Spice Girls's “Wannabe” Turns 20: A Look Back at the Group’s Impact
It’s the 20th anniversary of The Spice Girls’ original smash-hit “Wannabe.” (Yes. "Wannabe" is 20. Let that sink in.) If you're anything like us, you still can’t get that earworm out of your head. Neither can today’s stars, who’ve taken up the mantle of “Girl Power!” in the group’s absence. Before Taylor Swift and her crew of supermodel friends banded together for an epic movie music video, we had five globetrotting Brits whose mission was to make female power as fashionable as scrunchies. (Don't hate; they were fashionable back then.) To celebrate the group’s lasting impact, we’ve compiled four modern pop acts we think have been the most influenced by Sporty, Baby, Ginger, Posh, and Scary:
GIF: Courtesy of GIPHY1/4Taylor Swift
Swift’s #squadgoals lifestyle echoes back to the easy yet powerful friendship that made the The Spice Girls so unforgettable in interviews and tour documentaries. Our culture is often way too prone to “Who wore it best?” articles and cheering on celebrity feuds, so it's so awesome to see powerful women support each other. So Taylor, Karlie, Lena, Selena, Cara, Gigi, Serayah, Kennedy and more have set up set serving us just that.
GIF: Courtesy of GIPHY2/4Fifth Harmony
Beyond the simple facts that they’re both girl bands with five members pumping out killer pop tracks, both bands hang their hat on being extraordinary feminists. While The Spice Girls were out preaching female solidarity, 5H has hit the ground running with songs like "Worth It" and "BO$$" which demand that the world take girls seriously. Anybody rocking their head to 5H is swinging girl power and feminist swagger around with them.
GIF: Courtesy of GIPHY3/4One Direction
Post Spice Girls, 1D is obviously the biggest pop band to storm out of Britain since... possibly even the world. Apart from that, these boys have always seemed intimately connected to the Girls. When Zayn left the group, fans were instantly sent back to the moment when, mid-world tour, Ginger exited the clique to work on her solo projects. Both groups went on for a bit after their respective losses, but ultimately went on hiatus for a bit to persuade their individual projects. Beyond that, 1D’s original stylist Caroline Watson dished that she “wanted them to be like the male equivalent to the Spice Girls. When I say ’the Spice Girls,’ I mean being in a group but having an identity. Everyone wore different things and no two girls looked the same. I wanted to create that with the boys.” She's certainly succeeded at getting them the same level of iconic success.
GIF: Courtesy of GIPHY4/4Little Mix
The press has gone far enough to call Little Mix the “new” Spice Girls. Members of the original five-piece have even deigned to give the foursome their blessings and advice in music videos and the press. Their music captures the fun and approachable spirit of Spice and Spiceworld, while their platforms-and-prints fashions are obviously an homage to the Spice heyday. We’re just holding out for the two bands to make it official and join forces to tour as a supergroup.
