Sunday 1 March 2015

Viva La Megababes

The other day I was sat with my mum watching episodes from the first series of Absolutely Fabulous, and we were joking about Bubble's style and how this is how I dress now (also commenting on the fact my mum let me watch such programmes at age 8! I watched This Life aged 12 and Queer As Folk aged 14, MOTHER!)

It's no secret that the 90s are a big influence on me, fashion, music, everything, so of course Bubble with her bright colours and 'wacky 90s' sense of style was going to be an influence on me.

But it got me to thinking about some other 90s ladies that I realise have been a HUGE influence on me, and I'm not just talking about fashion.

I'm talking about SHAMPOO!

I don't know where I first saw/heard Shampoo, I'm guessing it was maybe performing Trouble on Top Of The Pops in 1994, or maybe in the pages of Smash Hits or Top Of The Pops magazine!
Wherever it was it changed my little 10 year old life!

Here was a band who had so much attitude and impeccable style (they did so shut it!). A couple of school mates who loved boy bands, like me (East 17 and Take That -for the record I was always purely East 17), loved being a fan of things, like me, liked Sindy dolls, like me, I was destined to be a fan of Shampoo.

Carrie and Jacqui were not just pop lovers, they used to write a Manics zine, I fact I found out aged 10 and before I even knew what a fanzine was! They to me embodied Girl Power, in fact they taught me about girl power long before I was devouring riot grrrl and writing angry feminist slogans on my pencil case.
Yeah they made pop songs, but they were witty and bratty and full of GIRL POWER!


I remember being young and tagging along as my sister shopped at Piccadilly Records in Manchester and seeing a girl that worked there wearing chunky bright foam wedge shoes and big plastic jewellery and I knew that was a look I was after! Shortly after I headed down to C&A to stock up on plastic rings!

Who didn't want a t-shirt with doll faces on? To be dripping in plastic accessories? To mix faux fur and PVC? To have over processed hair? To be big in Japan?
Because I sure did!



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