Pics Of The Spice Girls Then & Now Are Wild To See

In the late 1990s, the Spice Girls were on top of the world. Armed with girl power and platform shoes, they took over the pop scene with frothy, radio-friendly singles like "Wannabe" and "Say You'll Be There." Their cheeky Brit style catapulted them onto the charts and into the imaginations of girls worldwide.

Each of the five singers were known by their unique personas. Red-headed Geri Halliwell was "Ginger," while cute, blonde Emma Bunton was "Baby Spice." Dressed in animal prints and bright patterns, Melanie Brown (also known as Mel B) was "Scary Spice;" and Melanie Chisholm (Mel C) was the group's sneaker-wearing "Sporty Spice." Victoria Beckham rounded out the group in her tight, black dresses as "Posh Spice." Their distinct personas were part of the group's charm. "We decided to go against the grain of so many bands before us and dress differently," Chisholm explained to Elle in 2020. "It became part of what the Spice Girls is all about — really celebrating individuality."

The group announced an indefinite hiatus in 2000. Many of the girls have settled into quieter, more private lives, and the real-life partners of the Spice Girls are as different as the women themselves are. But in 2026, an Instagram snap of Beckham, Halliwell, and Chisholm celebrating Bunton's 50th birthday reminded fans just how beloved this group was during their heyday.

Melanie Chisholm, famously known as Mel C or "Sporty Spice," championed a sports bra as a top and preferred trainers to heels. Her signature look included a high ponytail, track pants, and a gold tooth — all details that were carefully incorporated into the popular Spice Girls dolls of the era. "The OG dolls were pretty good," Chisholm shared during an "Ask Me Anything" chat on Reddit in 2026. "I loved that mine had a gold tooth and all the tattoos."

These days, Chisholm is a busy as a solo artist, and she's slated to release her ninth studio album "Sweat" in 2026. These days, she gravitates toward sleek, sophisticated styles and designer sneakers that echo back to her "Sporty Spice" days. "I suppose it's me all grown up, isn't it?" she told Elle of the all-white look she wore, including a J. JS Lee suit and Chanel boots, on the cover of her self-titled 2020 album. "I've probably got a sports bra on underneath there. There's always got to be a bit of sportswear somewhere."

She credits her stylist and creative director Graham Cruz with helping her evolve her athletic-meets-sexy image into a personal brand that still suits her in her 50s. "He's really allowed me to embrace Sporty, but also to evolve," Chisholm told The Times in 2026. "I used to feel like, if I was in a tracksuit, it was like I was the fancy-dress version of myself."

As "Scary Spice," Melanie Brown (also known as Mel B) was best known for her animal print outfits and honey-highlighted curls. Her signature hair was a recognizable personal brand, but also an important statement of identity. "I wore my natural curls during the Spice Girls because I didn't want to hide or braid my hair," she told Byrdie in 2023. "I'm like, 'I'm a mixed-race girl, and I love my hair. I'm going to take care of it, and nobody's going to try and straighten it.'"

But committing to her look meant resisting pressure to conform to the era's conventional English beauty standards. "My big hair [didn't] fit the pop star [mold]," she wrote in the caption of a 2024 Instagram post. "But I stood my ground — backed by my girls — and I sang and danced as me with my big hair [and] my brown skin[,] and I was totally proud of who I was."

For years after the Spice Girls, Brown wore weaves because her hair was badly damaged. But during the COVID pandemic, she took the time to focus on hair health and make a return to her natural curls. These days, she believes in a simple, holistic approach to beauty. "Drink water, eat vegetables[,] and wash [the makeup] off your face every night," she told Grazia in 2026. She also advocates for women's menopausal health and aging confidently. "This isn't the end of anything[, it's] a new chapter," she wrote on Instagram in 2026.

Emma Bunton, also known as "Baby Spice," was famous for her babydoll dresses and platform sneakers. Her signature hairstyle of blond pigtails started as a trick to make her locks look thicker. "I have always been proud of my pigtails," she told Daily Mail in 2015. "I've got very thin hair and it's all about [volumizing] the hair for me."

But while her beauty and fashion style was beloved and widely emulated by fans at the time – pop star Taylor Swift revealed that Baby was her favorite Spice Girl – Bunton has her own regrets about some of her Spice Girl style moments. "Back in the '90s — and I think everybody did it — it was the whole [colored] eyeshadow to match what you were wearing," she told The Mirror in 2015. "I hate it now when I look back."

Since then, Bunton has embraced a subtle approach to beauty that suits her new life as an entrepreneur. She launched a sustainable baby care brand, Kit & Kin, in 2017. But while she looks more sophisticated these days, Bunton still embraces a '60s influence, loves a good anti-aging product, and likes to have fun with makeup. "My top makeup bag essential has to be a really good mascara. I am all about lashes," she told Daily Mail. "I love a good bronzer and then generally just a lip gloss. I like keeping it as natural as possible [while still] having a little something there."

As "Posh Spice," Victoria Beckham's go-to look was super straight hair, brown lipstick, and a little black dress. "When I was in the Spice Girls, the other girls were not interested in fashion, so when it came to stage performances or videos, I got all the budget," Beckham explained when she appeared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast in 2025 (via Instagram). "So [...] I went to Gucci." Beckham's stage persona became inseparable from bodycon dresses, which were just a few of many iconic Beckham outfits we'll never forget. "I was young and shy, and being 'Posh' helped me find my style and confidence," the singer-turned-fashion designer shared in a 2020 post on Instagram.

These days, Beckham is a high-profile fashion designer and entrepreneur. She launched her Victoria Beckham clothing brand in 2008, later followed by a beauty brand. But while Beckham has undergone a gorgeous transformation, traces of Posh's elevated, minimalist style are still apparent — both in Beckham's designs and in her personal taste. "At this point, I've done so many photoshoots and red carpets that I've learned so much about my beauty style by looking back at pictures of myself," Beckham told Into The Gloss in 2017. There's no doubt that Beckham's everyday makeup look — a smoky eye, bold brow, light contouring, and a nude lip – is Posh-approved.

As "Ginger," Geri Halliwell was most often seen in skin-tight, sparkly outfits. Her voluminous red hair was a key element of her signature looks. She also handcrafted many of the fashion pieces she wore, including the Union Jack dress, which would end up becoming one of her most iconic looks.

Over the years, she's shifted toward a more sophisticated — and less skin-baring — personal style that suits her new life as a philanthropist and YA author. "This is a new stage of my life where [...] I just wanna keep things a little bit simple, [a] bit more demure," she told Vogue in 2023. "Sometimes less is more. I've discovered there's power in that."

But while she might have undergone the most radical makeover of any of the former Spice Girls, her contemporary look still echoes her signature "Ginger" beauty. She still rocks red hair and a bold red lip, but nows opts for softer versions of both. "I just like to keep things quite natural," Halliwell revealed in a Harper's Bazaar video where she shared her skincare routine. "I don't want to look younger. I just wanna look my best."