[Lemón]

Yes, I am aware that a "why the Spice Girls are irrelevant underappreciated" topic had recently been brought up, but I have a slightly different direction in mind that I want this thread to go. So, can we sit and chat for a moment, ATRL? Now, it's no secret that, in the short time I've returned to posting full-time on ATRL, I've tried to make the Spice Girls happen here. Hey, I even modified my username as a means of endorsement, though I have become slightly put-off by how garish it is.

My concern is that while the Spice Girls are assuredly cultural icons in their own right, a feat that will likely stand for many years to come, they are widely disparaged by today's music enthusiasts. It seems to have become a commonly accepted idea that, fundamentally, the 'Spice Girls machine' was nothing more than an elaborate, mass-produced corporate scheme. So here's where I'd like to interject: what exactly made the Spice Girls "manufactured"? Was it the fact that they wrote every song they'd ever recorded? That their characters were nothing more than reflections or, for better or worse, extensions of their own personalities, or that, creatively, there were their own worst enemy? That they'd managed their own career for an extended period of time, or that they started off living together with about twelve, fifteen dollars between the five of them, with very little outside support? There was no label forcing their career in this direction or that one. Ofttimes, the label had to answer to these women where their career was concerned, and could often be left pleading.

Moreover, this was not an ignorant bunch. These were five plucky, charismatic, articulate young women with infectious personalities, that were unabashedly opinionated and open on and about everything, from society's then-current political and social structure, to being self-referential (they openly regarded the Spice brand as a passing fad on more than a few occasions). This is what managed to strike home with an older generation, where their music essentially fell short.

I'd readily admit that I have felt a bit perturbed by how swiftly most individuals here would write the Spice Girls off as "contrived", especially taking the current landscape of the music industry, as well as the artists that are revered tremendously here, into consideration. So, to end this overcompensating and slightly embarrassing novel, I leave this up in the air.

What say you, ATRL folk?

[Clump]

ATRL isn't generally here for artists who aren't still active musicians. I don't think they really care how "manufactured" someone is. It's the success that matters.

[Lemón]

Originally posted by Clump

ATRL isn't generally here for artists who aren't still active musicians. I don't think they really care how "manufactured" someone is. It's the success that matters.

All valid points.

On an unrelated (yet, totally is) note, I can't wait until the next days where I get to pay this persona dust.

[KliFF]

You wrote all of that for the Spice Girls?...

[La Cobra Mafia]

Wut?

[Kworb]

Great post. I think most people do respect their amazing careers and their legendary contribution to the pop landscape. The problem really is that they've been gone for a long time. Most people here did not even consciously live through the Spice Girls era. They were in kindergarten. So I don't blame them for their occasional disinterest.

[bugaboo64]

That was beautiful.

[Callum]

i loved the spice girls!

[Duca]

Originally posted by Esoteric Spice

Hey, I even modified my username as a means of endorsement, though I have become slightly put-off by how garish it is.

It's repugnant. You need to change it back to your previous username ASAP, before someone else takes it.

[WIG-SNATCHER]

This was really good. I think ATRL only cares about success withing the last few years or if the artist, or group in this case, has a large stan base here, someone will bring up past receipts on success to shut the girls up. Many legends are considered irrelevant on ATRL because their last album flopped or they currently aren't doing anything while the person they are being compared to is usually slaying at the moment.

[QueenJ]

Originally posted by Clump

ATRL isn't generally here for artists who aren't still active musicians. I don't think they really care how "manufactured" someone is. It's the success that matters.

Basically.

[Lemón]

Originally posted by Duca

It's repugnant. You need to change it back to your previous username ASAP, before someone else takes it.

Because we wouldn't want to give someone any ideas, right?

To everyone else, thanks for the contributive insight. I thought that it would be wise to inform you all that I'm not grasping at some nostalgia rope here. There will always be an entity of the past that one feels goes unnoticed or unappreciated. Mostly, I was just curious of everyone's thoughts on the Girls. My gripe really isn't with ATRL users (I rarely ever take what most people here say seriously ). Just a train of thought I wanted to express.

