Photo, AP Photo/Richard Lam.
The Spice Girls dragging the makers of the Polaroid ad they were appearing in for trying to make them show their cleavage and midriff. pic.twitter.com/UBAvqIJ5Gq
— I DON'T KNOW HER (@I_Dont_Know_Her) November 14, 2016
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.
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
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