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A review by amymariedoug
What Would the Spice Girls Do?: How the Girl Power Generation Grew Up by Lauren Bravo
4.0
‘We’re riddled with doubts, habitual second-guessers, confused about what society tells us we should want, and what we actually want. What we really, really want.’
Wandering through my local bookshop, my eyes were instantly drawn to a vibrantly pink and red novel asking What Would the Spice Girls Do? As a (what Bravo describes as) ‘graduate of the girl power generation,’ I was excited to read about the impact of the legendary girl group!
Bravo does not disappoint. Whilst her book is filled with information about the Spice Girls’ impact, it does not become boring. Bravo’s humorous tone is relevant and relatable for any person who grew up infatuated with the group. She emphasises the Spice Girl’s importance in giving young girls a voice of their own in a time yet to be ‘liberated’ by modern ideologies. At the risk of romanticising the late nineties, Bravo recognises the problematic issues with the group’s branding (Scary Spice, anyone?) and notes that the Spice Girls were very much a product of their day. She does this without diminishing their importance for girls who were previously only allowed one type of role model – now they had five.
Despite this, the book could have benefited from being about fifty pages shorter, becoming repetitive in parts. It is also unclear by Bravo’s own recognition how the band are relevant in today’s world if they are a ‘hand-me-down revolution.’ However, Bravo’s novel is still an interesting and nostalgic read for those who grew up surrounded by the Spice Girls influence.
Wandering through my local bookshop, my eyes were instantly drawn to a vibrantly pink and red novel asking What Would the Spice Girls Do? As a (what Bravo describes as) ‘graduate of the girl power generation,’ I was excited to read about the impact of the legendary girl group!
Bravo does not disappoint. Whilst her book is filled with information about the Spice Girls’ impact, it does not become boring. Bravo’s humorous tone is relevant and relatable for any person who grew up infatuated with the group. She emphasises the Spice Girl’s importance in giving young girls a voice of their own in a time yet to be ‘liberated’ by modern ideologies. At the risk of romanticising the late nineties, Bravo recognises the problematic issues with the group’s branding (Scary Spice, anyone?) and notes that the Spice Girls were very much a product of their day. She does this without diminishing their importance for girls who were previously only allowed one type of role model – now they had five.
Despite this, the book could have benefited from being about fifty pages shorter, becoming repetitive in parts. It is also unclear by Bravo’s own recognition how the band are relevant in today’s world if they are a ‘hand-me-down revolution.’ However, Bravo’s novel is still an interesting and nostalgic read for those who grew up surrounded by the Spice Girls influence.