Sketchy Things We Ignore About The Spice Girls

The following article includes references to disordered eating.

"No one's buying their records because it's great music," the late Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren told Spin at the height of the Spice Girls' fame. "They're buying the idea of talentless people becoming enormously successful." Ouch! Regardless of what Mr. McLaren may have thought, the Spice Girls were a force to reckon with. When the girl power ensemble first launched onto the pop scene with "Wannabe" in 1996, the impact that they would have over the cultural landscape quickly became apparent. Donning quintessentially cool Britannia attire, complete with epic sneaker platforms and Union Jack mini dresses, the group came to typify the colorful kitsch of the era. Soon enough, they sold out arenas, debuted a series of merch — including a line of $30 dolls — and even released their own movie "Spice World." And, of course, the Spice Girls spawned Posh 'n' Becks (and now, Brooks 'n' Peltz).

Though their message of girl power may have seemed innocuous at the time, a retrospective analysis into the '90s pop culture milieu means that much of the popular media of the decade now appears problematic. From the casual transphobia of "Friends" to Gwen Stefani being accused of cultural appropriation, Gen-Z are all too often horrified when witnessing what passed as acceptable behavior in the' 90s. And as wholesome as the quintet may have appeared, the Spice Girls were not immune to being embroiled in some shady shenanigans. 

Who do you think they are? Let's give the lowdown on sketchy things we ignore about the Spice Girls.

There have long been rumors that Geri Halliwell, aka Ginger Spice, and Mel B (Scary Spice) had an affair. In a 2003 interview with Howard Stern, Halliwell revealed that she once had sex with another woman, but claimed that she didn't enjoy the experience. Despite Stern's lewd pleas for the singer to divulge her erstwhile lover's identity, Halliwell refused to name the woman.

During an appearance on "Piers Morgan's Life Stories" in 2019, Mel B seemingly confirmed the rumors when she alleged that she had a sexual relationship with Halliwell. "She's going to hate me for this because she's all posh in a country house with her husband!" she joked. "But it wasn't a thing; it just happened and we just giggled at it and that was it. ... She's going to kill me and so is her husband!"

Indeed, Halliwell was unhappy with Mel B's decision to kiss and tell. "It has been very disappointing to read about all these rumors again, especially on Mother's Day of all days. ... What has been reported recently is simply not true and has been very hurtful to her family," her rep told E! News. However, as Grazia argued, Halliwell's response may be perceived as a means of gaslighting her bandmate; namely, branding the alleged anecdote as hurtful and somehow antithetical to Halliwell's family life is the sort of dangerous rhetoric associated with homophobic far-right politicians, as opposed to a singer with a devoted LGBTQ+ following.

There are innumerable lyrics from classic songs that haven't stood the test of time. From R. Kelly declaring (through his underage then-wife, Aaliyah) that "Age Ain't Nothing but a Number" to Eminem's casual homophobia, the '90s and 2000s were rife with problematic lyrics. Unfortunately, the Spice Girls were also guilty of this, with their lyrics having veered into antiquated racism at one point.

With its catchy, salsa-infused rhythm, "Spice Up Your Life" was a colossal hit for the band in 1997. As the group's tween fans danced to the seemingly innocuous track, they were likely unaware of the cringeworthy penmanship in the second verse, which contains references to a "Yellow man in Timbuktu," "kung fu fighting," and a "tribal spaceman." At the time, The Irish Times criticized the band, branding the racist allusions regrettable. Though the track, which features lyrics in various languages, was supposed to be a celebration of diversity, it became quite the opposite, now appearing tone deaf.

Some of the band members have since expressed regret over the offensive overtures. In 2018, it was reported that Melanie C wanted to tweak the lyrics — namely by replacing that first descriptor with "happy people" — in anticipation of the group embarking on their reunion tour, per The Sun. "The reality is it's not acceptable to say that now," a source stated. "Some of the girls feel uncomfortable getting up on stage and performing that lyric, especially when they have such a diverse and multicultural fanbase."

In-band fighting is, unfortunately, all too common among the biggest musical acts. Alas, the Spice Girls were plagued by feuds between several band members. In an interview with People, Melanie C admitted that she was left feeling deeply distraught after one such fight with Victoria Beckham (aka Posh Spice). The duo began arguing at the 1996 Brit Awards when Sporty Spice, somewhat inebriated, took things a little too far. "I told Victoria where to go," Melanie C recalled. "It wasn't even in front of anyone. ... But it was a big deal at the time, and I got into lots of trouble." As Melanie C told ET, she was almost fired from the Spice Girls due to the fight with her bandmate. Accordingly, she admitted that she began to police herself thereafter, becoming obsessed with maintaining control over everything in her life.

