These are photos of Victoria Beckham at Vogue festival in London with eldest son Brooklyn in tow, which is nice because I’m sure Brooklyn appreciates some one-on-one mommy time. He may not get much of that since he has three younger siblings. I’m guessing that Victoria is wearing one of her VB creations here, and oddly enough, she appears to be drowning in her own skirt. Perhaps that’s an intentional look. I hope so because Victoria’s obsession with her waistline couldn’t possibly take her down to a lower weight without severe health consequences in the long run.
Miss Posh gave a delightful talk at this event, and she spoke of her difficulties as an up-and-coming designer while struggling to fulfill her duties as a mother to four children. She admits that trying to “do it all” often leaves her feeling “constantly guilty.” Here are some excerpts of her speech:
She feels so guilty juggling work & motherhood: “I think you feel so torn, don’t you? But I’ve got great people who handle my schedule and everything does revolve around the children. So, if there’s a parents’ night or an Easter bonnet parade or a nativity play, whatever it might be, then I plan everything around that so I can always be there.”
She thinks she’s a nightmare bosss: “I’m a perfectionist, I like everything to be right. I’m probably a complete pain in the neck to work with because it is really important to me because I’ve grown this brand from nothing to where it is now.”
Fashion is her passion: “There’s a lot of people here, I hope I’m going to say something good now. I’ve always wanted to be involved in the fashion industry, I felt it in my tummy. At the beginning there was a lot of raised eyebrows, or those that could raise their eyebrows. When I started, i did one-on-one presentations, I’d talk for hours to people who didn’t even speak English. I think a lot of people probably thought, ‘Shut up, stop going on about a bloody grosgrain waistband!'”
Will she ever do London fashion week? “I’d never say never to showing in London, but I’ve got a great thing going in New York. Maybe one day.”
[From Daily Mail]
I giggled a bit at the thought of Posh saying the word, “tummy” — she’s so funny. Also, I appreciate Victoria admitting that she feels guilty while “doing it all” but being unable to stop (even though surely Isla Fisher and Drew Barrymore would say that Posh should just give up). Certainly, VB has a pretty high work ethic if she can force herself to work long hours even though David clearly makes enough money to support the entire family plus a small country full of orphans as well. At the same time, the Beckham children do seem rather well adjusted, and they’re often spotted with their parents. Posh is just fine, and so is her family. Guilt is a wonderful means of checking balances though.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN
–cute baby–
“At the beginning there was a lot of raised eyebrows, or those that could raise their eyebrows.”
OK, she made me smile. Props to Posh.
(I don’t WANT to concern-troll her but there are other photos from that day that make me wonder if she’s been skipping more meals than usual.)
Clever woman. She is clearly driven on many fronts……
(I wish she made her dresses affordable for lower middle class/upper lower class women like me.)
Her long work days are self imposed. She is so rich she doesn’t have to work a day in her life. She is too skinny and her clothes just hang there. I cannot believe that a woman so skinny managed to gestate 4 beautiful children. By the way her son is total cutie.
Well you knew this was coming, but- skinny women and fat women can have (healthy) children. she works because its her passion and I do think working is better than being a ‘rich wife’ and not doing anything but shop all the time. That’s probably why she feels guilty- she doesn’t technically HAVE to work- although every mother does feel guilt no matter how much or little they work.
I am not countering your opinion– you can think what you like of her, but her situation isnt unusual (working or thinness)
I think you’re right, she creates these long work days to somehow make herself feel not guilty for being so rich. Victoria is a bit undernourished in my opinion but clearly she can bear viable children and that’s all that matters. I never heard about overweight women having any problem bearing children, someone told me that the bigger the hips the better is for the pregnancy.
@elceinbeno8 – I don’t want to be mean, but this statement was a big “huh?” for me: “she creates these long work days to somehow make herself feel not guilty for being so rich.” Isn’t it possible that she actually likes her work, feels fulfilled by it, and likes being financially independent? Does that mean you think women only have busy careers to assuage guilt? I could live off my husband’s salary if I chose to, but I have a career that I studied and worked hard for. I don’t feel guilty, I feel grateful I had the opportunities I did, and proud that I’ve come as far as I have.
I have a friend who’s an OB-GYN, and she says being overweight can be even more dangerous than being too thin when you’re pregnant. Excessive weight and obesity increase chances for gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and birth complications. Victoria may be thin, but she’s had four healthy children, so clearly she’s always taken care of herself during her pregnancies.
