Publications
His parents are no strangers to the world of high fashion and modelling. So it was only a matter of time before Victoria and David Beckham’s baby boy, Cruz, did his first cover shoot.
But his assignment for i-D Magazine, which hit the shelves just as the teen celebrated his 17th birthday, had many people aghast.
The shoot, which was done while Cruz was still 16, sees the teen sporting a hot pink buzzcut and sitting in his underwear with his hand over his crotch and his jeans pulled down around his ankles.
The magazine, which features images of Cruz recreating the famous shoot his father did for Arena Homme + magazine in 2000, has been slammed for sexually objectifying a minor.
"Cruz Beckham half-naked on the cover of a magazine at 17 is such a double standard. Imagine the outrage if it was a 17 year old girl," wrote one horrified Twitter user.
"Why is it socially acceptable for Cruz to be taking photos in his underwear/ grabbing his crotch/ clearly showing he has tattoos. He was 16 when the photos were taken?! And why is Victoria hyping him? He’s a child," another remarked.
Another Twitter user was even more blunt: "It's disgusting," they wrote.
But his parents clearly didn't have any problems with the suggestive shoot.
“Big first day as a 17-year-old!” his mother wrote on Instagram. “So proud.”
“So cool @cruzbeckham for i_d. Such a proud dad,” David posted in support of his son’s feature in the publication, which focuses on fashion, music, art and youth pop culture.
For the photoshoot with renowned American photographer Steven Klein, who photographed his dad two decades earlier, Cruz wore designer items from Nike, Balenciaga and boxers from luxury British brand Sunspel.
He isn't the only one of the Beckham kids with modelling aspirations. His brothers, Brooklyn (22) and Romeo (19), have also appeared in campaigns for Burberry and Yves Saint Laurent.
“It was one of my first ever shoots – a proper shoot,” Cruz told i-D. “Every holiday we go on, my mom takes hundreds of pictures,” he added. “It’s really annoying… but I think it’s taught me quite a lot!”
While he channelled a super-modern version of his dad in the mag, the teen seems to have his heart set on following in his mother’s footsteps as he's working on launching his music career.
“I thought I'd want to do football and I did that for a bit,” he explains. “At that point, I just decided this is exactly what I want to do.”
He’s been working with music producers like Poo Bear in the US, who was behind massive hits from both Usher and Justin Bieber.
“We’ve just been in the studio a few times and made some songs together,” Cruz says, adding that the music details “personal experiences, real experiences.”
He also revealed that he's learnt to play the piano, drums, and guitar, adding: “I even learnt how to play the mandolin for a song I wrote.”
Over the weekend the Beckhams celebrated Cruz’s birthday with a birthday cake decorated with pictures of pop star Billie Eilish, whom the teen idolises.
“Dear Cruz, we love you so much. Happy birthday from Mum, Dad, Brooklyn, Romeo and Harper xxx,” their message on the cake read.
SOURCES: I-D.VICE.COM; MARIECLAIRE.CO.UK; PEOPLE.COM; DAILYMAIL.CO.UK;
