Victoria Beckham explains her appearance: “I’m tired, Harper’s not sleeping great”

Last week, there were some photos of Victoria Beckham during NY Fashion Week where she seemed to look particularly exhausted. Posh generally looks drawn and thin, like she’s always subsisting on ice chips and lemon slices, but the recent photos show her with dark circles under her eyes, looking like she was about to simply fall over from the weight on her own head. Well, Posh has heard our comments (“Is she ill? Is that her wax figure?”) and she is answering us – she’s got a baby who never sleeps and she’s working super-hard. So stop saying she looks like hell! Noted, Victoria. Noted.

She has never been one for smiling in photographs, but Victoria Beckham’s public appearances have been particularly pouty of late. But in a new interview, the designer and mother-of-four explains that she is not moody, simply exhausted.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, the 37-year-old says: ‘Look, if people want to say I’m miserable then so be it. I’m really not. I have a lot on my plate. I’m not going to lie about it, I’m tired. I’m really tired but I’m also very happy with my life. I’m basically just like any woman who’s working and has lots of children – it’s tough.’

Victoria tells the paper that the stress of planning her Autumn/Winter 2012 collection for New York Fashion Week and caring for a sleepless infant has taken its toll.

‘I’m not getting much sleep at all, she says. Harper’s not sleeping that great, and I’ve been taking Skype business calls throughout the night too because of the collections. I’m up with the baby as all mums are and I wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s not a team of people doing it for me.’

Mrs Beckham’s office is London, while she lives in Los Angeles with husband David, Harper and their three sons, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. So finding time to speak to her team means many late-night phone calls for the already sleep-deprived star, who says the time difference has become nightmarish.

‘I’m spending ludicrous amounts of time in my dressing gown on Skype talking to my team about the clothes.’

Victoria showcased her latest collection at New York Fashion Week to critical acclaim, before flying to London to attend the launch of her Victoria by Victoria Beckham at Harvey Nichols this week.bbShe joked recently that David has only just realised that designing is an actual job to her, after attending her show in New York.

And it seems the for the foreseeable future, designing will be continue to be her only professional job, as she confirmed that the Spice Girls will not be reuniting for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this year.

‘It was so flattering to be asked to do the Jubilee, Victoria tells the Sunday Mirror. ‘But we have lots on our plates and we are all so focused on the end of the year and Viva Forever, the musical. The Jubilee isn’t going to happen. But the musical is going to be really great and we’re focusing on that.’

[From The Mail]

Do you believe her when she says “There’s not a team of people doing it for me”? I kind of do, especially for the mom stuff. I can joke around about Posh and her quirks, but I think she’s a very hands-on mother, and I think David is a very hands-on dad too. I think Posh was absolutely thrilled that she finally got a daughter, and she might even be more hands-on with Harper Seven then she was with her sons. Basically, I believe that when Harper cried, her mum comes in and gets her every single time.

As for Posh not having help with her clothing line – that’s where I might have to call BS. I think Posh has a fashion eye, I think she’s “directing” her multiple fashion lines, and I think she probably signs off on everything before it goes out on the runway. But let’s not act like dozens of staffers aren’t doing the bulk of the actual work.

Still, I’m sure she loves all of this. She’s living her dream – fashionista, respected designer, wife, mother, all of it. She’ll find a better balance when Harper starts sleeping through the night.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

64 Responses to “Victoria Beckham explains her appearance: “I’m tired, Harper’s not sleeping great””

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. whatthehell456 says:

    I’ve never like VB, but this article has given me a new respect for her. Trying to be the “ultimate woman” (working, take care of kids, house, husband etc.) is definitely exhausting.

    • polk8dot says:

      Was that meant as a sarcastic remark? Geez, I hope so, because…
      She’s the ULTIMATE working woman? In what universe?
      She has nannies for the baby; she has drivers and bodyguards to take older kids to school and care for them when they are home; she has maids and cooks to take care of all household chores. She has designers, as in REAL designers, sketch-makers, taylors and other fashion industry staple workforce to design, create, make, distribute, market and sell ‘her’ clothing line.
      So: she does not take care of the kids, unless she wants to, usually for photo-ops. She does not take care of the household. She does not cook. She does not work/design for ‘her’ clothing line other than putting her name on it.
      If you call showing up to premieres, store openings, looking at sketches and approving them WORK, then I’d love to work as hard as she does.
      I do think though that she looks very haggard, almost sickly. At first look I thought that she must be really ill, with some serious health problem which they’ve just not made public yet. I hope not, because I do not wish her bad at all. She deserves to be happy and healthy just like anybody else. But please do not insult my intelligence claiming that ‘being a working woman, the ULTIMATE working mother’ is behind her troubling appearance. In her case, it is simply ridiculous.

