Victoria Beckham is baring her soul about the relentless pressure she has endured to maintain a slender figure. The Spice Girls icon, who is a devoted mother to Brooklyn Beckham, 26, Romeo Beckman, 23, Cruz Beckham, 20, and Harper Beckham, 14, alongside her husband David Beckham, confessed that the incessant scrutiny of her physique over the years has fueled unhealthy behaviors and wreaked havoc on her mental and physical well-being.
"I was weighed on national television when Brooklyn was just 6 months old," Victoria reminisced in her latest Netflix docuseries, which made its debut on October 9. "We chuckle about it now, we make light of it...but I was incredibly young, and it really stung." For Victoria, who was a mere 25 at the time, the pressure to conform to the '90s pop star body ideal became increasingly burdensome as she aged. "I truly began to question myself and develop a dislike for who I was, because I allowed it to consume me," the now 51-year-old revealed on "Victoria Beckham." "I didn't recognize the person staring back at me in the mirror—you lose all touch with reality. I was excessively self-critical. I despised what I saw."
And the public's cruel nicknaming was especially damaging, as Victoria pointed out: "I've been labeled everything from Porky Posh to Skinny Posh. It's been overwhelming, and it's been tough." This intense scrutiny drove her to develop an eating disorder, a battle she silently waged. "I was managing [my weight] in an extremely unhealthy manner," she admitted. "When you're grappling with an eating disorder, you become adept at deception. And I was never candid about it with my parents. I never addressed it openly. It takes a profound toll when you're constantly bombarded with messages that you're not good enough."
Even now, Victoria shared, that nagging feeling lingers, adding, "I suppose that's been a constant companion throughout my life."
