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Spice Girls legend Geri Halliwell-Horner, forever known to a generation as Ginger Spice, is calling for a fresh take on the group’s iconic rallying cry of “girl power”, proposing a more inclusive term: “inner power.”
The singer, author, and longtime advocate for gender equality made the comments during a recent appearance at the launch of her new children’s book, Rosie Frost: Ice on Fire. Speaking to a crowd of young people, Geri reflected on the cultural legacy of the Spice Girls’ most famous slogan, and why she believes it’s time for a 21st-century update.
“‘Girl power’ was a sweet word for feminism,” she said. “But if you look in the dictionary and see what feminism means, it means the ‘equalisation between the sexes’.”
She went on to explain that the phrase, once a bold feminist statement in the '90s, should now be adapted to reflect modern values of equality and inclusivity across all genders: “Therefore, to me it’s irrelevant what your gender is, I want everyone to feel their power. So let’s evolve that word from ‘girl power’ to ‘inner power’.”
Halliwell-Horner’s comments come amid a growing cultural conversation about inclusivity in feminism and gender-based advocacy. While “girl power” remains a beloved and empowering motto for many, critics have noted that language matters, and evolving it to be more gender-neutral could help broaden its message of empowerment.
The original slogan was born out of defiance, as fellow Spice Girl Mel C (Sporty Spice) explained at a previous Women in Music event. “We were told girls don’t sell,” Mel recalled. “We would go into magazines and editors would tell us: ‘We can’t put you on the cover because we won’t sell enough magazines that week.’ That really made us have a bee in our bonnets, and that’s when we started talking about ‘girl power’.”
It was a mantra that helped the Spice Girls change the pop culture landscape, encouraging millions of fans to embrace confidence, independence, and unity. Now, with Geri’s suggestion to transition from girl power to inner power, she’s signalling that empowerment isn’t just for girls, it’s for everyone.
As fans debate the evolution online, one thing is clear: whether it’s girl power, inner power, or anything in between, the message of strength, equality, and self-belief lives on, just as fiercely as ever.
