What is your favourite Spice Girls song?

[Fictionist]

*you* like level 42.

True - they played instruments, sang live, played extremely well together, have a good solid body of work, wrote their own songs....(a bit like Fleetwood Mac - but you don't appear to like that group either)



*Girl Power!!!*

 

[bluestreak]

They were absolute fucking shit. Not an ounce of talent. Fuck them.

This. But Spice Up Your Life if I had to choose one. Great video, call and response tune.

 

[bluestreak]

with my serious head on. 'girl power' was this, in a nutshell.

Aye. To paraphrase someone, girl power was what we used to call sexism.

 

[zenie]

They were both a symptom of and a large push towards the increasing failure of feminism to succeed in its goal of a better, fairer society. As a result, a generation of girls grew up confusing "being strong and independent" with "binge drinking, being anti-intellectual and fitting the popular view of what makes you good looking"

As a result, fuck 'em.

Are you sure? I don't think The Spice Girls caused that.

I'd say that was more of a nouties thing, we now have a teenage generation who think nothing of having plastic surgery, have footballers wives to look up to as role models, and starve themselves to remain thin, I never got any of that from Spice Girls in the nineties.

Not withstanding what the girls are like now of coourse!

Maybe I just read it differently growing up with them. I was a teenager and didn't feel those pressures you talk about.

 

[electrogirl]

They were both a symptom of and a large push towards the increasing failure of feminism to succeed in its goal of a better, fairer society. As a result, a generation of girls grew up confusing "being strong and independent" with "binge drinking, being anti-intellectual and fitting the popular view of what makes you good looking"

As a result, fuck 'em.

I know what you mean, to an extent, they said Maggie Thatcher had girl power ffs, so they clearly didn't know what they were talking about.

However, they were loud, and feisty, and didn't seem to care what people,especially men, thought about them. They never really dressed provocatively.

I never saw them applauding binge drinking or being anti-intellectual.

 

[5t3IIa]

I know what you mean, to an extent, they said Maggie Thatcher had girl power ffs, so they clearly didn't know what they were talking about.

However, they were loud, and feisty, and didn't seem to care what people,especially men, thought about them. They never really dressed provocatively.

I never saw them applauding binge drinking or being anti-intellectual.

No, me neither. They seemed quite distant from the laddette thing too. I see what kabbes is saying, eloquent as usual, but I'm not sure it fits in this case.

 

[dodgepot]

they didn't play their own instruments or write their own songs, though, so you shouldn't like their music. and if you do like their music, then you obviously know nothing about any music whatsoever

 

[electrogirl]

Aye. To paraphrase someone, girl power was what we used to call sexism.

oh come on, explain?

 

[kabbes]

Don't you think that the ladette culture of the noughties might have had something to do with the prevailing message given out by (but not restricted to) the likes of the Spice Girls in the 90s? It's precisely what I'm talking about, regarding a generation growing up and absorbing their "we're nothing but fluff but we wear hot pants so we're fierce and independent!" message as if it actually meant something.

 

[Crispy]

2 Become 1, reminds me of Christmas 96 when I was living with my soon to be husband, not long had my first cat and was really happy.

Sounds better backwards

 

[electrogirl]

Don't you think that the ladette culture of the noughties might have had something to do with the prevailing message given out by (but not restricted to) the likes of the Spice Girls in the 90s? It's precisely what I'm talking about, regarding a generation growing up and absorbing their "we're nothing but fluff but we wear hot pants so we're fierce and independent!" message as if it actually meant something.

But I don't think that was what the Spice Girls were about at all, I don't think they ever saw themselves as 'fluff'. They, albeit misguidedly talked about 'being true to yourself' and being 'feisty and standing up for what you believed in'

All of that was cheesy and, yeah, they weren't exactly winning any prizes for groundbreaking feminist thought, but their hearts were in the right place.

They were not 'fluff' in any wasy shape or form, I don't think I ever saw them do a lads mag shoot, or try and be sexy for men, they were all about the girls.

 

[Fictionist]

they didn't play their own instruments or write their own songs, though, so you shouldn't like their music. and if you do like their music, then you obviously know nothing about any music whatsoever

Isn't quite the point I was making, but I still like you.

