The Spice Girls: thoroughly modern motherhood and post-political pop

In a week when Ed Balls clearly been busy he has hailed the Spice Girls suitable role models for the nation’s young women as they embark on a comeback tour. He is quoted as saying “They work hard, they are clean-living and they were about girl-power”. An outraged reaction has ensued from certain rightward quarters. The News of the World has rejected the secretary of state’s charge as “A Load of Balls” raging against “a catalogue of bad behaviour which would horrify most parents”. Their objections include eating disorders, failed marriage, flirtations with lesbianism and two children born out of wedlock. Yet this seems a dangerously out of touch reaction to reality. Apart from the blatant homophobia on display which flies in the face of the repeal of section 28 and introduction of civil partnerships, surely many parents would recognise aspects of their own lives in this list: indeed such fallibility makes the Spice Girls thoroughly modern mums.

Scratch beneath the surface and not everyone has a fairytale marriage, not all mums are bringing up their kids in circumstances they envisaged at the start of the adventure. People are not all leading the perfect nuclear family centred linear lives of the parenting mags that crowd the shelves of WHSmiths. Influential German sociologist Ulrich Beck has talked of “post-traditional families”. 

He has stated: “Even parenthood, the core of family life, is beginning to disintegrate under conditions of divorce. Families can be constellations of very different relationships. Take, for example, the way grandmothers and grandfathers are being multiplied by divorce and remarriage (without any genetic engineering).” This is not theory; it’s fact. Beck also talks about labour market shifts and the balancing act that flexible working brings. The Spice Girls as working mums exemplify all of the above. They are fortunate enough to have been able to take a crèche on tour demonstrates how they are thoroughly modern mums.

Spice Girl support from Balls, a Gordon Brown ally and minister seen by many as his master’s voice, is in itself interesting. This is a band who burst onto the musical-scene proclaiming their adherence to Thatcherism. Exactly 11 years ago the Spectator Christmas edition ran an interview where they asserted that Thatcher was the original Spice Girl prototype. Victoria pre-Beckham declared “Major [is] a boring pillock. But compared to the rest, he’s far better. We’d never vote Labour.” Other views espoused were virulent Euro-scepticism and fears of losing the British identity in a single currency. The article made waves at the time which also ushered in the era of Britpop . Throughout the 1997 General Election party leaders were asked to name all the Spice band members. Blair was shaky at the start of the campaign but with some coaching on the election trail was able to reel them fluently off by the end.

Tellingly the 1996 Spectator interview saw the Spice Girls making pronouncements of families in flux. Lead-singer Geri (now a single mum and UN goodwill ambassador) is quoted as saying

“The old-fashioned Victorian family of 2.4 kids is dead forever. But every child needs one decent parent. They must learn honest, openness about sex and tolerance.”

Again this chimes with academic theories of de-traditionalisation and individualisation that have been ground-breaking in twentieth century sociology and beyond. In a pre-New Labour age when Major extolled the virtues of Victorian values, the Spice Girls’ depiction of family values contradicted his cultural canutism and prefigured changes that have continued throughout the twentyfirst century.

The Spice Girls’ union jackery fitted with the prevailing zeitgeist of Cool Britannia which began as a good idea in theory (updating the stuffy image of hidebound Britain) and ended as just toe-curlingly embarrassing. The most noteworthy development British politics since this moment is the advent of the third way and a post-ideological period. It’s unimaginable that the Spice Girls’ 1996 statements would be uttered by any of the current crop of UK pop personnel – contemporary pop like today’s politics is less polarised that in the past.

Jon Cruddas has argued that the Labour/Conservative duopoly is now more Pepsi and Coke than a serious battle between opposing ideas. This post-idelogical shift was discernable when Labour-leaning think tanks in the 90s were advocating identifying with “quality of life” issues rather than a comprehensive programme of nationalisation. The politically restricted unions now offer members cut-price insurance rather than bringing down the government. Yet softer issue-based politics are frequently ill-defined. Women’s issues for example need to be recognised as integral in all areas of decision-making rather than an add-on for the manifesto often reduced to childcare alone.

The demise of polarising politics has also coincided with less interesting pop-stars and the demise of one-time staples of the pop industry Smash Hits and Top of the Pops who fed off personalities mouthing off in interview and on-song. Yes we might have Pete Docherty and Amy Winehouse today but no-one knows their opinions on anything. Their bad behaviour antics make them cartoon characters who provide endless tabloid copy via picture-driven headlines. They are not however the sort of pop-stars of who are capable of generating column inches from the Murdoch mouthpieces for their opinions. For such specimens one must reach to relics from further back in pop-time when pop equated with singles, albums and gigs as opposed to downloads, ringtones and social networking; to the Spice Girls and dear old Morrissey .

With tales of the back-from-the-dead canoeist dominating the tabloid press as the year ends 2007 seems to have been the year of the comeback. The Police, Take That and Led Zeppelin have all toured this year. Meanwhile the News of the World advises Balls, who knows a thing or two about parenting as dad of 3 with his fellow-minister wife Yvette Cooper, that he’d be better justified selecting the Sex Pistols as role-models for today’s youth. Let’s hope the Spice Girls and other 2007 comeback acts keep it special and are not tempted to emulate the hackneyed Pistols regular reunions where gig-goers are patronisingly treated to the pantomime dame Johnny Lydon (nee Rotten) taunting the crowd with his old catch-phrase “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” Now that really is what I call a poor show.

Comments

[Andy Ray (Wimbledon)]

When Gordon cites Thatcher, not Tony Benn, as his role model for a conviction politician, no doubt Ed will grab the Spice Girls as a corollary! And Prof Rupa Huq's analysis is brilliant in itself.

But all this is besides the point : does Ed seriously encourage the ordinary people to aspire to lead the life of the Girls and bring up children as per his Plan? I feel Labour is falling into the celeb culture and forgetting to bring out the stories of the thousands of unsung heroes -- including particularly among the immigrant communities -- who have made the "British Dream" a reality.

[Graeme Kemp]

Politicians should learn to stay away from pop! If anything is going to kill cool, it's the praise of an M.P. or minister. And it always goes wrong.....

I think Labour should stick to serious politics, not look for role models in the music industry.

Anyone remember 'Coool Britannia'? Well, there you go..... !