5678 Magazine

Glamour, talent, empowerment and female bosses are all words that come to mind when thinking about girl groups. However, the media constantly pin women against each other with questions of who is the leader? Who is better? Who has the best style? And this rivalry is played especially in the girl groups often leading them to internal conflicts such as the pressures of fame, fuelled by competition from the media. By exploring the rivalries in the group, Pussycat Dolls and Destiny Child may highlight the challenges faced by girl groups behind the scenes of  tension, tumultuous relationships that define them.

PUSSYCAT DOLLS

CREDIT: FLIXR

The American girl group was founded in 1995 and comprised Nicole Scherzinger, Carmit Bachar, Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta, Melody Thornton and Kimberly Wyatt. They were originally a burlesque dance group but still dabbled in catchy pop tunes and melodies. Some of their hit singles included:

When I Grow Up

Buttons 

Don’t Cha 

J’ai Ho

Despite this success the group were constantly pinned against each other with internal conflicts regarding who was the lead singer in the group. 

Nicole was the lead singer and often the most recognised where some described the other group members as ‘glorified back up dancers.’ Nicole was placed in the spotlight and seemed to not be giving it up anytime soon. They disbanded in 2010 due to the emphasis and constant spotlight on Nicole and minimised roles of the other group members. They did reunite in 2019 but the future of the group is still uncertain with a cancellation of their tour in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

DESTINY’S CHILD

CREDIT: FLIXR

Destiny Child was an iconic American girl group that was formed in Texas in 1990. Although with quite a few members, during its most successful years included Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. They achieved global fame with some of the hit singles:

Survivor 

Bootylicious

Say my name

Cater 2 u and many more!

With many internal conflicts the group broke up but are still notable trailblazers of the music industry of their time.

Their manager Matthew Knowles, Beyonce’s father, was criticized with claims of favouritism. It has been rumoured Beyonce’s solo career was prioritised over the success of the group. Previous members Letoya Luckett and Latvia Roberson claimed managerial favouritism which eventually led to their departure. Beyonce also was the lead vocalist which some members were not happy with. The media constantly overlooked Kelly and Michelle with the spotlight on Beyonce.

Advocates of equal recognition should not be forgotten when celebrating girl groups like Pussycat Dolls and Destiny’s Child. We must celebrate collective achievements as. women are always pitted against each other in the music industry. Multiple women can be successful at the same time. Let us promote unity and acknowledgements of the ones sidelined in the music industry because it’s already difficult for women. Let’s not aid in dragging down women to uplift others. .