@Faye You are not being mean but you are overreacting to my statement. Of course wealthy women can have a career and they can be productive with their lives. In fact, Victoria had already achieved fame and fortune before she met her husband. She is overdoing it though. Working too-long days is going to towards the other extreme. When I said “overweight women” I meant like 20 pounds overweight not a 100 pounds. Also, not all women who carry extra weight will necessarily develop all those conditions you mentioned, which by the way are very educational.
Absolutely +1 on what Faye said. Women choose to work without ‘rich woman guilt’. My thoughts are that she’s genuinely thrilled to have the opportunity to do her dream job, and doesn’t want to waste the opportunities given to her.
I also understand perfectly her desire to want to work in a industry that she finds so fulfilling, and to balance that with children she finds fulfilling as well. Just because it’s hard to have it all doesn’t mean we don’t want to give it a bloody good go.
I think teehee was originally saying something like this… I have to work for financial reasons, and that eliminates much of the guilt I would have if I chose to be away from them. VB doesn’t have that caveat, and so really has to own the decision: ‘I have children and that isn’t enough for me. I choose to work and juggle as best I can, and I can feel guilt for this’.
I love her. I know people go on about her not smiling blah blah blah, but I really love her. She seems like someone who’d be quite funny in private and like she adores her kids (I know we can’t tell but still!). Also, in the video where they’re in Paris and the paps are swarming, she looks kind of nervous/scared. But anyway, I love the Beckhams.
I do too! I know a lot of people think she doesn’t need to work and she’s already rich and blah blah but I actually applaud her for not just sitting back and being another “Real Housewife” type. She seems to me like she really does want to work and enjoys fashion so good for her.
Love her too! I never would have thought I would say that one day, but there you go.
If I was her, I wouldn’t work. Just hang out with kids and friends
I actually quite like Victoria, but she is way too thin. I wonder what hubby thinks, cuz when he first sought her out, she was much heavier and much more shapely. Her “hair” looks awful, but I love Harper’s Mary Janes. Love, love, love Mary Janes.
I like her, I know she is crazily thin; but she has grown on me: she has chosen to work and to have a different career than the ex spice turned rich housewife. It’s not easy and I appreciate that. PLUS she has 4 children, and she manages to be there in their lives.
Look at Harper! It shouldn’t be too long before we see that baby go all Blue Steel on her first magazine cover.
I like her and her work ethic. And I do believe that she most likely does feel guilty about leaving her kids. But as long as they look healthy and well adjusted who am I to judge. And they do have beautiful children.
I just can’t take her seriously when she talks about fashion. I still remember all the years she spent in booty shorts, stripper heels and sheer tank tops, with those horrid blonde extensions and the tandoori tan. And that time she attempted to be a hip hop star and tried to look ‘urban’. I remember her always being referenced along with people like Jordan. She was tacky as hell.
If fashion was always her dream, why did she try to make the singing career happen for so many years? She poured a ton of money into that, then tried being Queen of the WAGS for another few years, then tried to dominate the Hollywood scene, and finally stumbled into fashion with a line of Roland Mouret knock-offs.
BTW, her dresses are insanely overpriced, you can get far better quality for far less. I can only assume she’s paying celebs to wear ‘her’ designs. There’s a reason she isn’t showing in London, Paris or Milan. Her designs wouldn’t cut it.
While I largely agree with your first two paragraphs, I think there has to be an allowance for personal growth. Some people are capable of it. Her style and priorities evolved from who she was in her 20’s. It happens to all of us, if we’re lucky.
This might be a silly question, but what are WAGS?
Wives And Girlfriends. It’s a British term to describe a “certain type of woman” who dates/marries British footballers (soccer player) and I think it also applies to rugby players as well.
The closest approximation in this country would be that reality show “Basketball Wives”- there’s a certain “look” and “attitude” to these women, personified by Victoria way back when.
@Agnes — technically, it stands for “Wives and Girlfriends.” It’s an expression the Brits use to refer to a certain class of woman who is a wife or girlfriend of a footballer (soccer in England) or celeb. That “type” of woman tends to have big hair, big lips, tacky style, implants, spray-tanning, and hangs out with/competes with other WAGS. Stylistically, I think it would be the equivalent of America’s “real housewives (if I’m wrong about the comparison feel free to correct me, as I’ve never seen one of the Housewife shows).
