As though embracing the full weight of what it means to be a Spice Girl in 2019–that is to say, capitalizing on its present LGBTQ as opposed to tween girl cachet–Mel C has teamed with the, let’s say, the “rainbow” collective (largely drag queen-centric) that is Sink the Pink for “High Heels.” Picking up where the Spice Girls left off long ago with themes of empowerment (that have also been pervasive throughout her solo career), Mel C was inspired to write the song after performing with Sink the Pink in London and while touring with them throughout the summer. Or, like all dance music-creating women, she knows who to tailor her sound to: the gays.
And just as Cher and Madonna before her, she also knows that certain accompanying visuals are needed to match the sound. Maybe that’s why so much of the auditory and ocular elements of it echo these two titans of gay male pied piperdom. Specifically, extrapolating from the iconography of Cher’s “Believe” video and Madonna’s “Vogue” and “Deeper and Deeper” videos. Opening with Mel C and Sink the Pink blasély primping in the beauty parlor they work at (despite there being a few customers to attend to), the narrative speaks to Mel’s comment on the track being “a frivolous riot of a song, encapsulating an amazing night out and everything that goes into getting yourself ready for it!” That it is. And in direct opposition to the “Sporty” Spice persona that made Mel C stick out from the rest of her pack in the late 90s. “Cleaned up” for LGBTQ consumption, as it were (‘cause you know body positivity has a limit when you’re being appraised by any collective with gay men in it).
And as Mel C and co. disinterestedly do their best to beautify old British women, all they can think about is that glorious moment when their new shoes are “coming out of the box tonight” and “they’re gonna wow you (wow you).” The only person worth wowing, of course, being those in the Sink the Pink camp. For who else is going to teach you that to love yourself—“inclusivity” or not–means being at your most aesthetically presentable?
With black and white scenes interwoven that are at peak “Vogue” emulation (particularly because Mel C is wearing something of an off-brand Jean-Paul Gaultier corset, complete with Blond Ambition Tour ponytail), men in high heels (another staple of Madonna’s androgyny playbook) do their best to form the new Kazaky as they prance and preen in anticipation of an unforgettable night out–which, if done correctly–will be totally forgettable by the next morning. Soon, of course, even the old ladies they “beautify” are getting into the spirit of things, kicking off their heels and helping to blow dry wigs. It doesn’t take long for Mel C to start dancing at the center of all the biddies as though the beauty parlor has transcended into a Stefon-level “hottest nightclub” as she chants, “You gotta love yourself/You gotta love yourself/Above anybody else.” It all smacks of the mantras, “Don’t go for second best, baby” and “Express yourself/Don’t repress yourself,” to be sure.
As the lead single from what’s expected to be her eighth album (the solo career-making Northern Star being her first all the way back in 1999), Mel lives up in spades to her statement about Madonna being her foremost musical influence: “I think she’s inspired me a lot musically, and maybe [in] just the way I present myself. I’ve always admired how hard she works and what a strong lady she is, so she’s always inspired me in that way.” At forty-five, Mel is undoubtedly a prime example of a woman in pop music breaking the boundaries of an “acceptable” age to continue her output, something undoubtedly pioneered by Madonna.
For good pop music lexicon measure, in the spirit of Britney Spears’ iconic “…Baby One More Time” video, to boot, the “getting ready” sesh concludes with that typical “it was all a dream” trope that leaves viewers feeling all too empathetic toward the sentiment of unfulfilled daydreaming. For who among us hasn’t had that kind of unrealized fantasy? Which is precisely why we turn to this type of musical release (like a flower leaning toward the sun) in the first place.
