Working Girl Idol: The Spice Girls

It has been almost exactly one month since WG1, our Fabulous Project Manager (why yes, we do have a manager), and I saw The Spice Girls reunion tour and I still can’t stop thinking about all the glitter, sequins, Union Jacks, and ‘Girl Power’ chants, which is why I have chosen to nominate The Spice Girls as my most recent Working Girl idols.

I’m have been a fan of The Spice Girls for quite a while and having been in seventh grade when their single “Wannabe” first aired on the air waves, I think that’s respectable to admit. When they announced their ‘Reunion Tour’ dates, WG1 and I had just started doing the 9 to 5 thing and couldn’t afford even the nosebleed seats without having to resort to having WG1 beg her father to buy them so we could totally pay him back later or whatever. We felt like we were in seventh grade again, which was fitting since almost everyone in the crowd had just bought training bras (we literally were three of the oldest people at the concert – except the teenybopper’s mothers).

But the Spice Girls aren’t just a pre-teen obsession of mine (even though I could still listen to ‘2 Become 1’ on repeat for days at a time). The girl group is an icon for Working Girls everywhere. They are five working women who took feminism and being a strong woman and made it into part of their Spice brand helping adolescents and grown women alike have the power to stand tall while being independent.

The Spice Girls are a five-person girl group that formed in London in the mid-1990s. They released three studio albums, thirteen singles, and sold 55 million records in their long career making them one of the most successful girl groups of all time. After taking a hiatus to pursue other projects, the Spice Girls recently reunited for a reunion tour around the world (and more specifically the beautiful Garden State where I almost lost my voice belting out their songs).

Of course what made them stand out to women around the world was their feminist empowerment – that they promoted sexuality, strong-mindedness, and the ability to have lasting friendships all in one package. You didn’t have to choose one part or the other – you could be sexy and smart. Although their message was not a new one (we’re pretty sure Madonna and other women of the ‘80s made being strong look pretty cool), the Spice Girl’s ‘girl power’ mantra made their feminist approach to life such a cultural phenomenon that the phrase itself even made it into the Oxford English Dictionary.

In conclusion, I’d like to give a big ‘holler’ to Posh, Scary, Sporty, Baby and especially Ginger for giving the girls of my generation and ones to come a positive message to stand behind.

And I’m not-so-secretly hoping that the Spice Girls decide to do another reunion tour in another five years.