      • gg says:

        Some of that may be true, but unless you know the woman and have been inside her house? A lotta conjecture on your part. Nothing to rely on.

        Anyway … AT LEAST her clothes fit some (00) humans, unlike Stella.

      • Chris says:

        Lol you sound wicked jealous…
        Instead of attacking others, perhaps introspection is for you – work out what is making you so angry and let go. It will make you happier and healthier.

      • Mari says:

        Ooops , the first poster said “trying”, at ourown lwvwls, most women try to be the best we can, more so having children and a working agenda, and a husband…
        I do think too that she tries to be and do, to what extent, I do not know, but she does seem very involved in her designs and her mother duties. She has money tomthrow away, anfpd help, etc., yes, but that does not stop working women who love what they do. It would be generalizing and disrespectful to do so. And I am not disrespecting womenwho do 2 or 3 jobs and try to raise their children properly either.
        I read somewjere that what women look for nowadays, is not the perfect husband, but the perfect nanny.

  2. paola says:

    I think i have more respect for her as a designer than a singer, she wasn’t great at singing, but she’s doing great in fashion. She looks painfully tired and her hair is a mess, but it seems like the always posh Victoria is more similar to every normal woman than many other stars that claims to be doing all the job when they can not even feed their babies without an army of nannies.

    • gigi says:

      I think I’d like her more if she didn’t pose SO hard, like she’s trying to be 5’10 or something. Her collection has benefitted a lot from the “advice” of Roland Mouret, but you’re right, she’s doing so much better as a designer than a singer. Oh but wait, she does have some help with the kids, you know. 3 boys and a baby? You bet she has a bit of help–not an army, but it’s there (check the background of the paparazzi shots).

      • paola says:

        Oh i know she has nannies! maybe she has ugly nannies (to keep david away 🙂 )but i feel she’s the kind of person that she would get up in the middle of the night to get her crying baby,cuddle her and help her to fall asleep again, and at least she’s not always in the spotlight and she’s not a famewhore like many people out there.
        She had admitted having help in her fashion business, she doesn’t take all the credit, but i think she’s doing great and she is very professional. I’ve never been a fan, but i like her much more now compared to what she was in the spice days.

    • Annie says:

      She could never sing a note, but I like her as a designer too paola. Of course she had a much easier start in the industry than most, and yes she has plenty of help but she’s been very upfront about that from the start and I do detect some genuine talent for fashion in her.

  3. spinner says:

    She stated she has a team that she works with on her fashion lines. She never said she did everything herself. I took it that she doesn’t have a team of nannies to look after her children. I think she is definitely a hands on mom which I respect her for.

  4. lisa says:

    I hope she takes time for herself.

    Interestingly… David doesn’t look exhausted at all. Out and about with the boys all over. I like to see the Dad looking tired too. Means they are both sharing the sleepless nights.

    • gigi says:

      I think they both share the responsibilities. From the lead up to Fashion Week onwards, you’ll notice Harper is always with David because [I assume] Victoria’s already got a lot on her plate. Also, it seems (from the pap shots) that it’s been mostly David looking after the 3 boys these last few weeks while Victoria’s been preparing her collection.

  5. Nessa says:

    As a mom of an infant that does NOT sleep well, I can so feel her pain. Your quality of life suffers greatly when you are up several times a night, every single night. She actually looks good considering!

    I agree about her fashion lines, though. No way she is doing all the designing for every new season/rollout.

    • JudyJudyJudy says:

      how do you know she isnt do the designing herself? Been doing the starbucks runs for her and sneaking a peep?

  6. samira677 says:

    I disagree and believe she’s very involved with her lines. Victoria does not strike as a figure head like Jessica Simpson is with her line. I also believe that she is a parent who doesn’t have a nanny take care of her baby every time she cries.

  7. LadyJane says:

    She is probably more hands on than some, but when I see shots of her with her baby in the airport going through security, and then shots from a few minutes later as she is walking with her hands in her pockets without baby, purse, luggage etc, I have to think she probably DOES have help. Unless the baby is organising all the luggage and pushing the trolley – but I doubt it at only 7 months old (even if she is a Beckham.)

