Why We Need The Spice Girls For This Generation's Young Girls

I cannot believe that this week 20 years ago the Spice Girls released their first single Wannabe.

TWENTY YEARS!? Where has this time gone?

Image from Usmagazine.com

I was eleven years old and about to finish my final year at primary school when this came out and this group literally changed my whole perspective on being female for the better.

The Spice Girls will always hold a dear place in my heart for so many reasons, mainly because they promoted 'Girl Power' to young girls like myself which was a completely new concept.

Sure they dressed in very revealing clothes (well mainly Geri and Mel B did) and they were loud and at times quite garish, but that didn't stop the fact that they were promoting female empowerment. They believed that women could be just as powerful as men and they targeted young females using fun pop music with the aim to get them to believe in themselves.

I wish more bands of today were like this, as I feel this message is slipping whenever I look at the recent charts with the likes of 1D going on about looking after women and Justin Bieber telling women to go 'love' themselves which clearly means something a lot more negative.

A lot of people argue that the Spice Girls were cheesy, trashy and not what women she aspire to, but I completely disagree. They showed that you could dress and talk how you wanted, whether it be in bold, sparkly dresses or jogging bottoms, and you could still be respected and heard by the world.



They met with prime ministers, the America president, the Royal family and even Nelson Mandela.

They would talk about the importance of girls making sure they always aim high and never give up on their dreams, and the message of being independent and not relying on men to look after you was something that was long needed, and needed again in my opinion.

Image from Dailymail.co.uk

Their music was cheesy and fun in a lot of ways, but some of the lyrics were about encouraging women not to just put up with things and relationships that weren't making them happy. Some songs were about leaving someone who wasn't giving you the love and respect you needed, whilst others were about only accepting people into your life who were going to give you want you deserved.

They came onto the scene at a pivotal point of my life when I was about to move onto secondary school and they remained prominent throughout my early teenage years. The teenage years are rarely easy for many, and this included me.

I had low self esteem and found solace in their music and their interviews. I loved Geri most of all because she wasn't afraid to say what she thought and she would challenge some people most wouldn't dream of; who else would pinch Prince Charles' bottom in front of a camera and put lipstick kisses on his cheek?!

They helped me to believe I mattered and that I could achieve any career if I put my mind to it.

I don't conform to fashion and never really did. I don't see men as above me and I most definitely do not need a man to look after me.

I am self-sufficient, I dress to suit my preferences, I say what I think and I try to show my son that both genders are strong and equal.

Some of this I learnt from my mother, my family and surroundings, but some was also from the celebrities who adorned all of the teen mags I read, of which many had these girls on the front for years.

We need a new Spice Girls inspired group for this new generation as I feel girls these days have very few empowered women on the celebrity scene inspiring them to be strong and independent.

But until then I will dig out my old Spice albums, play them to my son and give myself the Girl Power I have lost a little of recently during some tough times.

Image from Time.com

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