Why Are We Still So Obsessed With Victoria Beckham's Weight?

It's a tale as old as time. Women are reduced to their body, and their worth is dependent on their appearance, despite the fact that they are multifaceted human beings with so many more interesting elements to their lives and personalities. Victoria was one fifth of the Spice Girls, one of the most iconic girl bands of all time that garnered 100 awards, including the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, which is a lifetime achievement award (previous winners include Elton John, The Beatles, and Queen).‌

After leaving the band, she went on to create her own fashion house, which quickly became a critically acclaimed clothing brand—she won Designer Brand of the Year at the 2011 British Fashion Awards—and its success saw her branching out into cosmetics. On top of all of this, Victoria has raised four children: Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz, and Harper.

But when it comes to what we deem newsworthy, these aspects of her life pale in comparison to how Beckham famously avoids carbs (sticking to only grilled fish and steamed vegetables) and how she does two hours of exercise every morning.

It’s not our fault, though, that we’re fascinated by her body “secrets." We’ve grown up in a society dominated by diet culture and an all-consuming preoccupation with thinness. Our parents, our grandparents, and even our great-grandparents were taught to fear fatness and glorify thinness. We’ve all been conditioned to believe that thinness is the best thing that a human can achieve—and the frenzied interest around Beckham’s weight and how she manages it shows that this false belief is still very much alive and thriving.‌

So it’s not a surprise, but it’s still a really sad phenomenon to continue to witness, because how we look really is the least interesting thing about us.

I hope for a world in which women are valued and praised for what they do, what they achieve, and the mark they leave on the world rather than their waist size.