Brooklyn Beckham turned 18 on March 4th. There was quite a hoopla on social media about it, too. Mom Victoria posted this little montage in tribute and Dad David went nuts with the throwbacks. Of course, once you hit that magical age you are legally allowed to get a tattoo. Obviously, the Beckham family likes their body art so Brooklyn has probably been thinking about his first tattoo for ages now. Brooklyn went to family friend Mark Mahoney for the work and put the whole thing on his Instagram – every excruciating step. First, he posted this:
then a close-up:
But it was the actual reveal that is catching the most attention and I don’t think I need to tell you why:
“just like dads” – of all the 40+ tattoos David sports, this is the one he chooses? David has no more business than Brooklyn having the likeness of a Native American chief in full headdress anywhere on their person. Certainly, some fans were applauding Brooklyn but others were pointing out the insensitivity of his choice:
“You guys live in England and he’s getting a tattoo of a Native American? #futureregrets,” – @xdsebxd.
“Ignorant white people with no regard for the violent history of indigenous peoples, for genocide that is still perpetuated today by society and government alike. We are not fictional characters from some far away time. We are not sensationalised, and generalised images for you to tattoo onto your privileged white arm.” – @lil__tryrant
“I feel like this is offensive just like it’s offensive to wear a Native American headdress at Coachella. It’s called cultural appropriation… it would be one thing if you were honoured with one by an actual Native American… but if you weren’t, then honestly you have no business wearing it. ” – @crayray_92490
Brooklyn Beckham's tattoo… does anybody ever get tatted with white men's bearded faces from 1800s or no? Not a thing?
— Ta'k'imiłdimił (@takimilxwe) April 3, 2017
I mean – yeah. You have to live in a pretty tall ivory tower to not have heard people trying to educate others as to why cultural appropriation is damaging. Maybe – maybe – this image has some deep significance to the two men. Possibly Brooklyn was so blinded by his bond to his father that it affected his judgement of how best to display their connection. We don’t know yet – Brooklyn has not responded to any of the controversy. Since he is still posting photos of this without any sort of statement, I think we can assume he is oblivious to the controversy. And this is a tattoo, not a t-shirt or ball cap that he can remove after he’s caught on. Once (if?) Brooklyn is enlightened, hopefully this will serve as a permanent reminder to remove his head from his @ss and educate himself.
Completely superficial but credit where credit is due, Mahoney did lovely work on the art.
Daily_Express: Brooklyn Beckham pays homage to dad David with his first ever tattoo. https://t.co/KGQmMXBq42 pic.twitter.com/JhXMteK7ux
— . (@GAGAFEATLARRY) April 2, 2017
Photo credit: Instagram and WENN Photos
Yikes. Bad call….
At least it’s a quality job; it looks beautiful. And who knows — maybe the kid has a special memory of that specific tattoo on his dad. I’m not a huge fan of tattoos, but it’s no one’s place to judge why someone chooses a particular one.
Um, nope. Tattoos are forever, and yes, therefore they should have a deep meaning to the bearer. (I have quite a few myself.) Never ever is it okay to appropriate. Being a Native American is not a costume. It’s not a choice. Taking a religious symbol that holds no meaning to you, in this case the headdress, and getting it inked on your body is just plain wrong and yes, it is freaking offensive.
Yes, you get judged for your choice of tattoo. I would judge the hell out of somebody who got, say, a swastika.
Must be exhausting to be you, sauvage.
So people shouldn’t be allowed to have a cross tattooed ?
It’s just a tattoo. It’s beautifully done and is a nice piece of artwork. Who cares.
Um, did you not read the article, people do care. Go to Instagram and Twitter, people care.
Native Americans, Indigenous Canadians, whose culture and artwork are constantly appropriated, care.
Their culture is not meant to be represented as tattoos on the bodies of rich white boys. Their culture is not an accessory.
