BECKHAM just dropped on Netflix, and prepare to meet David Beckham as you've never seen him before. The four-part documentary gives us an exclusive look at the life and career one of the world's most famous footballers. But, it's one moment in the series that puts his wife Victoria Beckham in the spotlight that has really got fans talking.
During a confessional interview, which sees Victoria chatting directly to camera, the singer says she grew up "very working class", to which David comes in and interrupts her. "Be honest," he says. "What car did your dad drive you to school in?"
Victoria coyly replies, "In the eighties, my dad had a Rolls Royce." David then thanks her for being candid and closes the door. The moment has sparked much conversation on social media around celebrities moonlighting as working class, as well as discussion around how society defines what being from a lower income household actually looks like.
"Victoria Beckham trying to pass herself off as working class, when her dad had a Rolls Royce… not even a Mercedes or a BMW… a whole Rolls Royce," wrote one viewer on X (formerly known as Twitter), while another shared, "Victoria Beckham cosplaying as working class is genuinely hilarious."
She isn't the only famous figure to claim humble beginnings, with singers like Lily Allen (whose father is reportedly worth $10 million) setting the tone, and the endless list of rich people who appear obsessed with presenting as 'self-made', forgetting to mention the private educations or parental connections they've benefitted from along the way.
Even brands like Burberry have come under fire for portraying so-called working class aesthetics, recently taking over a greasy spoon café in London to launch their London Fashion Week campaign.
So, why is this so common? Author Bolu Babalola puts it down to celebrities like Victoria genuinely believing they came from a lower class background, with society's definition of different classes not allowing for nuance when it comes to having money versus your position in the community.
"Victoria Beckham really exemplifies a specific kind of British new money rich," she wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). "The type where they went to grammar school and drive a Range [Rover] and their dad owns a construction business, [but because] of classism they don't quite fit into the traditional middle-upper set.
"However, they very much are rich. But [because] British classism is so coded and it isn't necessarily related to material wealth but community and societal circle and lineage, they don't count themselves as ‘RICH rich’ or ‘one of them'," she continued.
Also, there seems to be a misconception that being 'self-made' and subscribing to 'hustle culture' is synonymous with having a working class background, as if celebrities use the suggestion of a low-income background to add to their business acumen.
Then, there's the potential shame that wealthy people might feel about their privilege, fictitiously claiming humble backgrounds as a way of working through guilt. Plus, those from more affluent backgrounds might claim to be working class in order to appear more relatable to their audiences, and gain respect and credibility for coming from humble beginnings.
It's an interesting nuance and one that can't be summarised easily; with many different factors of earnings, background and generational wealth (where assets are passed down from generations before them) coming into play, as well as nepotism or helping hands.
Of course, class is complex, and those who don’t necessarily come from a long line of wealth might be more likely to feel that they’re working class, even though their current financial situation and lifestyle says very differently. But, in the current cost of living crisis where the actual working class are struggling the most of all, it can understandably feel frustrating for those with net worths in the millions to vaguely suggest they understand.
