December 23rd 2023.
An old clip from 1997 has resurfaced of the Spice Girls interview where group member Melanie Brown, whose stage name is Mel B, spoke up to address a racially insensitive tradition. Fans are praising her for how she handled it, as she is the only Black singer in the group.
The video circulating on TikTok is a snippet from an interview with the popular singing group on “Laat de Leeuw,” a Dutch TV show. Upon seeing a group of performers dressed in blackface, Mel B responded, “I don’t like them” before the people were escorted to the stage. Fellow Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell, was heard yelling “No!” in the clip. The performers were wearing attire that was supposed to represent “Zwarte Piet” or “Black Pete,” a Dutch Christmas character.
According to NBC, those in support of Black Pete view him as a harmless holiday character for kids. However, people who are not in favor of the character view it as a promotion of negative racial stereotypes that originate from a 19th century children’s book. Additionally, according to Huffpost, some people in the Netherlands view the tradition as an excuse to be racist.
In the video, Mel B told the TV show host that rather than having people paint their face black, they should get Black People to do it. De Leeuw argued, “That’s culture, that’s tradition.” To this, Mel B replied firmly: “I think they should change it. I think you should change it. You shouldn’t have their faces painted. This is the ’90s. Update your culture. You should get proper ones — proper Black people.”
The comment section on TikTok showed users commending Mel B and the other members of the Spice Girls for denouncing the distasteful tradition. One user wrote, “They were so real for this, even by ’90s standards.” It appears the TV show host, de Leeuw, changed his perspective on the issue after watching the film “12 Years a Slave” in 2014 and is now in favor of the Dutch getting rid of the character.
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