It’s hard to believe that one of the ‘90s biggest proponents of girl power was once a struggling teenager who wasn’t sure where she fit in. Before she was Posh Spice, an internationally-recognized fashion designer, and married one of the biggest athletes of her generation, Victoria Adams thought she’d never live up to impossible beauty standards. So in the October issue of Vogue, Victoria Beckham wrote a touching letter to her 18-year-old self reassuring her that the best is yet to come.
Here’s an excerpt:
I know you are struggling right now. You are not the prettiest, or the thinnest, or the best at dancing at the Laine Theatre Arts college. You have never properly fitted in, although you are sharing your Surrey school digs with really nice girls. You have bad acne. You think the Principal has put you at the back of the end-of-year show (in a humiliatingly bright purple Lycra leotard) because you are too plump to go at the front. (This may or may not be true.)
Beckham’s letter is important because it shows girls everywhere that they’re not doomed to be stuck in the insecure world of teenage life forever. Becoming an adult means that with some work you can gain the confidence to express yourself however you like.
You are going to have so much fun with your clothes – PVC catsuits; chokers that say absurd things; weird spiky blonde hair. It will never occur to you that you appear ridiculous. You will turn up at awards ceremonies resembling a drag queen. But I look back at you and smile. It will add interest to your life to go from one extreme to another. I love the fact that you will feel free to express yourself.
You just may meet the perfect person to share your life with as well.
Learn more about football, especially the offside rule. And yes, love at first sight does exist. It will happen to you in the Manchester United players’ lounge – although you will get a little drunk, so exact details are hazy. While the other football players stand at the bar drinking with their mates, you will see David standing aside with his family. (He’s not even in the first team at this stage – you are the famous one.) And he has such a cute smile. You, too, are close to your family, and you will think how similar he feels to you. He’s going to ask for your number. (He still has the London-to-Manchester plane ticket on which you wrote it.)
