Editing Spice Girls (section)

===Cool Britannia===
{{Main|Cool Britannia}}
[[File:Geri Halliwell in concert cropped.jpg|thumb|Halliwell wearing a replica of her iconic [[Union Jack dress]] that she had worn at the [[1997 Brit Awards]] which was a defining image of the era]]
The term "[[Cool Britannia]]" became prominent in the media in the 1990s and represented the new political and social climate that was emerging with the advances made by [[New Labour]] and the new British prime minister [[Tony Blair]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2007-06-21 |title=Cool Britannia |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6766539.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626090734/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6766539.stm |archive-date=June 26, 2007 |access-date=2025-05-03 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=25 February 2012 |title=Coalition recreates Cool Britannia 15 years on |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/9106009/Coalition-recreates-Cool-Britannia-15-years-on.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225232353/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/9106009/Coalition-recreates-Cool-Britannia-15-years-on.html |archive-date=February 25, 2012 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref> Coming out of a period of 18 years of [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] government, Tony Blair and New Labour were seen as young, cool and appealing, a driving force in giving Britain a feeling of euphoria and optimism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6766539.stm|title=Cool Britannia|publisher=[[BBC News]]|date=21 June 2007|access-date=3 February 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150203143152/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6766539.stm|archive-date=3 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Although by no means responsible for the onset of "Cool Britannia", the arrival of the Spice Girls added to the new image and re-branding of Britain, and underlined the growing world popularity of British, rather than American, pop music. This fact was underlined at the [[1997 Brit Awards]]; the group won two awards<ref name="brit 1997">{{cite web|url=http://brits.co.uk/shows/1997/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060418203744/http://brits.co.uk/shows/1997/|title=The BRIT Awards 1997|publisher=[[Brit Awards]]|access-date=11 March 2006|archive-date=18 April 2006}}</ref> but it was Halliwell's iconic red, white and blue Union Jack mini-dress that appeared in media coverage around the world,<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|2019|p=140}}</ref> becoming an enduring image of "Cool Britannia".<ref name="dress poll">{{cite web|first=Hilary|last=Alexander|author-link=Hilary Alexander|url=http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG7740201/Online-poll-announces-the-top-ten-most-iconic-dresses-of-the-past-fifty-years.html|title=Online poll announces the top ten most iconic dresses of the past fifty years|website=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|location=London|date=19 May 2010|access-date=3 February 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708053349/http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG7740201/Online-poll-announces-the-top-ten-most-iconic-dresses-of-the-past-fifty-years.html|archive-date=8 July 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/201202027142/geri-halliwell-launches-new-union-jack-range/|title=Geri revisits Spice Girls' heyday in Union Jack dress|date=2 February 2012|work=[[Hello! (magazine)|Hello!]]|access-date=3 February 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150203140426/http://us.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/201202027142/geri-halliwell-launches-new-union-jack-range/|archive-date=3 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The Spice Girls were identified as part of [[Second British Invasion#End of the Invasion|another British Invasion]] of the US,<ref name=britishinvasion>{{cite web|last=Wong|first=Sterling|date=13 April 2011|title=Are Adele, Mumford And Sons Sign of a New British Invasion? – Music, Celebrity, Artist News|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1661905/adele-mumford-and-sons-british-invasion.jhtml|access-date=1 September 2011|publisher=[[MTV News]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210217175200/http://www.mtv.com/news/1661905/adele-mumford-and-sons-british-invasion/|archive-date=17 February 2021|url-status=dead}}</ref> and in 2016, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' acknowledged the Spice Girls as "arguably the most recognisable face" of "Cool Britannia".<ref name="Time magazine"/>