The Spice Girls were cute.

[BnPac]

There were so many things wrong with the group as a whole and their image but I won't elaborate because that will imply me getting in a discussion on the subject. And while I could very well articulate my feelings in french, I know I won't be able to do it in English.

But beautiful post, I used to love them when I was a kid.

[Lemón]

Originally posted by BnPac

There were so many things wrong with the group as a whole and their image but I won't elaborate because that will imply me getting in a discussion on the subject. And while I could very well articulate my feelings in french, I know I won't be able to do it in English.

But beautiful post, I used to love them when I was a kid.

No, no. The point of this was to evoke a discussion. Your sentiments intrigue me. You're more than welcome to share.

[supaspaz]

The Spice Girls were incredibly manufactured: five girls brought together by a producer looking to start a hit girl group, choosing personalities to appeal to different segments of the population, named by a British magazine, built on a single catchphrase message.

Doesn't make their music any less great, what they stood for any less important or their beloved place in my childhood any less significant.

[supaspaz]

And I don't mean to say that they were puppets, just that they were shaped for a very specific purpose. I do think the girls managed to breathe a lot of their own life into the "Spice" concept.

[Lemón]

Originally posted by supaspaz

The Spice Girls were incredibly manufactured: five girls brought together by a producer looking to start a hit girl group, choosing personalities to appeal to different segments of the population, named by a British magazine, built on a single catchphrase message.

Doesn't make their music any less great, what they stood for any less important or their beloved place in my childhood any less significant.

Very true. These were five incredibly different young girls, from all walks of like, brought together for a purpose; to be groomed as the female Take That. They were to don a heavily-processed image, singing frothy, but ultimately menial, songs. It was explicitly stated in their contracts that the girls would have little to no creative control of their career in any sense. This was exactly what the girls wanted to avoid. Hence, they promptly sacked him and tried to fend for themselves for the next few years, virtually nothing between them.

As I've said, the personae were nothing more than mere extensions of their own personalities and characters. In conjunction with the tabloids, they came up with original personae that would serve to make them more relatable, as well as identifiable to their audience, while legitimately conveying their own individual personalities. Think about it: Emma was named "Baby" because of her age and 'girl-next-door' personality, while Victoria was deemed "Posh" for her refined appearance, wealthy family background, and high-end lifestyle. Ultimately, it was a sensationally clever marketing scheme, formulated by the girls themselves, to make themselves more identifiable. It was brilliant.

[YSL]

The Spice Girls were the first musicians I've ever stanned for in my life. I was like 9 or 10 maybe and Spiceworld was the first (and ONLY) physical CD I've ever purchased since I moved onto digital while it was still new. I bought their lollipops and collected their stickers, that's how much I loved them.

Even though they're not relevant now, I will always have a spot for them in my heart because I have so many good memories. I even went to their reunion tour a few years ago. You don't need to make them happen on here though since they already happened and snatched wigs so long ago. They will always be iconic.

[supaspaz]

Originally posted by Rhythm

Ultimately, it was a sensationally clever marketing scheme, formulated by the girls themselves, to make themselves more identifiable. It was brilliant.

Originally posted by supaspaz

And I don't mean to say that they were puppets, just that they were shaped for a very specific purpose. I do think the girls managed to breathe a lot of their own life into the "Spice" concept.

Again, I mostly agree with you. I don't know to what to degree it was their own idea, but it would not have worked without the girls. They were so appealing because they had these larger-than-life personalities that immediately grabbed you. The group may have been manufactured, but it was more than just a vehicle for the record label and producers.

[M Z N A]

Hi Ci Ya Hold Tight.

You can't be a larger-than-life entity like how the Spice Girls were without being manufactured somehow and surround yourself with gimmicks. This is Pop music. Their only mistake is that they quit early.