Friendship Never Ends: A Girl Power Soundtrack

Track 1: Who Do You Think You Are?

When I was twelve years old, my most beloved item of clothing was a pair of navy blue Le Coq Sportif trackie bottoms. They had popper studs all the way up the side of each leg and looked incredible paired with my très chic platform trainers. My best friend Michaela had a matching pair, and we were slightly too competitive over who resembled Sporty Spice more. Now, as a very mature, almost-perfected version of modern woman, I’d like to go on record as admitting that it was her; I was too flaky. At the Spice Girls’ inception, I was most obviously Baby Spice with my stringy blonde fringe. But then I put my life in the hands of Clairol Nice ‘n’ Easy, stuffed my bra with slouchy ankle socks, and became a dead ringer for Ginger. Thankfully, even at twelve, I was self-aware enough to know I could never be Posh or Scary, for different reasons…

Track 2: Spice Up Your Life

For many an elder millennial woman, the Spice Girls were seminal. (What did we even do in the Nineties before those girls cackled and stomped into our lives?) Michaela and I pored over the sleeve notes to the Spice album, memorising the Wannabe rap and bickering over whether or not we should skip Last Time Lover (I maintain that we should not.) We perfected the ‘peace sign pose’ for all photographs and caterwauled, “Girl powerrrrrr!” as if we had found the secrets of the universe. Lest we forget the race to collect all five Spice Girls inflatable dolls, Smash Hits magazine’s best freebie to date. But catchy pop songs and coveted merch aside, what was it about the Spice Girls that revolutionised an entire generation of pre-teen girls? For young pop music fans of the Nineties, there had been Take That and then Boyzone, and being a fan meant intense romantic pining and weak knees for average-looking boys with greasy curtains. Then came the Spice Girls. In the opening lines of their debut single, the Spice Girls set out their stall – ‘If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends.’ Sistas before mistas, hoes before bros, however you wanted to look at it, the Spice Girls were staunchly friends-first. They were all about having fun and empowering each other without the context of boys. For many young women, it was our first notion of feminism.

Track 3: Say You’ll Be There

The beauty of the Spice Girls’ friendship lies in their wholehearted embrace of each other’s individual identity, strengths, and weaknesses. Their diverse styles, personas, and roles in the band somehow work together in harmony. Victoria’s sleek bob and stilettos complemented Mel C’s barbed wire tattoo (I don’t know, it just does, okay?), Emma’s cutesy pigtails stand loud and proud alongside Geri’s exposed undercarriage (oh hey, iconic Union Jack tea towel dress!) Victoria not quite nailing that high note? Don’t worry, babe, one of the Melanies has got you. Geri is having a small breakdown and leaving the band forever? No worries – Emma will tell the nation you’re feeling poorly and send her love live on the National Lottery show. Eddie Murphy got you pregnant? Auntie Vicky’s ready for birthing partner duty. Through triumphs and traumas, these girls have just unequivocally, without exception, got each other’s backs.

Track 4: Let Love Lead the Way

Let’s bring that into the present tense, actually. Thirty years on from Wannabe’s release, Emma, Victoria, Mel B, Geri, and Mel C still have each other’s backs. Have you seen the footage of their impromptu version of Mama at Victoria’s 50th birthday? It’s just joy and love. Enduring joy and love. Geri’s departure from the group in 1998 didn’t end their friendship. Instead, their relationships redirected and reinvented themselves, landing on acceptance, even after Geri’s recent devolution into a ghostly Tory handmaid. Isn’t it just glorious to see five very different women supporting each other through decades of dodgy decisions and identity incarnations – no one shunned Mel C for her ill-advised rock chick era, or Victoria’s unhinged decision to wed in purple, on a literal throne. Their acceptance of each other has spanned two centuries! Longevity in female friendship isn’t to be sniffed at, especially in a patriarchal society that loves to pit women against each other.

Track 5: Viva Forever

And their legacy lingers in their fans, too. As I write this, my tired eyes are lined in Victoria Beckham’s finest make-up, and my inner ankle boasts a very classy tattoo of Baby Spice’s hand throwing up a peace sign… But mostly, I have become a woman who cherishes the other women in my life. Women who challenge me and accept me, and who are very different from me. Women who will get up and sing Stop (with every dance move saved to our collective muscle memory) at my karaoke birthday party. I recently reconnected with Michaela, my rival Sporty Spice, my teenage friend. We reminisced and cackled over coffee, and she brought along her very own newborn Baby Spice! Whether it’s world-famous women in their 50s, fans like Michaela and I approaching our 40s, or a brand new generation of girls, let’s make it last forever: girl power is friendship, and friendship never ends.