A Beckham (Hair) Squawkback

A look back at the Beckhams circa 2003

A Beckham Squawkback (Photos: Shutterstock)

Dear Squawkers,

The Beckham docuseries dropped last week on Netflix, and as I wrote in my post about this at LaineyGossip.com, it’s the latest in a series of triumphs for David and Victoria, not just this year but over the years. Because, as we know, there are some people, especially the British tabloids, who seem invested in the downfall of this couple. And, somehow, they’ve prevailed. Which can’t be going over well with the British papers, considering that the documentary is a hit and has resulted in over five hundred thousand new followers for David on social media.

(Admin note - this is a LOOONG post and may be truncated in your email. If it is, check it out on The Squawk site or click on "View entire message" and you should able to view the entire post in your email app.)

So a smart move for them, once again, because there’s a whole new generation out there discovering the Beckham story for the first time. I know for most of us, the Beckhams are gossip staples, but that’s not the case for the younger gossips. And now, almost 30 years in, the Beckhams are still finding new fans who are seeing their classic outfits for the first time, just realising that Taylor Swift isn’t the first popstar to have caused a frenzy by dating a football player, just coming into an obsession that for some of us have been three decades in the making: Posh and Golden Balls. 

Sometimes, like with a book or a movie that I’ve already seen or read, when I observe others meeting it for the first time, I wish I could experience it fresh, too, and relive the thrill. With gossip, though, I never feel this way. I prefer when a celebrity or a couple makes another climb to have the historical context – because the story is richer that way. You can only appreciate the Beckhams now, with this victory lap, in their full gossip glory if you were there when all that shit unfolded. Not that I’m trying to make this about how youth is wasted on the young and it’s better to be old, and how they’re kids, they just don’t know. All I’m saying is that those were wild times back then. So that’s what we’re revisiting today. The Beckhams 20 years ago in 2003 because so much of the spotlight on them, since the release of the docuseries, has been on those two years, 2003 and 2004, when it all could have fallen apart…but didn’t, because they willed themselves on, together.