 

[kabbes]

They were not 'fluff' in any wasy shape or form, I don't think I ever saw them do a lads mag shoot, or try and be sexy for men, they were all about the girls.

True to a point. I see what you're saying. But they did internalise the message being given that what women should really want is to wear impractical and uncomfortable clothing and mouth suggestive songs whilst wiggling at a camera. And, having internalised it, they then externalised it all over the bloody place.

They created a path that was then easy to follow for the far, far more egregious offenders that came after them.

They totally missed the point about feminism but insisted, loudly and at every opportunity, that their interpretation was the new way, with the implication that it was the only valid one remaining.

I think that they did a lot of harm, although they meant well. Not as much harm as vast other areas of the media, of course. But they were a symptom and a propogation of a trend, as I said initially.

 

[electrogirl]

True to a point. I see what you're saying. But they did internalise the message being given that what women should really want is to wear impractical and uncomfortable clothing and mouth suggestive songs whilst wiggling at a camera. And, having internalised it, they then externalised it all over the bloody place.

They created a path that was then easy to follow for the far, far more egregious offenders that came after them.

They totally missed the point about feminism but insisted, loudly and at every opportunity, that their interpretation was the new way, with the implication that it was the only valid one remaining.

I think that they did a lot of harm, although they meant well. Not as much harm as vast other areas of the media, of course. But they were a symptom and a propogation of a trend, as I said initially.

But they didn't do that.

I don't remember them ever being overtly sexual and they were never prettypretty. If you can bear to watch their videos, you'll see that. They never pout to the camera, in the Wannabe video they're just running around causing havoc everywhere. Most of their videos are jsut of them having fun.

(except when they came back and did Holler which was exactly why thay flopped, because they'd lost everything 'spicey' about them, oh and it was a shit song)

I'm not trying to claim that they were feminist revolutionaries but I do think you are bieng a bit unfair in what you say about the harm they did. Essentially, it got little girls running around saying 'girl power' which isn't such a bad thing.

 

[DotCommunist]

power to the underage sweatshop girls who produced all the branded 'girl power' gear. Let's hope they didn't know enough english to appreciate the sick irony eh?

 

[kabbes]

I think it's pretty clear that they created a path that the likes of Destiny's Child and Atomic Kitten followed and expanded on, which is a direct line to today's habit of wearing half a pair of shorts and shaking your arse at the camera.

 

[5t3IIa]

[
I think it's pretty clear that they created a path that the likes of Destiny's Child and Atomic Kitten followed and expanded on, which is a direct line to today's habit of wearing half a pair of shorts and shaking your arse at the camera.

Lol Pan's People were wearing half of nowt and shaking their booties way before the Spice Girls.

 

[electrogirl]

Hang on, I'm pretty sure those 2nd shots are from their 'comeback' tour, which, like I say, was completely different to what they were like in the 90's.

Kabbes, I'm not saying they didn't wear skimpy clothing, we all know about Geri's union jack dress, but as for shaking their arse at the camera, or doing nothing but 'look pretty', that's really not what they were about.

Is it just their clothing you have a problem with then?

 

[Voley]

'Who Do You Think You Are?' for me.

 

[kabbes]

Actually, the clothing is a total side-issue, which typically for a discussion has taken on undue prominance. It was their message and words that used to make me Jean-Luc.

 

[kabbes]

That undue prominance was totally my fault, btw,

 

[5t3IIa]

Hang on, I'm pretty sure those 2nd shots are from their 'comeback' tour, which, like I say, was completely different to what they were like in the 90's.

Kabbes, I'm not saying they didn't wear skimpy clothing, we all know about Geri's union jack dress, but as for shaking their arse at the camera, or doing nothing but 'look pretty', that's really not what they were about.

Is it just their clothing you have a problem with then?

I think kabbes has an interresting theory but he's tacking it onto the wrong band

 

[electrogirl]

Actually, the clothing is a total side-issue, which typically for a discussion has taken on undue prominance. It was their message and words that used to make me Jean-Luc.

Well, what was it about their message that made you facepalm then?