    It is Vicky’s choice to work so hard. Many other mom’s don’t have a choice and good on her for doing so well in the fashion world. I can’t help but thinking that her diet and the constant jet setting isn’t ideal for a young infant baby – no wonder she isn’t settling at night.

    • Kimlee says:

      Clearly she dose have a nanny or two I seen pictuer of her traveling them, that who taking care of Harper when she doing her fashion stuff but she dosen’t rely on them to do everything for her. Like in the case of gwen stefani and gavin who can seem to do anything or go any were with out 1 or 2 nannies with them.

  8. Asli says:

    Can’t hate her for actually taking care of her own kids. In Hollywood, that’s rare.

  9. Jayna says:

    I have loved her since her reality show when moving to America. She is nothing like like her unsmiling photos. I love her self-deprecating humor. She’s adorable.

  10. imabrat says:

    She looks the same to me, always looks the same.

  11. Cathy says:

    That dress she is wearing is ugly, looks like a sack. Don’t care for the shoes either.

  12. Nanea says:

    There was a great interview with VB at the Guardian the other day which is a good read for a rainy day. She’s come a long way since being Posh Spice.

  13. heidiho says:

    I wish I looked that awful, the poor thing!

  14. Jen34 says:

    I would guess that the criticism she received upset her, and she felt the need to explain that her baby isn’t sleeping well. Posh is very sensitive about her appearance, and her feelings were probably hurt. It seems like she has too much on her plate, but it’s her life.

    • gigi says:

      True. But my theory on her sleepless look is that it was mis-step in her makeup. It’s not like she’s afraid of concealer. I think they were going for an edgy look (kind of like the “heroin addict” look that was popular a few years ago) but she just ended up looking tired, so now she’s felt the need to defend herself. Not that I don’t believe Harper’s keeping her up at night, it’s just that she’s too controlling of her image to not have her dark circles locked down.

  15. Maya says:

    Sorry to say but that ponytail is awful. Anyway it’s her own fault. She set a high (near impossible?) standard for herself, so when she does go into new mother mode (or mother with new baby mode), she can’t help it. Fatigue and stress do get to you after a while.
    It’s as though all the pregnancy radiance goes out the window during the first year after childbirth.
    I’ve been there and done it and no one can convince me that the first year with a newborn is wonderful on looks; if she breastfeeds and stops, she can also look forward to the hormonal changes. For me, my hair was falling out all over the place. It was a goddamn nightmare, particularly because I had a white kitchen floor and not a day would go by without seeing a lot of hair.
    She is in the grip of the post pregnancy & childbirth blahs.

  16. EmmaStoneWannabe says:

    Great for her that she’s being an on-hands mom. She claims to not have a team of ppl helping her with the mom duties, but, does she not have a team of people to make her look pretty at all times? Every time she steps out, surely she has had someone come in for her hair and makeup. Not hating on her, or saying she’s not exhausted, just making the point that if you’re VB, you have people helping you with appearances at least.

  17. hateonit. says:

    I pretty much adore her. she’s very hands on when it comes to her kids. you always see a pic of her with the boys. I admire that. I mean if I made children with David they wouldn’t leave my sight lol she’s very into fashion. I believe she doing a lot. on a different note I read this blind item that has to be about beyonce. it stated a female artist was ready to go to the Grammys had her dress jewelry everything ready. but because of a another stars passing she didn’t go. because she didn’t want to be overshadowed. she wanted it to be about her. it’s on blindgossip.com

  18. lambchops says:

    hmmmm, i seriously doubt she does not have any help with her baby. it would be impossible with her life and engagements not to have a nanny. i believe she’s tired, but not that she does it all alone. eating a little might give her some energy.

  19. aenflex says:

    I love her as a mum!

  20. GoodCapon says:

    Respected designer? Uhh, OK.

  21. Kimlee says:

    She never said she didn’t have a nanny because then she whould be lying, like I said eralyer she been photograph traveling with a nanny but nanny not doing everything for her.

  22. lw says:

    So you guys don’t believe she even has a nanny? With three kids? She may not have a nanny or two per child like some celebs, but I’d be willing to bet she has at least one nanny and a full time staff for her home.

  23. Calli P says:

    My eldest started teething at four months and it seemed to continue FOREVER. That, and when nighttime fears pop up are two very difficult periods with a baby/toddler. Yikes.

