Mel B Says She Refused to Straighten Her Hair for Spice Girls 'Wannabe' Music Video: 'I Love My Curls'

Mar. 15, 2025

Mel B.Photo:Mel B/Instagram, Ray Burmiston/Avalon/Getty

Mel B/Instagram, Ray Burmiston/Avalon/Getty

Melanie “Mel B” Brownis opening up about her hair journey.

The 49-year-oldSpice Girlsalum penned a heartfeltInstagrampost about being proud of her “big wild curly hair,” despite the pressure to straighten it during her pop star days.

In the1996 videofor the hit song, Brown, who was known in the group as “Scary Spice,” wore a lime green cropped tank top and patterned pants, her signature dark curly hair on display.

Mel B in 1996.Tim Roney/Getty

Tim Roney/Getty

“I had no idea the impact that video had on thousands of little brown and black girls all over the country,” Brown continued in the post, which was made in honor ofWorld Afro Dayon Sept. 10. “Women still come up to me to this day and tell me they stopped straightening their hair.”

The singer also recalled being bullied for her hair as a child, saying that she was “singled out” for being “different.”

“But it was my hair and I wasn’t going to change it — for anyone,” she said.

Brown later reflected on the significance of her curly hair as it relates to her daughters.

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Mel B with daughters Madison and Phoenix in 2022.Dave Benett/Getty

“I have three children with big curly hair and all of them take pride in their their hair, their identity and their culture,” she said. “I also know that sometimes they have faced issues with their hair — as I did. We are who we are and no one should try to discriminate or change us.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Brown welcomed her first child, daughter Phoenix, with the dancer Jimmy Gulzar in 1999. Her second daughter, Angel, was born in 2007. (She shares Angel with her exEddie Murphy.) Four years later, the singer’s third daughter Madison was born to Brown and her then-husbandStephen Belafonte.

source: people.com