There could be a additional meaning behind the homage. Perhaps in addition to setting a tradition and acknowledging the bond with his father, it’s also honouring a guide ( in a spiritual sense) Every person is all people; because there is no separation. We’re energy – and we are all connected.
in the grand scheme of things, the ‘body’ Brooklyn Beckham’s soul’s currently riding [in] is pretty irrelevant 😉 Who are we to say his soul hasn’t be encompassed by an indigenous skin at some point or time.
Pixelated – a simple explanation of the harm for you, from elsewhere:
“Cultural appropriation is the misuse of a group’s art and culture by someone with the power to redefine that art and, in the process, divorce it from the people who originally created it.”
You should read the article it’s from. You might find it helpful.
http://theestablishment.co/when-we-talk-about-cultural-appropriation-were-missing-the-point-abe853ff3376
I agree. I am First Nations, and I see absolutely nothing wrong with this. There’s a difference between appropriation and appreciation. My god people it’s a simple tattoo on some kids skin. Find something real to complain about.
This, so very much.
Metis here and one would think that people would be slightly more concerned with the conditions of some the First Nations people in Canada or the complete annihilation of some Native tribes in the US. A tattoo, a well done one at that, doesn’t even rank on the list of, say, who’s killing the missing women on the Highway of Tears. But hey, that’s just me.
Just ugh, and that little ‘stache he has going. Is that a thing with the youngins now lol ew.
https://media.giphy.com/media/10lSuA9bMlAVfa/giphy.gif
I’m just…….
Same.
Lol, QQ, you say so much without words.
He stands like a meeple. Somebody get him off the board and toss him back in the bag.
Terrible subject aside, does no celebrity parent ever say, maybe you should wait till you’re a little older before you get a giant tattoo covering half your forearm?
Yeah but look at the parent. I don’t mind tattoos on some people but I think David Beckham looks faintly ridiculous will all the ink he has.
Is it me or is Brooklyn morphing into Giovanni Ribisi?
I see the resemblance.
Not just you. None of the kids look like either parent.
I get the impression that celebrity parents rarely say the word ‘no’.
My grandson turned 18 in March and he wants a full calf tattoo. Asked his mom to pay for it. She told him no and that he should start out with something a bit smaller and maybe somewhere it is not so noticeable. While tattoos are more acceptable, there are still some places that will judge a person for them and some jobs that do not tolerate them.
Yes exactly! To say nothing of the fact that the artistic choices you make at 18 may not be ones you want to live with at 35.
I have no objection to tattoos per se. But the best ones are those that are born out of an individual’s life experience. I have an archaeologist friend who has a tattoo based on a drawing he did of his first excavation of a Bronze Age burial – complete with red and white measuring stick down one side! You can’t get that from a book in a tattoo parlour.
That tattoo is beautifully executed but it is totally generic. You have to ask yourself, how many similar ones has that artist done? Quite a few, I’ll be bound. And it’s hardly an original subject – doesn’t Johnny Depp (yuk) have a similar one?
I was almost 34 when I got my first tattoo and I am SO GLAD that I waited until I knew myself.
I’m sorry, he’s very ordinary looking. I wouldn’t say that if he were still a kid, but now he’s 18 and has put himself out there. If his parents weren’t famous he’d be working at Subway.
he seems to have inherited mostly Victoria’s looks. poor lad. Still, I’m sure he’ll get over it with his parents money and fame.
Yeah, I don’t see it. He just isn’t cute to me. In the slightest. He’s very hunchback looking with that poor posture and he looks like he’s on drugs. What happened to the time where models were beautiful people plucked from the streets? Nepotism is HUUUUUUGE in Hollywood nowadays. It’s getting impossible to break into the scene if you’re not related to someone famous. Sigh.
Yep.
Ouch! What do you have against this kid? he can’t control who his parents are. He could be quite smart for all you know. I wouldn’t jump to the conclusion that he’d be working in fast food. Also, 18 is still pretty young. I could see him fluffing out and becoming quite handsome as he gets older.
The missing apostrophe (twice!) is also upsetting. And also just like dad at this age, who wasn’t known for being the brightest bulb.
Idiot.
