Although the popularity of the Spice Girls has waned, they provide an excellent case study on the manufactured nature of pop music. If students are not familiar with the Spice Girls, many of the comments and questions in this lesson can be applied to other pop groups (or even individual performers, such as Avril Lavigne or Britney Spears). Extension activities exploring boy bands and the POPSTARS phenomenon are also included.
Now that the Spice Girls' first North American tour is over, and the group's future is uncertain, it's time for media teachers to evaluate this pop phenomenon with their classes.
For over two years, the Spice Girls' promotional machinery has been humming along in high gear, and market saturation has reached its peak. What fascinates me about the Spice girls is not so much the marketing of performers and their licensed products – we've seen all that before – but how their appeal has trickled down to steadily younger audiences so that now, children in the earliest grades of elementary school are among their most devoted fans.
No male group, even the androgynous members of Hanson, ever reached kids so young. In some ways, the five girls seem to be licensed products, "come to life-Barbie clone androids." Like the Care Bears and Snow White's Seven Dwarfs, the Spice Girls each have a single, fixed personality which makes each member of the group easily identifiable, and distinguishable from the others.
Even in senior high school, there seem to be many Spice Girl fans who are still loyal, if not openly avid. Ginger's resignation, Scary's marriage and recent well-publicized pregnancies have raised serious doubts about the group's future. However, casual glances into open lockers – one of my favourite research techniques – still reveal a fair number of Spice Girl pictures, along with those of Leo DiCaprio, and The Backstreet Boys.
Like many recent pop groups that were "manufactured" by their promoters, such as New Kids on the Block and The Backstreet Boys, the Spice Girls were launched into mega-stardom very quickly, usually the first step in the inevitable boom and collapse cycle of the short lived world of preteen musical groups. At garage sales across North America, historians of pop can now find an interesting assortment of New Kids or Spice Girls memorabilia for next to nothing.
How can students, especially in elementary school, examine the Spice Girls – or other manufactured groups – in the classroom? Here are a few useful categories for discussion and analysis:
Image:
Have students describe the personality and appearance of each Spice Girl. Ask students to bring in photos or posters of the band or band members.
- How does each Spice Girl's appearance reflect her group name?
- Do you like or dislike the way the Spice Girls dress? Give your reasons.
- Which is your favourite? Which one is the best performer?
- Why does each band member have a different image? Do performers in other popular groups do this kind of thing? Compare to other groups.
Girl Bands vs. Boy Bands:
- Female bands are rare, although successful female solo performers are common. What makes the Spice Girls different from all-male bands?
Slogan:
- Just what does "girl power" mean? How does it relate to the songs the group sings and to their behaviour and clothing? While many adults condemn the Spice Girls as poor role models for young girls, there has to be some basis for their popularity. Do we require male groups to be role models?
- Do other female performers project "girl power"? How is the image of these other women similar to and different from the Spice Girls' image?
Marketing:
Make a list of all the non-music products sold using the Spice Girls name or image. Display and discuss samples of these products:
- Where are Spice girl products sold?
- Describe the "target market" for these products. How young are the people who collect them? Are they mostly girls, or are boys involved too?
- Who actually buys these products: parents or young people themselves?
Role Models and Personal Appeal:
- What do the Spice Girls have that your students admire?
- What other role models are available to children in the 7-12 age group?
- Do female sports heroes or actors project certain Spice Girl qualities?
- Have students write about the Spice Girls: consider fan letters to one of the performers; a letter to the editor, or to another student, explaining what they like or don't like about the group.
- There has been some debate in the media as to whether or not the Spice Girls are appropriate role models for young children. Do you think they are appropriate role models? Why or why not?
Extension Activities
The Boy Band Phenomenon
Extension activities have been added by the Media Awareness Network
Considering the popularity of 'boy bands' such as Backstreet Boys, N'Sync and O-Town, teachers might like to explore the Boy Band Phenomenon with students. In addition to many of the questions above, teachers might also ask:
Can you identify a 'formula' for these bands. (For example, does each band have a member who represents a certain 'type': the cute one, the tough one, etc.)
What about style of music. What types of songs are performed by these bands? (Teachers might want to play a selection and discuss similarities/differences/styles of the music performed by each band.)
Are there physical similarities between these performers?
Who is the target audience for boy bands?
POPSTARS
The most recent manifestation of manufactured pop music is the highly successful "POPSTARS," where amateur singers audition to become part of a pop band. The winners in the Canadian version of this program include Sugar Jones and VelvetEmpire. Students who have followed the television series may be interested in following the hype, and varying degrees of success for these kinds of bands. As the rise and quick fall of Sugar Jones indicates, there's more to success than a record contract.
Each of these band members had to go through a rigorous audtion process to earn a spot on the band. Do you think each of the finalists deserved that spot? What criteria were they judged by?
What about style? Do either of these bands have an original "look" or "sound?"
Explore the television and record industry "machines" behind the creation of these bands. What did the winners receive?
Have band members been given individual "personalities," or is the emphasis on the band as a whole?
Do you think either of these bands will stand the test of time? Why or why not?
Compare the success of Sugar Jones and VelvetEmpire to the winners from the United States, Australia or Europe.
For teachers who want to explore how recording artists are "created," the National Film Board's documentary Dream Machine is an excellent resource.
