The general public adores an easily identifiable character. Whether it’s a recognizable hairstyle, makeup choice, personality trope, or outfit formula, it makes it very easy for onlookers to decide who they would be in their world. But what happens when we put real people in these “easily identifiable” boxes? The Spice Girls had their now iconic nicknames bestowed upon them in July of 1996, and those offhand labels have followed them in the 28 years since. Let’s dissect the implications of being a real-life character.
Use your imagination and time travel back to the start of “Spice Mania” in 1996. The smash hit “Wannabe” was taking over, going on to top the charts in 31 different countries. The five young girls, ages between 20 and 23, were taking over the world with their irresistible charm, magnetic stage presence, and catchy tunes. The most notable thing about them was that each girl had a distinct style. They were five different girls with five different aesthetics, and they would have never been able to agree on just one matching costume. From there, of course, the nicknames originated.
Just a month after “Wannabe” was released, a journalist named Peter Loraine wrote a feature story about the Spice Girls for the U.K. magazine and TV show “Top of the Pops.” The story goes that he was too lazy to learn their names (come on, two of the five are named Melanie!), and just decided to come up with one-word nicknames for them instead. From there, it was a matter of deciding whether to own it or not. Spoiler alert: they owned it. In an interview with Huff Post Live, Mel B (Scary Spice) reminisced on the origin of their names. She recalled the conversation with the girls going something like, “‘…Oh, well, that kinda works. I don’t mind my name…We were like, ‘Let’s just go with it’.”
Not only did they go with it, they took it all the way to the bank. Their names and faces were on dolls, lunchboxes, clothing, jewelry, posters, food, et cetera. You name it, their faces were slapped onto it. In fact, by 1997 (only one year after their debut), it is estimated that their merchandising efforts alone brought in over £300 million, while the group’s total grosses were estimated between £500-800 million by the following year. Young girls around the world were able to identify with at least one of the five performers and imagine they could be fierce, strong, women someday too.
So, how do the Spice Girls really feel about their nicknames? Generally, they quite like them. Surprising, right? During an appearance on the podcast “The Babble”, Mel C (Sporty Spice) spoke about how she and the other girls felt about their nicknames. “We kind of embraced them…It was a fun thing…I think we really became caricatures of our actual selves.” There has, of course, been controversy with the names, specifically concerning Baby and Scary. For Baby, concerns of pedophiles sexualizing her “innocent” aesthetic have arisen. Emma (Baby Spice) states that at the time, the thought of pedophiles sexualizing her never crossed her mind, but she now understands how having the nickname Baby while being dressed up in tiny skirts could be a topic of conversation. Luckily for her, it doesn’t seem to affect her negatively. For Scary, fans were worried that the nickname may have had racist undertones, considering she was the only black member of the group. Similarly to Baby, Mel B (Scary Spice) doesn’t see it this way. In an interview with Huff Post Live, Mel B states, “I’m very kind of in-your-face…I was even more so back then… So I guess I could have come off as Scary. But I like my name.”
And so it’s settled. No need to worry about the relationship between the Spice Girls and their nicknames, as they are completely fine with them. But that doesn’t mean all “real-life characters” share the same viewpoint. There are countless examples of celebrities having severe mental health struggles due to feeling trapped in an image created by somebody else. Luckily for Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm, and Geri Halliwell-Horner (yes, those are all their real names, America), their nicknames are a badge of honor and not a piece of Spice history they wish to forget. And with that, let’s go watch Spice World!
Words by Fay Marks.
Graphic by Emily Strycharz.