Will she smile for the occasion? Victoria Beckham, erstwhile former Spice Girl turned international fashion superstar, turns 40 today. For anyone who remembers the first breathy incantation of "zig-a-zig-ah," this news might make your knees creak a little too loudly. It is also surprising, as Beckham—or Posh Spice as she was once known—was not the Spice Girl destined for global greatness from the get-go. To pop-watchers she was known as "the one who can't sing" (or doesn't sing). She pouted and she raised her fingers in a victory salute, but her function in the group seemed decorative at best. Geri Halliwell (Ginger) seemed the most driven; Mel B (Scary) lived up to her name by shouting and has had a variable TV career; Mel C (Sporty) emerged with the best voice, and her career has been quietly respectable; and Emma Bunton (Baby) turned up on Absolutely Fabulous and other TV shows.
Beckham's fame left the solely Spice orbit with her marriage to David Beckham, the extremely pretty and metrosexual English footballer—as famed for wearing sarongs as for his free kicks. The couple were pictured on their wedding day sitting on thrones. They occupied a mansion that became known as Beckingham Palace. They enjoyed their wealth and the tabloids would crow about how brash they were. Beckham became queen of a group labeled by the British tabloids as the WAGs (wives and girlfriends) of the footballing teams. A solo singing career went nowhere. She was the subject of a botched kidnapping attempt. She became extremely thin. She went blonde. She came back from blonde. Then she started designing clothes, which people were dismissive about at the beginning—surely this was another celebrity past-time, a cashing in on name. But no, the threads were good. The critics lauded her: The success of Beckham's fashion range has eclipsed her Spice Girls career, and erased that sniping about her non-singing. The couple moved into the celebrity stratosphere after they came to America for David to play for the LA Galaxy and they became friends with A-listers such as Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
Now the Beckhams are gently adored and respected: He models underpants to the delight of all sexualities and genders, she designs beautiful clothes. Their children are growing; the oldest, Brooklyn, is just beginning a modeling career himself. Somehow this family—rich, beautiful, jet-setting—also seems like a normal family, with dedicated, doting parents. She's still very thin, and she still doesn't smile much. But again, that's a purse-lipped masterstroke from someone who knows her brand. Happy Birthday, Posh!
Stephen Lovekin/Getty
Spice girl Victoria at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1997.
PA/AFP/Getty
Britain's Prince of Wales with the Spice Girls at the Royal Gala celebrating the Princes Trust 21st Anniversary in May 1997.
JOHN GILES
David and Victoria Beckham at The Prince's Trust benefit concert in London's Hyde Park in July 2000.
Reuters
David and Victoria Beckham, and son Brooklyn, joining in the championship winning celebrations after the FA Carling Premiership match against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. United won 3-1.
Clive Brunskill/Allsport, via Getty
David and Victoria Beckham attend The 2003 MTV Movie Awards; at the time David Beckham was the subject of rumors of an alleged affair.
Kevin Winter/Getty
Model Naomi Campbell, designer Stefano Gabbana, Victoria Beckham and designer Domenico Dolce arrive at the 2003 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala.
Evan Agostini/Getty
Victoria Beckham arrives for the reception following Sir Elton John and David Furnish's civil partnership ceremony in December 2005.
Chris Jackson
Victoria Beckham poses for photographers as she arrives for the awardings of the Bambi media prize 30 November 2006 in Stuttgart.
JOHANNES SIMON
Victoria Beckham arrives for an LA Galaxy news conference introducing her husband as the newest member of the MLS soccer league team in Carson, California, in 2007.
Getty
The Spice Girls perform during the Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood in 2007.
Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty
Victoria Beckham visits Macy's Herald Square to reveal the new Emporio Armani underwear campaign in May 2009.
Michael Loccisano
David and Victoria Beckham arrive at the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey in April 2011.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
Victoria Beckham performs with The Spice Girls during the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in August 2012.
Gary Hershorn/Reuters
David and Victoria Beckham pose on the red carpet with three of their children, (L-R) Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn as they arrive for the premiere of the Spice Girls musical "Viva Forever" in central London in December 2012.
Leon Neal/AFP/Getty
Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Anna Wintour and Victoria Beckham attend Bergdorf Goodman Celebrates Fashion's Night Out at Bergdorf Goodman in 2012 in New York City.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Victoria Beckham poses on the runway at the Victoria Beckham Spring 2013 presentation during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at New York Public Library in 2012.
Peter Michael Dills/Getty