In 2022, she seemingly reignited her contretemps with Victoria when she threw shade at the singer-turned-designer's husband, David Beckham, following his decision to become a spokesperson for the Qatari government as part of the FIFA World Cup. "Personally, I'm an ally to the LGBTQ+ community and it's not something I would feel comfortable in doing," Melanie C told the Daily Mail.

It wasn't just Sporty and Posh who were feuding, however. During an appearance on "The Big Narstie Show," Mel B was asked about "the biggest celebrity d***head" she has ever met, with the singer name-dropping Geri Halliwell. "I love her to bits, but she's really f***ing annoying," she remarked.

The Spice Girls' rise to superstardom coincided with an end to Conservative rule in the U.K. The Tories, formerly led by Margaret Thatcher for 11 years, were ousted from Number 10 Downing Street when the Iron Lady's successor, John Major, lost catastrophically to young Labour upstart Tony Blair in the 1997 election, per BBC News. A slew of celebs celebrated Blair's victory, with Britpop bad boys Oasis famously partying with the PM following his win. Despite the dawn of a new era, the Spice Girls appeared very much stuck in the past.

Yes, it seems that the Spice Girls wore their Union Jacks on their sleeves (quite literally — lest we forget Geri Halliwell's tank top dress). In a now-infamous interview with conservative outlet The Spectator in 1996, the band were asked for their thoughts on the upcoming general election. Making no secret of her political leanings, Halliwell declared, "We Spice Girls are true Thatcherites. Thatcher was the first Spice Girl, the pioneer of our ideology — Girl Power." Both Halliwell and Victoria Beckham went on to express Eurosceptic views. "The Euro bureaucrats are destroying every bit of national identity and individuality," said Beckham, in rhetoric that strongly echoes that of modern day Brexiteers. She also emphasized that the band would "never vote Labour."

iNews heavily criticized the band's remarks, arguing that Thatcher, an opponent of feminism, was far from an empowering figure for girls and young women, having been responsible for implementing legislation that targeted single mothers and LGBTQ+ people.

In 2019, fans were super stoked when Mel B announced that the Spice Girls were set to embark on an Australian tour. During the band's final performance in London for their anticipated comeback, Mel B declared, "We'll see you in February in Australia," per CNN. But the very next day, the singer backtracked on her announcement. 

In a cringeworthy interview with Aussie radio show "2DayFM Music for Breakfast," Mel B became a full-on Debbie Downer when she had no choice but to quench the palpable excitement of the hosts. "My thing is — and I've got a bee in my bonnet about it — is that we need to come to Australia first. ... So I announced it onstage, yes, without everybody else signing off 100%," she confessed. "But I figured if I put it out there, then maybe it's going to happen." Asked by the hosts whether she was simply manifesting an Australian tour, Mel B replied in the affirmative.

As the Daily Mail reported, outrage ensued, with fans feeling supremely let down. "Listen up Mel B! You can't play with us like that!" tweeted one stan. Meanwhile, another Twitter user accused her of playing with fans' emotions: "So Mel B just made up that the Spice Girls are coming to Australia ... that is so sick and twisted." In 2022, Emma Bunton told "Sunrise" that an Australian tour was being organized, albeit with no clear timeline in sight. Perhaps Bunton should learn from her bandmate's faux pas and learn to stop before you say you'll be there.

We can't imagine anyone having the gall to lay a finger on King Charles III, let alone grope the monarch. But back in 1997, Charles, then the Prince of Wales, met the Spice Girls at a gala for the Prince's Trust. Infamously, Geri Halliwell flirted with the royal, kissing him and even grabbing his bottom, per Rolling Stone. "I pinch everyone's bottom," Halliwell told the outlet at the time. "Why am I going to stop at the Prince?" In a cringeworthy admission that would never fly today, Halliwell even described the prince's posterior in graphic detail: "It was like a waterbed. Something to grab hold of." Big yikes. 