  24. pink giraffe says:

    If you think she doesn’t have a team of nannies working for her around the clock you are deluding yourselves. These people have very different lives from regular folk. She’s not an “everywoman.” She has a lot of people around her helping her out in every possible way. Finally, she does look wretched in these photos; she’s trying to explain that away in a positive light, but in reality she’s directing the public away from what I am sure is a juicy piece of gossip.

    • lw says:

      Of course, right? I was beginning to think I was a “hater” for being sure that she has a huge amount of help. These ladies are acting like she is a typical stay at home mom for goodness sake.

    • Camille (The original) says:

      pink giraffe and lw: I agree with you.

      All I have to add is, yeah right Posh *eye roll*.

    • Maya says:

      If any woman had as much moolah as Victoria, they’d have hired help as well.
      Let’s get real and not too moralistic here. In order for people like Victoria to be celebrities, they have to be on display most of the time.

  25. TruthTella says:

    I don’t know why so many people dislike her unless it’s just jealousy, A lot of women hate on her or call her weird just because she dresses up smart everyday and isn’t out in jeans and trainers (same with Dita Von Teese to a lessor extent) but it’s her life and if she can be bothered to dress up everyday and it makes her happy what’s the problem?
    Also about her not smiling, would you be smiling with 100 photographers flashing cameras in your face 24/7? Pluss she doesn’t like her smile which i understand, I don’t like my smile either and people always think i’m reallys serious but i’m not lol
    I like her dresses too, I’m sure she isn’t designing everything 100% but she’s giving the ideas and i’m sure she’s learning as she goes along and eventually she’ll be doing it all. People should just be respectful that she’s bringing up a family, being a wife and working.

    P.S did anybody notice that she’s wearing those curved heel shoes Lindsay Lohan had on before?

    • B Hicks says:

      I don’t like Von Teese because she was a stripper and then tried to gain respectability by becoming a burlesque dancer. Really not much difference there. Whereas I like Victoria Beckham. I like how she is always well dressed and appears to take pride in her appearance. My son is 7 months old and I feel/look like a beached whale (an albino one at that). I wish I was motivated to do my makeup and hair everyday.

  26. Bernice says:

    I adore Victoria Beckham and believe she has created a fabulous life and has put the according amount of work into it. There was a blind recently about a new mom with ppd, I think it may be VB. if so, hopefully she is being treated, but doesn’t feel like it’s for public consumption. Her clothes are gorgeous. If only I could wear them!

  27. Alexis says:

    It’s not either-or. You can have nannies and still be involved with your child’s life. For example, maybe the nannies watch the babies during the day but the Beckhams do night duty themselves.

    Goodness, she doesn’t even look that bad. I’ve always liked VB because she’s serious and doesn’t try to be cutesy and bubbly, but still clearly cares about her family and her career.

  28. j says:

    I totally get this. I have a child who sleeps terribly and has for over a year–sometimes only 3 hours a night. This is at a time when I’m doing loads of career stuff in a way that’s very public and visible. I look awful. And unfortunately my “product” is partially based on appearing healthy and attractive, which I don’t. Ugh.

    So I find her really likable. She may have nannies and help, but you don’t manage four children and a thriving business just sitting on your a$$.

  29. Darlene says:

    I saw an interview with her once that had her being interviewed by two small boys. She was laughing and cracking jokes and making the boys laugh too and generally being AWESOME and completely unlike how we generally see her. She hates her smile, so she doesn’t smile for posed photos. Seeing her with those boys, I thought, this is how she is at home. She’s a great mom. I’m not surprised she does it all herself. <3

  30. Mouse says:

    Family and work aside, she’s still got very obvious eating disorder(s) that she’s still trying to explain away. Not eating can make you gaunt and exhausted too.

  31. Goofpuff says:

    So what? I have daycare during the day “team of nannies” and work full time. My husband is also very hands on. We only have 2 kids and the baby doesn’t sleep through the night.. And yet I am totally exhausted like her! Don’t hate on women who work because they love their job. We spend alot of quality time with our children. Geez. Why so much hate for working women on celeb itchy these days.

  32. Isa says:

    If my baby wasn’t sleeping through the night I’d def have a nanny if I could afford it. At least one or two nights a week. Especially on the nights I worked.

  33. chloe says:

    A friend of mine worked as a nanny for the Beckhams when they first moved here and she said they were very nice and down to earth, she quit to move back to the midwest but Victoria sent her a box of her perfume for her and her friends afterwards which was a very nice jesture. I say those kids are raised right, the boys are always holding her hand when caught leaving restaurants, which is so cute.

