Advertisement
  • Newsletter
  • Subscribe
So good

The Spice Girls took down a dude who asked them to show more cleavage

A recently resurfaced video from 1997 shows the band push back when a director asks them to fulfill "every man's fantasy."
By Sejal Kapadia Pocha
Spice Girls, from left, Melanie Chisholm, Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown and Emma Bunton kick off their world tour with a performance at GM Place in Vancouver, Sunday, December 2, 2007. (AP Photo/Richard Lam )

Photo, AP Photo/Richard Lam.

If there was ever a reason to indulge in a little Spice Girls nostalgia, a video of the band shutting down a sexist director is as good as it gets.

The footage from 1997 shows Melanie B, a.k.a. Scary Spice, lead the pack in pushing back when a male director asks them to show more skin for a Polaroid camera commercial set in a school in England. “Was it you? Why did you ask to have cleavage showing and midriff showing?” she asks. “It’s every man’s fantasy,” he replies nonchalantly, adding: “That’s showbiz.”

Next enters a fiery Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice), who steps in to defend her bandmate: “You're a chauvinistic pig. That's such an easy cop-out,” she says while wagging her hat at him. Later, she asks the man what kind of example they would be setting for their young fans by wearing a school uniform and showing their cleavage.

Advertisement

Meanwhile, Victoria Beckham (who was Victoria Adams at the time) takes the opportunity to offer up a fashion tip of her own: “It’s not sunny,” she says, pulling off the sunglasses he's wearing. “Stop trying to look cool.”

It's safe to say the girls left everyone on set speechless. And better yet, the final edit of the ad shows they got their way — there's not a belly button in sight.

More: 
Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” gets a feminist remix on its 20th birthday
How to survive a sexist workplace (hint: female friendships)
Incredible girl shows why kids’ clothes are the worst in viral video

The very best of Chatelaine straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Copy link
The cover of Chatelaine magazine's spring 2025 issue, reading "weekend prep made easy"; "five delicious weeknight meals", "plus, why you'll never regret buying an air fryer"; "save money, stay stylish how to build a capsule wardrobe" and "home organization special" along with photos of burritos, chicken and rice and white bean soup, quick paella in a dutch oven, almost-instant Thai chicken curry and chicken broccoli casserole in an enamelled cast-iron skillet

Subscribe to Chatelaine!

Want to streamline your life? In our Spring 2025 issue, we’ll show you how—whether it’s paring down your wardrobe, decluttering your messiest spaces or spending way less time cooking thanks to an easy, mostly make-ahead meal plan for busy weeknights. Plus, our first annual Pantry Awards.