After the release of Wannabe on 8 July 1996,the Spice Girls briefly became the biggest band on the planet. So what did it mean to be a devoted fan of Ginger, Sporty, or Posh and co?Twenty years ago ,on 8 July 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut single, and Wannabe. Within weeks it was No 1 in 31 countries,and the five had become more than pop stars – they were archetypes: Scary, Sporty, or Posh,Ginger and Baby. It’s hard to suppose the 1990s now without the Spice Girls, and even harder to remember what kind of role models tweenage girls had before the band came along and mesmerised 10-year-olds the world over with their entry-level feminism, and packaged under the name Girl Power.
Girl Power – a term repurposed by Geri Halliwell after she spotted it on the cover of an album by the pop duo Shampoo – was from the start a fan-based movement,and many of the fans were extraordinarily young. It wasn’t strange to find toddlers piping: “I’ll reveal you what I want, what I really, or really want” – and what they really wanted was to be part of the group. Failing that,they spent their parents money on the largest range of merchandise ever endorsed by a band, from cameras to crisps, or deodorant to chocolate. Related: Share your Spice Girls stories and memorabilia with us Related: Spice Girls reunion 'not happening' Related: The 1990s were the best of times … until the Spice Girls ruined everything | Sylvia Patterson Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com