What do you remember about the Spice Girls' 1996 music video for their single, "Wannabe"? At the time, you probably thought it was great, and it may have inspired you to choreograph group dances.
Without thinking too much, you might just interpret this video as an explosion of fun and girl power. But let's take a closer look at the details, some of which are very weird ...
1.First, Baby Spice accosts a homeless man and steals his hat.
2.Then, the girls swarm around a ~fancy~ Rolls Royce, and one of the girls declares the people inside to be "a bunch of wannabes."
3.The "wannabes" in question appear to be a diplomat and his family, which includes two sweet but not exactly popular-looking boys, and a wife who just came from a party in The Capitol celebrating The Hunger Games.
4.The girls then begin singing the "Wannabe" chorus to the family, but frustrated with their lack of reaction, one of the girl yells, "Aaaarrrghghhhh!!!" and they run off.
5.Scary beings yelling "GET HIM, GET HIM!" which is confusing.
6."Him" would appear to be a hotel bellhop, who is then seized by ... a guy from the camera crew?
7.The gang enters a hotel, where they accost a hotel employee. Baby throws his papers in the air. This is presumably a hardworking man and the Spice Girls have created more work for him.
8.As the music begins and the girls start singing, one of the first things we see is Posh getting off the lap of a questionable gentleman.
??? Why, Posh? You don't even know him.
9.And then Scary kisses this random man.
10.The girls begin dancing, and there are these rich people just standing and watching. Are they "wannabes"?
11.Are we in an opium den now? Or is it just the '90s?
12.The girls then bust into a banquet room where they take over what is either a wedding ... or a party for Marilyn Monroe (presumably back from the dead). Either way, seems like not the nicest thing to do.
13.Baby and Scary move into an adjoining room where they disrupt another party OF OLD PEOPLE. The Spice Girls must really feel vilified by senior citizens.
14.OK HOLD UP. Here we find Posh AGAIN in the lap of a man (a priest, even??) as Ginger sings the following lyrics:
15.So now it would appear that the Spice Girls have succeeded in loosening up the stodgy hotel staff and all the boring rich people there. OK, so in this world "wannabes" are rich, high-society grown-ups, I guess.
16.Toward the end of the video, the girls run out of the hotel, passing the bellhop they accosted earlier. Said bellhop is trying to be subdued by the same Camera Crew Guy from before.
17.The final shot: The girls exit the hotel, bursting past the police, who seem nonplussed by these rambunctious disturbers of the peace.