Openly admitting to groping people's bodily parts without their consent certainly isn't acceptable now and wasn't acceptable then, but the societal sensibilities of the '90s were very different indeed. To paraphrase Randy Marsh, "It was 1997. Everyone was stoked on groping royals back then." In the documentary "Funniest Royal C**k-Ups" (via Express), it's revealed that Charles felt humiliated by the incident.

However, Halliwell has since backtracked on her past remarks and now claims that she didn't actually grab Charles' bottom. "I didn't pinch Prince Charles's bum, as was reported," she told The Times. "I patted it. Patting him on the bottom was against royal protocol but we're all human." Despite the scandalous breach of royal protocol, Halliwell and Charles remained close, with the former prince offering Ginger his well wishes following her departure from the Spice Girls, per BBC News.

Before he created "American Idol," Simon Fuller was raking in megabucks thanks to his management of the Spice Girls. As BBC News noted, Fuller has been credited with engineering the iconic pop quintet, with an insider declaring, "He told them exactly what to do and they acted out their parts to the letter, like robots." However, that all came to an end when the group sacked Fuller in 1997. The decision was apparently Geri Halliwell's idea.

Accordingly, rumors soon began to circulate that Fuller was fired due to his alleged affair with Emma Bunton (aka Baby Spice). Sources alleged to the Mirror that they often saw Fuller and Bunton kissing or speaking in private. This apparently irked Halliwell in particular, who supposedly believed that Bunton was receiving preferential treatment. "She was furious Simon appeared more interested in Emma than them," an insider claimed. "They felt they were working flat-out while Simon had loads of time off and was creaming 20 per cent of their earnings." When Fuller began managing the band, Bunton was in her late teens, while Fuller was in his mid-thirties, making the alleged relationship a tad problematic. Speaking to the outlet following his dismissal, Fuller vehemently denied the affair.

According to the book "1997: The Future That Never Happened," there was actually an entirely different, albeit still somewhat problematic, reason for Fuller's termination. Melanie C claimed that Fuller was purposely trying to incite drama between the bandmates, apparently pitting them against one another.

The notion of "girl power" became the rallying cry of the Spice Girls. In the '90s, the slogan was emblazoned in rhinestone across tweens' t-shirts the world over. However, much criticism has been levied at the outwardly empowering feminist message.

The Telegraph argued that, far from being an antidote to sexism, the Spice Girls heavily contributed to it. For instance, Chris Herbert, who was responsible for recruiting the band members, allegedly fired would-be Spice Girl Lianne Morgan for apparently looking too old at the tender age of 23. "It was ironic that they would be shouting 'Girl Power' when [the power behind the band] was a male machine," remarked the journalist Matthew Wright.

Moreover, the band's penchant for sponsorships caused controversy. At the height of their fame, the group had more sponsorships to their name than any other band in history, promoting the likes of Pepsi, the British potato chip brand Walkers, low-cost grocery store Asda, and chocolate brand Cadbury, per Marketing Week. As The New York Times noted, critics called out the Spice Girls for taking on so many endorsements, with such flagrant displays of capitalism seemingly being antithetical to the feminist message of girl power. One such critic, B***h magazine co-founder Andi Zeisler, told the publication that the commodification of girl power was demonstrative "of how feminism and pro-women sentiment was manipulated and weaponized, particularly by the media." Despite this, Zeisler noted the importance of the Spice Girls bringing feminism to the mainstream.

As the reigning pop superstars of the '90s, the Spice Girls became huge commodities. Accordingly, there was immense pressure on the band members to conform to an idealized and unattainable standard of beauty, seemingly made all the worse by those in charge behind the scenes.

During an appearance on "The Diary of a CEO," Melanie C claimed that she was so horrifically bullied by the group's financial backer that she developed an eating disorder at the age of 19. She recalled an alleged instance in which the financial backer made a vulgar comment about the size of her thighs in front of the rest of the band. "That was the catalyst for me. ... It began, yeah, from a comment like that, which he probably didn't give a second thought to," she said.

In an interview with the Daily Beast, Melanie C admitted that she was made to feel ashamed about having an eating disorder, with mental health awareness being virtually non-existent at the time. Subsequently, she attempted to conceal her illness from those around her. "Personally, for me, I was very ashamed of my behavior," she said. "Having an eating disorder to me was very embarrassing, and I didn't want anybody to know. And I was in denial for a lot of my time in the Spice Girls." After reaching a particularly dark point in her life, she went to her doctor, who prescribed antidepressants and also referred her to a therapist, facilitating her recovery.

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who is, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).