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PHOTOS: Girl Groups: Then and Now!

To celebrate the Spice Girls dazzling performance during the Closing Ceremony of the London Olympics, take a look at what else they -- and your other favorite musical ladies -- are up to these days! (39 Photos)

Donna Kaufman on Aug 17, 2012 at 5:43PM

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Victor Malafronte/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The Spice Girls: Then

It wasn't so long ago that five British girls were telling international pop fans to "spice up your life!" The Spice Girls (pictured at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards) were formed in 1994 by audition; their first single, "Wannabe," made these sassy ladies the only British band to debut higher on the U.S. charts than The Beatles in 1963. The band -- made up of (from left to right) Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, Geri "Ginger Spice" Halliwell, Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown, Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton and Melanie "Sporty Spice" Chisolm -- became a phenomenon, with their "girl power" slogan and sexy-strong image turning everything they touched, from dolls to video games, to platinum. After two #1 albums and a Spice Girls movie, Ginger left the band due to "differences;" three years later, following the release of the ironically named Forever (2000), the band separated. They reunited for a global tour in 2007 and just wowed the world at the Closing Ceremony for the London Olympics. "It was lovely," said Brown about their most recent dazzling performance. "Those four girls mean everything to me. We had such a lovely time."