Spice Girls: Feminine Archetypes
Archetypal dressing and breaking boundaries
Victoria Beckham's 50th birthday celebration, as seen in British Vogue, managed to steal some of Taylor Swift's spotlight during "The Tortured Poets Department" album launch weekend, albeit for a brief moment.
Not only did this now legendary exit break all of our millennial minds this last Saturday, but the unexpected Spice Girls reunion made us recall platform heels and Girl Power.
It doesn’t matter how many reunions and comebacks the Spice Girls give us, we still feel enthralled with nostalgia when we see them together.
Not only did seeing the five band members together remind us of Ring Pops, stick on tattoos and how women can be themselves to achieve their dreams. But they’re also a powerful reminder that when it comes to femininity there are no boundaries. Each Spice Girl represented a different kind of feminine, showing how one day you can be an outspoken leader like Ginger Spice, and another day sophisticated like Posh Spice.
The renowned names actually came up because a “lazy journalist”, as described by Mel B, couldn’t bother with remembering their names, and that he simply started nicknaming them (guess John Tucker wasn’t the first man to nickname someone baby). The girls being as genius as they were, took ownership of these names leading them from local Soho spice to Spicemania.
Like archetypes the Spice Girls represent personas or characters that resonated with symbols we share in the collective unconsciousness. This means, that no matter what culture or background we have, we can collectively understand that Scary Spice means being unapologetically fierce, and that Baby Spice means sweet and sentimental.
By adopting the characteristics and behaviour of their archetypes; they became highly recognizable. But what made them truly iconic was how they expressed their archetypal femininity through their wardrobe. Their signature styles became iconic because they genuinely expressed who they were on stage, catching flights, or meeting King Charles.
Thanks to the Spice Girls we can feel proud to embrace our femininity, whether in athleisure or mini skirts. Posh (Victoria Beckham) epitomized sophistication in her little black dresses, high heels, and polished haircut. Ginger (Gerri Halliwell) reclaimed the concept of sexiness for herself and not for the male gaze, through her iconic Union Jack mini dress. Sporty (Mel C), my personal favourite, gave us pilates arms and high notes before Miley Cyrus did. She championed the comfort, power and sexy combo. Baby Spice (Emma Bunton) challenged the notion of femininity being synonymous of fragility, as pastels can also come with a punch; and Scary (Mel B) showed boldness and individuality.
Individually, these women are impressive, but together they were an unstoppable force. This signifies that embracing all expressions of femininity empowers you to overcome obstacles. Even if the odds seem stacked against you, embracing an archetype and styling your wardrobe to it, can lead to unexpected success. You might even end up starring in a cult classic film that explores the ironic complexities of girl power in the entertainment industry.
Yours,
The Dyslexic Aristocat.