Fashion designer and former Spice Girls star Victoria Beckham has revealed deeply personal struggles with her body image and eating disorder in her new three-part Netflix documentary series, which premiered on October 9.
The 51-year-old icon candidly discussed the damaging impact of decades of public scrutiny regarding her weight, admitting she developed unhealthy coping mechanisms that affected her mental and physical health. Speaking in the self-titled docuseries, Victoria Beckham recounted a particularly painful memory from when she was just 25 years old.
“I was weighed on national television when Brooklyn was 6 months old,” she reflected. “We laugh about it, we joked about it…but I was really, really young, and that hurts.”
The constant media attention took its toll as Beckham faced relentless commentary about her appearance. She described being labeled everything from “Porky Posh to Skinny Posh,” adding that “it’s been a lot and that’s hard.” These weight issues and the pressure to maintain a certain body type during her pop star days led to serious consequences.
“I was controlling [my weight] in an incredibly unhealthy way,” Victoria Beckham admitted in the documentary. The fashion mogul went on to explain how she concealed her eating disorder from those closest to her. “When you have an eating disorder, you become very good at lying. And I was never honest about it with my parents. I never talked about it publicly.”
The impact of persistent criticism proved devastating to her self-image. “I really started to doubt myself and not like myself, because I let it affect me,” she shared, adding that hearing “constantly you’re not good enough” had lasting effects.
Her husband, David Beckham, also addressed the cultural context of that era in the documentary. He noted that “people felt that it was okay to criticise a woman for her weight,” highlighting how television content from that time period would not be acceptable today.
Despite years passing since her Spice Girls days, Victoria Beckham revealed that the emotional weight of those experiences remains with her. “I suppose that’s been with me my whole life,” she said, acknowledging the lasting impact of public scrutiny on body image.
The documentary offers an intimate look at Beckham’s journey from pop star to successful fashion designer, while also examining the personal challenges she faced building her empire.
