Recently, I’ve been spending some time with girls embarrassed by the role the Spice Girls played in their childhoods. They claim the girls are just too silly to be role models. However, I think these girls can be quite inspiring, especially in regard to the Spice Girls movie, Spice World.
While the plot is definitely silly (as many programs designed for children are), it shows how women with a variety of interests and personalities can get along and empower each other. In addition, it is one of the only movies that sexualizes men more than women by showing by showing mild male nudity (butts) and no female nudity. What makes this aspect of the movie even better is the Spice Girl’s reaction to these sexualized men. To them, the show is about their performance. Adding sexualized men to the mix is just ridiculous and unnecessary.
But what really makes this movie remarkable is how well it passes the Bechdel Test. For those of you unfamiliar with this test, it only has three requirements: (1) It has to have at least two named women in it (2) who talk to each other (3) about something besides a man. While this test sounds easy enough to pass, you’d be surprised by how few movies do. That’s why it’s even more impressive that nearly every scene in Spice World passes this test. So despite how silly the movie is, it offers an important message for both girls and boys alike: no matter how feminine, sporty, intense, etc. a woman is, her life is much more complicated than a quest for the perfect man.
Happy Feminism 