Good news everyone, we made it – the Beckhams’ 19th anniversary has come and gone. Are you sick of hearing about it yet? I’m asking you to please indulge my neurosis for a couple of more minutes.
This week, Lainey fielded a couple of panicked texts about how the Beckhams were spending their day. She calmed me down talking about the World Cup, assuring me that his excitement (about the game) was completely normal. David had his friends over to watch the game, but his children were there too (and, presumably, Victoria).
They took their time acknowledging their anniversary – she posted him participating at Harper’s sports day and then posted some balloons from the children, flowers from David’s mom and sister, Joanne and then more flowers, presumably from David. David’s sister also posted an Instagram story, and when the in-laws are still on board, things can’t be that dire, right? (Click on images below to expand)
Our site manager, Emily, alerted me as soon as he posted (little did she know I was refreshing every 5 minutes). I immediately responded that I wasn’t satisfied with his caption and she agreed, but then wondered if perhaps that was from my influence. (Is this what I do? Am I a Beckham naysayer? Why am I sending them bad vibes?!)
Both posts are of the same image so I asked Lainey if she thought it was a bad sign for two people who were so aware of their public image. Lainey responded, “What more do you want.” I can’t answer that. I want everything, Elaine. (Maybe they could have another baby? Yes, I am a nightmare human.)
So let’s get to the posts.
Flattering picture. Expression of love. Neither tagged the other, though David tagged the children. It was a coordinated presentation and now that I’ve had some time to calm down I can see that this is a great thing. They are presenting Brand Beckham, a united front. Not directly addressing the criticism (recent or long-running) about their marriage, her smile or his lack of social media affection. The Beckhams have been #couplegoals for so long because, along with their children, they’ve created a picturesque, aspirational and still slightly relatable unit. Since David’s retirement and broadening of his portfolio and Victoria’s label growth (along with the children growing up and having varied schedules), there seems to be a pulling apart of the unit. That’s why stories about their separate lives are much more worrying than silly rumours circulating on Facebook.
But again, why am I spreading bad juju? It’s a celebration! And not just because of two measly photos. The also had a fancy meal and expensive wine in Paris. So is any of this –the photos, the wine, the flowers – a reliable sign of a healthy marriage or a long-lasting commitment? Look, I’m not completely deluded and know that it’s just social media. But the Beckhams have been using the media (social and otherwise) to communicate their brand and solidify their image for two decades (Brooklyn was a baby when they were married). They are, at least, marking the day together with a special event. They want us to know that they are marking the day together. And for one more year, they’ve outlasted and disproved the split rumours that have dodged them since the beginning.
But back to Lainey’s question: what more do I want? Or the better question, how do we worriers not white-knuckle it to next July? I have to believe they’d at least want a big celebration for their 20th anniversary. We’ve come this far, guys.
(Lainey being a troll: or you can continue fretting about their body language in these new shots, taken the day before their anniversary, of Victoria affectionately putting her arms around David and he doesn’t reciprocate. Photo Assumption says…what?!)
