Between 1996 and 2000 (when they went on indefinite hiatus), the band released three albums: Spice, Spiceworld, and Forever. All had chart-topping hits, and the girl power thread was a central theme, especially on the first two records. By examining specific songs, this section explores how the Spice Girls used music to explore – but also problematize – girl power feminism.
“Wannabe”, “Stop”, and Sexual Agency
Arguably the most famous Spice Girls songs, “Wannabe” (1996) and “Stop” (1998) are remarkably similar in their overarching themes. Both are odes to women owning their sexuality and emphasizing the importance of female friendship: “Wannabe” opens with Mel B. proclaiming that she’ll “tell ya what [she] wants, what [she] really, really wants” from her partner; in “Stop”, the girls are firmly telling a fast-moving suitor to back off and slow down. In both songs, they are fully in control of their bodies and the situation at hand, key elements of Girl Power feminism. “Wannabe” has the singer immediately asserting control of the situation, telling the (presumably male) listener “if you wanna get with me you better listen carefully”, while in “Stop”, the man who doesn’t listen is told to “stop right now, thank you very much” and back off. In both instances, the Spice Girls are making it known that they are calling the shots in this transaction – it’s up to them to decide how things will proceed. If her partner disagrees with her terms, then “[she’ll] say goodbye” or demand that he “get out of [her] face”. The woman has complete autonomy over her body and what she chooses to do with it; the man, if he “wants to be [her] lover,”, will have to pay attention to her needs as much as his own. Furthermore, both songs highlight the importance of female friendships, over and above romantic relationships: “Wannabe”’s chorus warns potential lovers that if they want to have a shot at any sort of relationship with the singer, they must make good with her friends as well, as these are the most important people in her life. “Stop” breezily tells suitors that if they won’t agree to the women’s terms, it’s fine – they’ve still got their friends. In Girl Power feminism, a woman never abandons her friends to pursue a romance; this is a thread that winds its way through nearly all of the Spice Girls’ modes. Although referring to sex as “zig-ah-zig-ah” is certainly juvenile, the songs’ themes assuredly are not.
Arguably the most famous Spice Girls songs, “Wannabe” (1996) and “Stop” (1998) are remarkably similar in their overarching themes. Both are odes to women owning their sexuality and emphasizing the importance of female friendship: “Wannabe” opens with Mel B. proclaiming that she’ll “tell ya what [she] wants, what [she] really, really wants” from her partner; in “Stop”, the girls are firmly telling a fast-moving suitor to back off and slow down. In both songs, they are fully in control of their bodies and the situation at hand, key elements of Girl Power feminism. “Wannabe” has the singer immediately asserting control of the situation, telling the (presumably male) listener “if you wanna get with me you better listen carefully”, while in “Stop”, the man who doesn’t listen is told to “stop right now, thank you very much” and back off. In both instances, the Spice Girls are making it known that they are calling the shots in this transaction – it’s up to them to decide how things will proceed. If her partner disagrees with her terms, then “[she’ll] say goodbye” or demand that he “get out of [her] face”. The woman has complete autonomy over her body and what she chooses to do with it; the man, if he “wants to be [her] lover,”, will have to pay attention to her needs as much as his own. Furthermore, both songs highlight the importance of female friendships, over and above romantic relationships: “Wannabe”’s chorus warns potential lovers that if they want to have a shot at any sort of relationship with the singer, they must make good with her friends as well, as these are the most important people in her life. “Stop” breezily tells suitors that if they won’t agree to the women’s terms, it’s fine – they’ve still got their friends. In Girl Power feminism, a woman never abandons her friends to pursue a romance; this is a thread that winds its way through nearly all of the Spice Girls’ modes. Although referring to sex as “zig-ah-zig-ah” is certainly juvenile, the songs’ themes assuredly are not.
“She’s a power girl, in a nineties world…”
Perhaps no Spice Girls songs illustrate their Girl Power manifesto so well as “The Lady is a Vamp” and “Do It”, both of which appear on Spiceworld (1998). The latter song in particular – an upbeat number with the chorus imploring (female) listeners to “come on and do it”, though what “it” is is never fully explained – is certainly the epitome of an empowerment anthem. The lyrics, which play on common stereotypes of what girls and women “should do” (listen to your mother, keep your legs closed, be seen and not heard) encourage listeners to break the mould, to “freak out, lose control” and “free what’s in [their] soul”; women should be independent, the song says, and do what will make them happy rather than pandering to others. Rules exist to be broken, and women should not dedicate themselves to pleasing others. While it's not clear what "doing it" should entail, the phrase could conceivably refer to whatever the listener wanted -- provided it was something empowering, of course. In not describing what the action should be, the song is able to stand as a catch-all for female empowerment.
“The Lady is a Vamp” is also characteristic of the Spice Girls’ girl power version of feminism. Invoking the names of famous female icons from the last few decades – Charlie’s Angels, Twiggy, Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O. – the song suggests that while all of these women were wonderful in their own right, the world “ain’t seen nothin’ yet”. The new “power girl[s] in a nineties world” (a group implied to be led by the Spice Girls), who “know just what to do” are out to change the world, although again, it’s not clear what the “doing” will entail: either it is up to the individual women, or the Spice Girls simply do not know. Curiously, all of the women referenced in the song are a) wealthy, classically beautiful, and renowned for it; and b) with the exception of Twiggy, only mentioned in relation to the men they were connected with. In the context of the song, this seems to imply that the Spice Girls – who presented themselves as being of ordinary looks and status – are leading the charge towards the rise of a new “power girl”, one who is capable of making something of herself despite her beginnings. On the other hand, the band invites men to “place [their] bets, ‘cause [they] ain’t seen nothin’ yet”, seemingly suggesting that, whatever independence our nineties girl may have, she is still subject to the confines of the patriarchy and responding to the whims of men. Although the implication of this is somewhat troubling, remember that the girls were never going to advocate for the overturning of the patriarchy; rather, they suggest working from within to improve it. It’s difficult to want to smash something that also hugely benefits you, as it did the Spice Girls. Understandably, this may not be enough for some; however, in the context of pop culture feminism and the 1990s cultural climate, it is a fairly challenging one.