'Do I think of myself as beautiful? Absolutely not' - Victoria Beckham smiles at her 'imperfections'

Victoria Beckham once revealed she smiles at her "imperfections and flaws" after taking a "long, long time" to fully accept herself.

Feeling comfortable in your own skin is something that we all strive for, but the journey to self-acceptance can sometimes be more challenging than we might imagine. There’s so much pressure to conform to society’s beauty standards and anti-ageing rhetoric seems to be everywhere we go. Reaching a point where the unrealistic expectations of perfection no longer stand is the dream and Victoria Beckham previously revealed that getting older has helped her to be accepting of who she is and what she looks like.

Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar back in 2020, the fashion designer and former Spice Girl rejected the idea that she considers herself "beautiful". Instead spoke of how she smiles at what she perceives as her "imperfections" and is proud of what they represent.

"Do I think of myself as beautiful?" Victoria wondered. "No, absolutely not. But I make the best of what I have. I see my imperfections and flaws and I smile: it’s who I am and I’m not going to try to change that. It’s taken me a long, long time to recognise that by 45 years old, actually I’m all right. I work hard, I look OK, I’ve got four children that I’m incredibly proud of, a wonderful husband and I feel content."

During her interview she compared how she feels now she’s older to how she used to be and Victoria credited the passing of time as the reason she’s so confident to just be herself.

The fashion icon declared, "When you’re growing up, you obsess over the silliest of things, but when you get older, you learn how to be comfortable in your own skin."

She is now just a few months away from celebrating her 51st birthday and we suspect that these incredibly candid reflections have continued to stick with her over the past few years. They certainly seemed to still be important to her as she turned 50 last year as Victoria told The Times that ageing just "is what it is" and she harboured no reservations about her milestone birthday.

"I’m excited about the future," she said, revealing that she was planning to celebrate her 50th with a “family dinner” and that she’d once received a very valuable piece of advice from fellow designer Marc Jacobs.

Victoria explained, "The thing with ageing is that it is what it is. I always remember Marc Jacobs saying to me when he turned 60 that it was better than the alternative of not turning 60. It’s good advice! But generally I feel good about things. I have better opportunities now than I did when I was younger."

Having made the move from Spice Girls sensation to designer extraordinaire, Victoria has proved her skillset beyond doubt. However, she isn’t prepared to rest on any laurels and was excited to push beyond the fears she feels women also sometimes feel at a “certain age” when it comes to their personal style.

"I still think it’s important to evolve and try new things. I don’t ever want to be that person that is in a rut," she shared. "Because I think women probably get to a certain age where they’re scared, and I think it is important to change it up, whether it’s, you know, a different shoulder on a tailored jacket - you know, maybe more of a boxy shape as opposed to more fitted”.