired by the group’s hit debut single, “Wannabe”, to celebrate Pride month which happens to fall on Wannabe’s 25th anniversary. She also curated makeup with the shade name Posh, as a tribute to her Spice Girls’ character.
Posh isn’t the only one who still tributes her Spice Girls persona. The other members of the brand continue to pay tribute to their characters in different ways and often contribute their current success from that of the ’90s. Melanie Brown “Mel B” (Scary Spice), Melanie Chisholm “Mel C” (Sporty Spice), Emma Burton (Baby Spice) and Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) went on a Spice Girls reunion tour back in 2009 and 2019. They love their fans and want to go on as many tours as they can.
So thank you to the Spice Girls. Thank you for creating music that will instantly put me in a good mood. Thank you for showing us what it looks like to be confident. Thank you for empowering me, as well as millions of other people around the world.