I think kabbes has an interresting theory but he's tacking it onto the wrong band

That's what I think too, I think the Spice Girls were actually successful because they were an antithesis to that in a way, instead of a pretty pretty nothing to say girlband, we had girls that spoke up, and were funny, and a bit raucous.

That's why girls liked them.

 

[kabbes]

I wish I could specifically remember all the things that they did at the time that raised my ire. I can't though. However, I can clearly remember at the time seeing them as the precursor of a trend; a trend that did actually come to pass. I remember thinking at the time that their message of "girl power" was wafer thin, as they were being manipulated, manufactured and managed to appeal to a particular target market by using cartoon "characteristics". I remember that they were given a platform as being the true, new face of feminism and yet missed every point that feminism tried to make. Whether they wanted to or not, they were used as an excuse for thinking that the struggle for equality was over.

Hell, I'm not writing a book on them here, or even a thesis. It's just the thoughts of an angry nutter.

 

[electrogirl]

I wish I could specifically remember all the things that they did at the time that raised my ire. I can't though. However, I can clearly remember at the time seeing them as the precursor of a trend; a trend that did actually come to pass. I remember thinking at the time that their message of "girl power" was wafer thin, as they were being manipulated, manufactured and managed to appeal to a particular target market by using cartoon "characteristics". I remember that they were given a platform as being the true, new face of feminism and yet missed every point that feminism tried to make. Whether they wanted to or not, they were used as an excuse for thinking that the struggle for equality was over.

Hell, I'm not writing a book on them here, or even a thesis. It's just the thoughts of an angry nutter.

Okay well I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Personally, I think they had very little to do with this 'trend' you speak of. They were manufactured only in the same way that tons of popbands are and actually, they fired their management and stuck together and started managing themselves at one point. They gave quite important messages about frienship, and 'being yourself'. <<trite, but these messages appeal to young people.

I don't think anyone really thought of them as a new face of feminism, I don't think even they claimed to be that, they were just feisty girls having fun, not for boys, but for themselves. That's the reason they wre so popular I think, in market dominated by wishy washy girlgroups and chest bearing boybands they were something refreshing. There message of 'girl power' was certainly misguided, but it had good intentions.

I do think you have a point, I just don't think it applies to the Spice Girls.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

I like Viva Forever as it's slightly reminiscent of Madonna at her best, and nowhere near as irritating as most of their other songs.

 

[Augie March]

I'm grappling as to why '2 Become 1' has seemingly set up home somewhere in the back of my brain. There I'll be, going about my normal day and THAT song will pop into my head for no particular reason and the bastard thing won't leave for the rest of the day.

And as I'm writing this post, it's playing in my head again. ARRGH!

*jumps out of window

 

[Crispy]

I'm grappling as to why '2 Become 1' has seemingly set up home somewhere in the back of my brain.

Like I said, it's better backwards

 

[Boycey]

Well, what was it about their message that made you facepalm then?



That's what I think too, I think the Spice Girls were actually successful because they were an antithesis to that in a way, instead of a pretty pretty nothing to say girlband, we had girls that spoke up, and were funny, and a bit raucous.

That's why girls liked them.

about what? didn't they just fuck and suck their way into a record deal and call it "girl power"?

 

[Agent Sparrow]

True to a point. I see what you're saying. But they did internalise the message being given that what women should really want is to wear impractical and uncomfortable clothing and mouth suggestive songs whilst wiggling at a camera. And, having internalised it, they then externalised it all over the bloody place.

That's what I think too, I think the Spice Girls were actually successful because they were an antithesis to that in a way, instead of a pretty pretty nothing to say girlband, we had girls that spoke up, and were funny, and a bit raucous.

I'm not entirely sure if my post naturally follows on from these two, but I think there's a connection. In re: to the girl power message, i.e. women feeling they had agency in their lives, I've always thought it quite sad that at least 60% of them had or went on to develop eating disorders. Feminist theories quite often suggest that a lack of perceived agency/power in life is what causes it to be a disorder which is so common in women. So it makes me think that actually the assertion of girl power was actually a a bit false.

As for favourate song, the only one I actually really liked at the time was their second one.