Why I don't want the Spice Girls to reunite and be a girlband again

I just noticed that I've been on a nostalgia train lately, and to be honest I don't want to stop just yet.

I am not going to lie. I almost cried when rumors of my five favorite girls getting back together were FINALLY put to rest when a presscon for a musical featuring their songs was held in London yesterday. In the same hotel where they shot their first music video back in 1996, no less. I was in third grade.

No, the girls are not getting back together, and frankly I am thankful.

Waaay before I became the self-proclaimed number one fan of Britney Spears (even forcing my classmates in high school to call me Bryttel), I worshipped the Spice Girls. I thought they all looked so pretty and oh-so-fashionable with their own uniforms depending on the nickname given them. I had all their albums! Do you remember those limited edition stickers that came with Chupa Chups lollipops? I had a LOT of those even though I didn't like the flavor. I chose Pepsi over Coke because of their Generation Next commercial (Generation next, generation next. Ah generation!) I loved their songs and memorized the lyrics (and dance steps haha). Say You'll Be There, The Lady is a Vamp, and Viva Forever are my favorites. Ten year old me loved their songs then, and twenty-six year old me still love their songs now, and it's not only because they remind me of the times when things were much simpler and social networking sites didn't exist. I might have been mortified when I realized years later what 2 Become 1 meant, but you cannot argue that all their songs were catchy, entertaining, and made of pure bubblegum-pop goodness.  Even now, I'd prefer a Spice Girls song over anything by Lady Gaga, but that's just me. Most of all, I idolized them because they all seemed to love each other so much - they gave meaning to the word BFFs even before Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie made the word happen. And we all know how that ended. 

Spice Girls. Making BFFs happen since 1996.

I loved Baby, Ginger, Sporty, and Scary, but Posh will always be my favorite. I will forever remember how she easily breezed through the obstacle course during the boot camp scenes in their widely-panned movie Spice World. In heels. I thought she was always the best dressed among them and I loved her hairstyles and the way she has maintained this haughty "you can't touch me" public persona all throughout her career, until now. I honestly don't understand why she gets criticized a lot by her own countrymen when I think she is a good mother to her kids and a good wife to her gorgeous husband, while at the same time being her own woman by pursuing her real passion (as she said) in the fashion industry. People argue that she doesn't smile a lot and looks miserable all the time. So? She has often said that she is insecure about the way she looks like when she smiles. I have watched her in interviews and she always comes across as sincere and funny. I guess it's just true - whatever we do, we really can't please everyone.

I was heartbroken when Geri announced she was leaving the band, mostly because it felt like the end of an era. The quartet tried to get by. After a not-so-successful album, they tried to pave their own solo careers, with Geri and Mel C. enjoying moderate success. It just wasn't the same.

In 2007, I was ecstatic when they announced a reunion world tour. I wanted to see them, by hook or by crook. But then, that tour was cut prematurely amid speculations of fighting within the group, citing 'personal and family commitments' as the reason. I was heartbroken once again, but not as much as when Britney's life, career and sanity seemed to disintegrate right before our own eyes.

Now, back to the presscon. Producer Judy Craymer and scriptwriter Jennifer Saunders (the same duo who brought Mamma Mia! to Broadway) have teamed together to make Viva Forever! a musical based on the Spice Girls' original songs, telling the story of "a beautiful, talented girl and her best friends who get swept up in the obsession of today's TV celebrity culture. The musical charts her journey into the world of overnight fame and its impact on her relationships with her mother and the friends she thought she'd have forever." Based on that premise alone I'm guessing some of the songs they'll use are Mama, Who Do You Think You Are?, Wanna Be, and (of course) Viva Forever.

Photo from the presscon held at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel yesterday

Yes, from the same stairways where they short their first video, Wanna Be, in 1996

So, if I love the Spice Girls that much, why don't I like them to reunite and form a girlband again? It's simple, really. It's because I love them that much.

Before you continue reading (if you are still reading up to this point), watch this first. Skip the article as it's just full of spiteful comments about Victoria. Noticed how they looked like they were just there because they had to, not because they wanted to? I love Victoria, but it was painful to watch her try to belong, especially after she has admitted music isn't really her passion and was allegedly the reason why the group didn't get to perform at the Queen's Jubilee Concert. I don't think there'll be any major BFF bonding happening anytime soon, especially as they had to be interviewed individually by the musical's producers for their input to the project. Note also that no questions from the press were allowed during the presscon. Also, not to sound rude or anything, but I think they will look ridiculous if they try to bring back time as they won't look (and perform) at par with their younger selves. I just want to remember them as these dynamic, vibrant girls singing Stop right now, thank you very much, I need somebody with the human touch while dancing and not as trying hard middle aged adults singing pop tunes with their bits hanging out. I don't want to get my hopes up about another reunion world tour (and the odds they will include Manila on this tour) and then just get my heart broken for the third time upon learning this has been cancelled because of 'personal and family commitments' yet again. I think it's obvious I care too much about this topic when I was able to write a full-blown post about it when I was just planning to rant on Twitter at first.

I want to remember 90s Spice Girls, not 2012-and-beyond Spice Girls. I'm all about pursuing their passion and all, so if this is really not about money but rather about music, why don't they try to build their own careers again and not use the instant worldwide interest and fandom they know being in the girlband will generate? It was alleged that all they do is fight anyway. In my opinion, each Spice should put the Union Jack dress, the trackpants, the leopard prints, the platform shoes, and the micro minis to rest and just take care of their respective partners/ husbands and children. That being said, I don't know if I will ever get the chance to see the musical, but I know I will be one of the firsts in line if they make it into a movie.

And I think I will be just like this.

*Photos from Google, The DailyMail, and Pinterest.