That being said, he is British, and people here don’t seem to ‘get’ cultural appropriation regarding native Americans. A bunch of girls I work with went on a fancy dress night out dressed up in Native American garb, and they couldn’t understand me when I pointed out how that could be deemed offensive.
Actually, hasn’t the entitled sod lived in LA for years? Then I refer to my original comment. Idiot.
Our local rugby team took traditional British rugby terms, in which the first team is nicknamed chiefs (as in bosses generally in the English language) and the junior team is nicknamed colts, and rebranded the whole club with Native American symbols – because WRONG CHIEFS. It’s bloody infuriating.
I guess they thought that branded goods featuring pictures of middle aged white men in boardrooms wouldn’t sell.
Even the bars and cafes and food stands have themed names. Sigh.
Why so much heat on him for getting the tattoo and for his father who he is clearly emulating?
That is just so…tone deaf. He and Kendall Jenner are great examples of why rich kids need to stay in school.
Yes, he’s really turning into a celebrity bratty kid. Just when we thought their kids were the exception.
I get what you’re saying, Hecate. I feel the same when stupid white, Australians get Maori/Islander tribal tattoos just because “they’re so, like, cool-looking” – it was quite a thing for while here. Ugh.
I’m Maori living in UK and I’ve seen quite a few people here who’ve obviously gone into a tattoo parlour and asked for a ‘tribal’ tattoo, but the person doing it has no idea. Our tattoos are specific to the individual and have a lot of meaning, I don’t mind non-Maori people getting them but they should seek out a traditional artist who will do it in a respectful way.
As a native ( I realize I speak only for myself not all) I don’t really have a problem with this. Why can’t he idolize native leaders? Their bravery, leadership, wisdom, and compassion are all things that transcend race, culture and time. I would feel better about it if it were of a specific person that he had reason for admiring. I can see why a generic native comes off as a little sketchy to some. But it’s better than a tattoo of Custer or Andrew Jackson, or the words manifest destiny. So I’m not going to complain.
Exactly. It does feel appreciative of a culture but then, as you noted as you were writing, if it’s just a generic “Indian” then it’s at least very superficial. Like having a generic tribal African I guess. Then it’s just decorating your body with an “exotic” culture you know nothing about. I’m sure he cannot name one single Native American historic figure.
My husband’s family brought back from Brazil a bunch of tribal head pieces. They don’t know the name of the people they are traditional of. They are now decorating the house. I told my hubs how offensive and shallow that seemed to me and that it would not find it’s way in our house.
I see where you’re coming from. But is there anything about this kid that would suggest he’s admiring and trying to emulate those values? He’s living the life of just another rich brat craving fame on account of his celebrity parents. Even his dad’s charity work was mostly done for self promotion and some hilarious knightly ambition.
I literally just came to say the same thing. I’m native, as well, and there are certainly things which DO offend, but this is definitely not one of them! Cosign everything.
@aang: THIS. If this was a SPECIFIC PERSON he admired and had learned about, it would help. It reads a little like getting a ‘hot naked girl’ spray painted on your motorcycle.
I just pictured someone getting a huge back tat of Andrew Jackson with the words ‘MANIFEST DESTINY’ written beneath and I can’t stop laughing.
lol ‘MANIFEST DESTINY & GENOCIDE! WHO’S WITH ME?’
Agree! It would be better if it was done by someone Indigenous is the only criticism I’d make. Otherwise, it’s beautiful. I wish white people would stop telling us what to be offended by.
As a white person I am terrified to have an opinion on anything at all, ever because it will manage to offend someone and as a white person I finally have accepted that I must forfeit any right to opinions or appreciation of other cultures or races. :/
My cousin (very white, very Aussie) has a bunch of Native American memorabilia and artwork, plus I’m pretty sure he has a tattoo along these lines. He really does have a genuine appreciation for the culture though and tries to live by the tenets he’s read about. I’ve never thought he was appropriating, I’m glad someone who is Native American feels the same. I think a lot of people outside America come by it with the generic idea that NA culture represents nobility, wisdom etc. I would hope they’d also have an appreciation for the current hardships but I doubt a Beckham kid would ever be that deep.