  34. the original bellaluna says:

    Unlike working mums WITHOUT her level of wealth, she has a choice to work this hard or not.

    I would suggest she focus on her daughter and her own health for awhile, then jump back into the fray.

  35. malathyonxx says:

    I call it all B.S. She might have a lot of pots on the fire, but she doesn’t do the grunt work- no way, no how. She likes looking the way she does and everything that comes with it. She needs to pull her head up. She’s got a hump on her neck from all that bobble head hanging.

  36. Alexa says:

    Way to stay loyal to the sites namesake. I am going to make a temporary faux pas and let you know that I very much adore Victoria Beckham. I am not easy to please, yet I can’t NOT like her. Hmmm…

  37. Sachi says:

    I’ve always liked her since the Spice Girls days.

    I can believe that she’s actually a very hands-on Mom. She didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth, so she’s not some spoiled brat who was raised to only ever care about her appearance.

    She’s selling a brand. And from what I’ve seen of her from interviews, her real personality is very different from the Victoria Beckham she likes to present to the media. She seems like a nice, warm person in interviews instead of this pouting, stuck-up, too serious image she portrays.

    She’s never paraded her children around unless they’re caught attending an event where the press is sure to be present (ie. New York Fashion Week) but for the most part, her kids are away from the media glare. They’re rarely seen out and about and when they are, they are always with their parents. They’re dressed like kids their age, and they don’t seem very spoiled.

    I like Victoria Beckham and the work she’s put into her designer line. She’s already rich through David, she doesn’t have to work and she can be lazy like the other WAGs. But she wants to be recognized for her own efforts, and she wants to be more than “David Beckham’s wife/former Spice Girl member/Posh Spice” and she’s doing it through a legitimate way of being a designer instead of other rich wives “writing for a magazine” or some vague job. Good for her.

    My respect grew for her when she asked the paparazzi to stop taking photos of her children because the flash upsets her son, Romeo, I believe. I think it was something about causing a mild seizure from all the camera flashes and when Romeo was young, Victoria would cover his face so he doesn’t have to be exposed to all the camera flashes.

    She’s a great mom, IMO, and a good designer to boot. The way she dresses Harper is too damn adorable, too. Stylish, but very appropriate for a baby. That outfit Harper wore at the New York Fashion show was too cute!

  38. Kate says:

    I believe she looks after her baby’s immediate needs herself. While she still has it easier than most of us because she will have all the housekeeping, cooking etc taken care of for her, she does have 4 kids and she does also work.

    You can’t hand over your small baby to someone else and still have the same relationship with them. Not saying it’s not a financial requirement for a lot of people, but Posh is not Posh. She’s a lower-middle class British girl, and from that background you look after your own baby however much money you may have. And money can’t compensate for getting up every 4 hours to feed your baby… on a good night. And 4 months is prime colic territory as well, which means lengthy screaming.

    I believe her on this one.

    Having said that, when my baby was that age we went on holiday to a Sofitel, and my Lord was life suddenly easy. All we had to do was deal with him. Meals were dealt with, the housework was handled, laundry done. Even the sleep was less of an issue when you didn’t have to think about anything else. I suddenly had the energy to look at art and go shopping for pleasure and READ – all sorts of things that were distant memories at home. So my sympathy is sort of at a 60% level here.

  39. UKHels says:

    I think her ‘designs’ are generally hideous

    do think she is quite a hands on mother though – shouldn’t imagine she’d have a young nanny, not with Squeaky Dave and his wandering hands

  40. Tara says:

    Love these pics of her and am usually not a fan. Guess I miss the punk 80s and heroin chic 90 s.

  41. Ruffian9 says:

    Oh FFS, you’re HUNGRY!

  42. Veronica says:

    I remember when her one boy wore a cape/superman costume everywhere for a while. Despite what one may think of her, that says to me that they just let their kids be kids.

  43. ManicPixieDreamGirl says:

    Puhleezze! change that headline to ” my 8 nannies are tired Harper isn’t sleeping great.

  44. mel says:

    i think that posh’s style is heavily influenced by Korean & Japanese fashion (they were doing it much earlier)..not much originality there

  45. Delta Juliet says:

    My 2 1/2 year old STILL doesn’t sleep though the night, but I manage to comb my hair, smile (most of the time) and get through my somewhat demanding full-tme job. Suck it up Posh! 😀

  46. benny says:

    She looks like hell because of the plastic surgery and starving herself. Her life must be full of enablers to allow her to get this bad.