A pop magazine gave 'The Spice Girls' really mean nicknames — but they turned them into teen anthems instead
The Spice Girls weren't very serious about the nicknames; they perceived them as casual 'throwaways.'
The "Spice Girls," the iconic pop girl group, formed in 1994, ruled all of the '90s with multiple hit albums like "Wannabe," "Say You'll Be There," and "Spice Up Your Life." Besides music, the girls were also famous for making bold fashion statements, just like their really fascinating nicknames. Well, each nickname reflected a part of their personality. For instance, Melanie Brown was called "Scary Spice," Melanie Chisholm, "Sporty Spice," and Emma Bunton and Geri Halliwell were recognized as "Baby Spice" and "Ginger Spice," respectively, while Victoria Beckham was called "Posh Spice." However, not many know that they hadn't decided to go by these names; in fact, they came from a magazine, Chisholm revealed in the Life Uncut Podcast.
Chisholm revealed that the famous magazine "Top of the Pops" had once published an article on them and gave each a unique yet "silly" nickname. "And they just stuck," Chisholm confessed. She explained that they became so famous that people began to be recognized by the nicknames the magazine had given them. "And actually, in the US, they don't know our names. They know them now, but back in the day, it was just all nicknames," she added. In fact, Chisholm explained that they had never planned on being recognized by their nicknames; it just somehow got famous. Surprisingly, all five ladies loved their names. Chisholm said they somehow began reflecting their names, either through their appearance or attitudes.
The Spice Girls weren't very serious about the nicknames; they perceived them as casual "throwaways." They never thought it would eventually become their identity. In fact, initially, critics often left negative or skeptical reviews of the Spice Girls, and some perhaps thought the nicknames were just a marketing gimmick. Comments like, "The Spice Girls were bad to begin with, but now they will be even worse. They can't sing, they can't dance, and I think Geri was the best out of them anyway," were nothing unusual for the pop girl group. However, the Spice Girls didn't see it that way. They, in fact, laughed over it and eventually embraced the caricature, turning it into their superpower. "We laughed at it. But when we came here, to the U.S., everybody kept calling us by these nicknames, and it just kind of stuck. And we loved it. We just really embraced it, and we became caricatures of ourselves," Chisholm told PEOPLE.
Meanwhile, reacting to Chisholm's confession, @tayywalters commented, "As a diehard Spice Girls fan & an American, trust me, I knew all their names from the beginning." @nattymcdee wrote, "Oh no, girl, some of us Americans were obsessed with y'all and definitely knew your names, birthplaces, etc." Similarly, @aileencannon shared, "I thought it was Live & Kicking magazine that named them. I remember buying every mag at the time and just devouring all things music and having every poster on my wall." @jessiebirdieee confessed, "I loved the Spice Girls when I was growing up; their music brings back the absolute best memories from my childhood."
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