Victoria Beckham’s Modeling Pictures: Not so Posh

Geoff Marchant/Camera Press/Redux
Geoff Marchant/Camera Press/Redux

Did you ever dream you would see Victoria Beckham in mom jeans? Despite having given birth to four children, the singer-turned-designer always looks razor thin and dressed to kill when she steps out in sky-scraper heels with her famous footballer husband David or adorable toddler, Harper.

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However, there was a time when the former pop starlet looked almost…normal. Retronaut recently dug up a series of photos from 1992, the year before Victoria became "Posh." Shot by photographer Geoff Marchant, some show the 18-year-old aspiring model breaking out her best "flashdance" poses in a black leotard and pumps. She looks curvy and as plush as a ripe plum. This was a decade before Beckham was rumored to have developed an eating disorder and later told People she preferred to dine on sushi, vegetables, and fresh fruit--presumably in order to maintain her Hollywood size zero frame.

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I always assumed Beckham (maiden name, Adams) cultivated her trademark scowl to hide a set of twisted choppers, but these pictures also bust that theory. Beckham shows off her warm smile, pretty white teeth, and cute dimples. So, she just developed that expression to appear cold and unapproachable?

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Pre-Posh, 1992
Pre-Posh, 1992

Fashion from early 1990s is undeniably frumpy, and the high-waisted leather pants, double-breasted jacket, and wide belt she also dons for the series don't actually do her figure any favors. Still, she's a lovely young woman, and it's refreshing to see a real person striking a pose instead of the brooding fashionista she would become. Looking at old images of Beckham--or other celebs in their early 40s such as Jennifer Aniston or Gwyneth Paltrow who have to hone their looks with countless hours of exercise, dieting, and beauty treatments--is a reminder of how the ideal of female beauty has morphed over the last couple of decades.

We've gone from appreciating flesh and blood women to idolizing a hard and unforgiving silhouette much like a mannequin's. How about a smile (and a cupcake), Victoria? You've earned it.

What do you think of the early Posh? Please let us know in the comments below.