Victoria was and is sneeringly called a WAG by most Brits ever since she started dating David Beckham, since her pre-Posh style was very WAG-ish. However, in her defense she always had a career of her own, first as a Spice Girl and then with the fashion thing, and she has classed up a lot. Brits can be very snobby about that, though – it’s hard to lose a label there!
Thank you for the explanation, ladies! I had no clue. Learn something new every day. 🙂
I believe her heart is in this whole fashion business, otherwise she’d have mentioned something more obvious like flannel or silk instead of grosgrain.
I like her, but she should stop the pity party. Unlike most of us, she doesn’t have to work crazy hours. And, like she said, she has “people who handle things”.
I think she’s a hands on parent when she can be. But even when she was only a WAG between singing and designing careers the Beckham’s have always had an army of nannies. Not knocking it but she’s always had more help than many men/women who are starting their own business with a family will have.
I like her.
Okay, I’m getting ready to duck when the metaphorical rotten tomatoes start flying, but I like this woman. She’s intelligent, persistent, and funny as hell. Her kids, by all accounts, are polite and well adjusted. The state of her marriage? Who knows, and not my business. If she handles her marriage the way she handles her career, I can see why they’re still together, despite the ups and downs.
I like her too.
In fact, I would go so far as to say I admire her a great deal.
LOVE Posh!!!
Remember when she used to be orange with that awful bleach blonde haircut? That’s all I think of when I see her.
I have SUCH a vivid memory of that look, one pap shot in particular where she was using her stroller as a battering ram while wearing bright orange combat trousers. She looked like one of the classier Jeremy Kyle segments.
I wanted to say welp Posh you could just be a soccer mom but I don’t know she has grown on me. she is living her dream & following her passion. her family does come first she and her hubby what’s his name seem to be great parents. carry on.
I like her and wish she didn’t seem so insecure.
I have no problems with her lifestyle, she puts the kids 1st and still pursues her dreams.
Her children seem happy and well adjusted.
I think all mothers have guilt.
As for quit and stay home, really – there are plenty of stay at home moms that don’t give their children half the attention and time Victoria does. It’s entirely possible to sit home on your ass an d ignore your kids.
Stay at home is not the ultimate solution, or the ultimate glory. I’m so tired of the Stay at home vs. working mommy wars!
I like the fact that despite being that rich she still wants to do something with her time that she’s passionate about. Just because you’re rich doesn’t mean you shouldn’t/don’t have to work.
No, it doesn’t. But it does mean that her complaints about ‘working so hard’ are a bit hollow. It’s a CHOICE she made, 100%.
Can we please have at least one H7 post everyday? She’s such a treat!!
Harper is adorable! She doesn’t look like either mummy or daddy though.
Last week we had Isla Fisher, followed by Shakira, going on about how hard it is to balance work and motherhood blah blah blah. I asked who would be the next in the list of whining celeb mummies, and now it seems it’s ‘Posh’. She and her husband are worth literally hundreds of millions. Any work she does is entirely a matter of choice for her. It’s a form of recreation rather than work as most of us understand the term. I understand that many people still want to ‘work’ even if they’re filthy rich, but it’s her free choice to feel ‘guilty’.
Sorry to introduce a worm into the apple, but Harper is going to have to deal with a public mom with serious eating issue.
I agree. I hope in the years to come she’s not so strict diet-wise on herself and is less restricting, but I do wonder what will happen if Harper gets a bit of “puppy fat” which is normal for kids – how will Victoria deal with that? Also, what if Harper is a very naturally thin teenager/young lady – will Victoria feel like she has to compete with her? I don’t know – I worry a little for Harper for the years ahead!
I’d love to hang out with her for a day; I just love her!
Posh was always my least favorite Spice Girl (I ranked them from Ginger down…hey, I was 11 years old when they were big, so sue me)- but yeah, weirdly enough she has grown on me as I grew up. She seems like- if not exactly a ‘social climber’, like someone who clawed their way up and is determined to stay there Hell or high water.
Remember when the Beckhams and TomKat were besties, and then suddenly weren’t? I’ll bet anything that the Co$ tried to recruit Posh & Becks- and that she realized they’d have to ‘donate’ a sh!tload of their cash to the Church and broke off that relationship toot sweet.
THEY NEVER-EVER SMILE…..