It is said that history and fashion repeat themselves, but girl power? Now that’s a new one! Twenty years have passed since the 90’s pop girl group, Spice Girls made the term ‘girl power’ popular with the release of their album with the same title. Little did they know someday their song, ‘Wannabe’ would become a part of a global campaign that will be pitched to the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit. In a video released by Project Everyone, a coalition of independent and corporate groups pushing U.N. global goals, stars from different countries have come together to empower women around the world to ask for what they really want using the hashtag #WhatIReallyReallyWant. Fundamental rights such as education, equality and violence against women are boasted in this 1:23 minutes video.
Not only is this song perfect for a campaign like this with lyrics such as “If you wanna be my lover, you have got to give,” which demands respect for women, but the locations featured in the video take the viewer to the real world of slums, away from the luxurious first world. What’s more is, the video features at least one star who women world over are bound to know and approve of: British girl band M.O., Taylor Hatala from Canada, Larsen Thompson from the US, Gigi Lamayne and Monoea from South Africa, Seyi Shay from Nigeria and Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez from Sri Lanka. This combination of powerful lyrics, real locations and energetic performances is exactly what gets the attention of women and truly empowers them to ask for what they need. Videos like this that use popular culture to empower the public to make a difference is exactly what’s needed to battle world issues.
In the two days since the video’s release, it has garnered a tremendous amount of global support crossing half a million views with seven thousand likes on YouTube. Several celebrities including the Spice Girls have also supported the campaign asking for ‘what they really really want’ as well. Victoria Beckham also knows as Posh Spice tweeted saying she really wants no more women to die from HIV, Mel C also known as Sporty Spice says she’s honoured at how their song is being used. Other celebrities supporting the #WhatIReallyReallyWant campaign include Emma Watson and Jamie Oliver.
At the rate this video is going viral, chances seem high that the U.N. will be able to achieve number 5: gender equality, on it’s list of 17 world goals to achieve by 2030 .
