Forget the clothes and the make-up, it’s hair that is the one telltale sign of when a photograph was taken. What was cutting-edge then looks seriously dated now and what felt fresh and trendy in its time looking back is distinctly tinged with nostalgia. Thinking back on our formative years, there is one candidate, an extremely unlikely one (if you ask me), whose ever-changing hairstyle has become a touchpoint for the times. While the other members of her band, the Spice Girls, became so closely linked with one specific ‘do – Baby had the blonde pigtails and Geri the flame-coloured bob – Mel C’s mane slyly became a marker for time passing. Don’t believe us, scroll on.
1997: Chunky Highlights That Look Like They Were Applied With A Paint Roller
The only explanation is that balayage hadn’t been invented yet. Or maybe, this what she wanted, what she really really wanted
1998: The ‘I Just Discovered Crimping’ Look
The art of looking like your hair had undergone electric shock therapy was all the rage in ’98.
1999: Trying To Do A ‘Rachel’ With Short Hair
So Jennifer Aniston was flying high as Rachel in Friends, so much so the world and their wife wanted to nab her hairdo. Yet, not everyone had the long locks/extensions to do it justice. Hence, we all ended up looking we had more layers than a mille-feuille.
2000: Spikey Frosted Tips
Name a teenage boy in the early Noughties who didn’t have frosted gelled tips like they wanted to be in *NSYNC.
2007: The Kate Moss-Made-Me-Do-It Thick Fringe
Just after that snow incident, Kate Moss’ star power was on the rise, so what did she go and do? She cut her hair so the world could show its adoration and copy her. Moss got a thick, full fringe and we all thought it was genius until we did the same and sweated for the first time.
2010: The OC-Inspired Side Fringe
Ahh, Marisa Cooper. At the time we thought Mischa Barton’s character could not be more chic, but nearly a decade later we’re a lot less sure.
2016: The Ombré
Barely a woman in the Western world has avoided attempting to work an Ombré. Not even Mel C.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.