So, I guess dumb doesn’t skip a generation.
it’s his arm and his choice. Regardless of your upbringing you really don’t have to consult the entire world on what type of tattoo you want to have on you. He wanted it…it’s his choice. Nice artwork
+1
Excellent work. I don’t how such small detail mantains over years, but damn that is good. And I don’t see anything wrong with marking yourself with a tattoo that represents a culture you might respect and have admiration for. We have no idea how much he knows about Native American culture. And if he knows little, maybe this will inspire him to know more.
Intent. Quit ignoring it.
He’s kind of creepy in that first photo. Love the coat though. It would probably look better if it actually fit.
This is why teenagers shouldn’t frigging get tattoos.
Out of all the things he could have tattooed, why a Native American man?
This kid is so bland, not particularly attractive & hasn’t done anything remotely interesting.
I wish paying attention to celebrity children wasn’t a “thing”.
Regardless of where one stands on the issue, he did invite critiques when he posted on Instagram. I assume other celebrities have controversial tattoos on their bodies, but I don’t know about them because they didn’t ask for commentary on Instagram. His dad probably has something inked on his body I don’t like, but I probably don’t know about it.
I’m Creek and it’s a good looking tattoo. No offense here
I mean honestly, as someone who is Native American, it gets old seeing so many people think of us as novelties and as an aesthetic. That being said at least his tattoo looks like a Native American man, the majority of the times people get “Indian” tattoos they use a Caucasian phenotype rather than a Native one. Countless times I’ve seen what amounts to the face of a white girl in a headdress and war paint tattooed onto the body of a white person as a “Native American”. At least they got the phenotype right this time, so there’s that and I’m 90% less annoyed.
Do they not teach these posh kids that the English were, by and large, the ones responsible for colonizing North America and thus the near eradication of Indigenous peoples? You know, ‘the sun never sets on the British Empire!’
Not only is he using a symbol he has no right to (you think he has a deep appreciation for Indigenous ways of knowing, or even a single Indigenous friend?), he is recalling his own country’s propensity for violence towards those same people. Physical violence then, and ongoing cultural violence now.
I liked him. He’s now on the shit list.
Will crass cultural appropriation never end?? I was visiting the National Museum of the American Indian again last weekend when I was in DC. The rich cultural history is, of course, amazing. And probably most helpful for many is the “Nation to Nation: Treaties Between the United States and American Indian Nations” exhibit. The information that explains what is so wrong with this tattoo choice is everywhere–starting at this museum and of course online and in just about every U.S. history book you pick up.
http://nmai.si.edu/
I have a tramp stamp and a Chinese symbol that I got in the early 2000s. I find my tattoos far more offensive than his.
Yeah, was jsut thinking the same about my chinese symbol tatoo 😉 I admire that your self-critical attitude here!
The whole family is on par with the Kardashians. About three IQ points between the lot of them.
I think it’s an beautifully detailed tattoo. If it has personal meaning to him, great. If not, who cares?
if they were part native american that would be fine like I’m part Native American from my fathers maternal grandmother though we don’t know what tribe
This one I don’t understand as appropriating another culture really… He isn’t wearing traditional clothing to be cool or belittling a whole culture in a hairstyle… It isn’t a white man wearing a headdress in the tattoo…
It’s moronic, sure, but I don’t see the ‘appropriation’ aspect.
People (not me, lol) consider tattoos works of art. Could I put indigenous artwork on display in my home? What about a beautiful photograph that someone has taken? Would that be cultural appropriation? I don’t believe so. Should the tattoo have been done by a native person? Perhaps? But that style of image is hardly representative of the artwork styles of indigenous tribes… so it would be a false equivalency. If you did a tattoo of Australian aboriginal art (dot painting style) and that was done by a white person, yeah sure. I get that being not okay I suppose…
Blahhh… I find tattoos awful – I’d rather not have to look at anyone’s tattoos ever.
If I have an inspiring person that I want to add to my tats (14 so far), I don’t care if this person is African, American, Canadian, Middle Eastern, etc. Being offended by someone celebrating the beauty of another is evil.