Not really. She seems like the insecure "type."

Is this a tabloid now?

No, it doesn't surprise me.

well Becks did cheat on her w. the nanny, and she stayed in the marriage, so maybe she thinks she's not good enough?

It doesn't surprise me. I think when you're labeled as being attractive, it becomes such a large part of your identity that staying attractive becomes a constant battle.

How are her thighs so skinny if she runs 8 miles per day?!?

@ chloe bella

The idea that running increasing thigh size is (for the most part) a myth. In fact, the opposite tends to be true for distance runners and I'd say there's a good chance that the 50 miles/week routine is probably what keeps her so lean.

It's really only short-distance sprinters who have to bulk up. Take a look at female Olympic sprinters and compare them with female elite marathon runners. You'll immediately see what I mean. Actually, the same applies for men too.

Just to add on top of that... from looking at he build (very small and light)r, it wouldn't surprise me if she were a faster than an 8 (or even 7) min/mile runner.

She's 35 years old? Sorry, she looks older than that.

Gwen Stefani is 40 years old. I guess Gwen aged better.

ekstor- I have to disagree. I used to run about 15 miles per week and had Kate Moss-esque toothpick legs. I just completed my first marathon, peaking at about 50 miles per week, and my thighs are much, much more muscular. I had even had to buy new pants for work. All my skinny friends who have run half or full marathons have had the same thing happen. I do think the opposite is true when bigger girls start running a lot. If you have a lot of fat on your thighs, running will almost certainly make them smaller. But if you're very lean to begin with, gaining muscle is going to make them noticeably bulkier.

THIS is what's considered a "healthy" body these days? This is what women are expected to look like these day?

Yeah, sorry, but no. Especially that picture on the right--that's horrifying.

Not very surprised...

I experienecd teh same thing as chloe (well, I never had Moss-esqe legs ). When I started cycling my legs and thighs really bulked up. I don't mind, though -- would rather be able to say I'm an IRONMAN than have skinny legs

@ runningesq

My reference was only to running... cycling does indeed bulk up the thighs...

@ chloe

I was careful to say "for the most part" in my original post. There are exceptions... but the norm is that distance running results in leaner legs. That was certainly my experience (I ran about 5 half-marathons in less than a year after never running more than 3 miles in a given run my entire life)... and in looking at traditional distance runners, I don't think you have to look long to see that you're the exception... not the norm... look at Paula Radcliffe, Deena Kastor, Karen Goucher... just about any marathoner.

@ 10

You're judging healthy by appearance... if she's able to run 8 miles/day, indeed I'd venture to state that she's pretty darn fit.

I still disagree, ekstor. Paulra, Deena, KARA... THEY are the exception. they are profesional athletes.

When I started running my legs bulked up -- this is before I was cycling at all. I've trained for and run 4 marathons - again, before I started triathlons - and my legs got thicker. I know several women who experienced teh same thing.

and running 8 mi/ day does = health, esp. if one isn't eating enough to fuel those workouts.

Ekstor - I don't know what photos you're looking at, but Paula and Kara actually have very developed leg muscles: http://www.iaaf.org/mm/photo/competitions/other/41925_w400xh600.jpg

My thighs now, at their bulkiest, are still smaller than Kara Goucher or Paula Radcliffe's. My point was that prior to running a marathon, I had the exact same body type as Victoria Beckham (I was 5'8 and 115 lbs), and running made me bulk up, so I was curious as to how she still looks basically the same while running the same weekly mileage as me. Thus, my point is confined to women who were very lean prior to taking up distance running. I agree with you that most women would probably notice their legs getting smaller, as the average American woman is now around a size 12 and thus toting a good amount of extra fat. If someone didn't have thin legs to begin with, the loss of fat would offset the increase in muscle.

runningesq - I agree, I've learned to embrace my muscular legs as well Also, I agree that she's probably healthy if she's able to run 8 miles per day. If she were starving herself, there's no way should would have the stamina to run 48 miles per week. I mean, you could probably crank out a 5k without adequate nutrition, but 8 miles is a good workout!

I'm not that surprised. I think it's hard to be 100% confident all the time, and the added pressure of being in the public would make anyone (at least a little) unsure of themselves.

Not surprised -- with a husband that famous, that hot, and tons of women oogling him, I would be too.

1) Please talk about your thigh circumferences elsewhere. 2) No, I'm not surprised a woman like Posh is insecure. She lives under a microscope, and is constantly both criticized and praised for her appearance. All of this emphasis on looks and pressure to be "perfect" can make any person, even someone who appears to have it all, feel insecure.

petites mains - sorry! I thought I was just making an offhand comment about Posh's 8 mi/day running (which WAS mentioned in the post and therefore not totally off-topic) and didn't intend for it to hijack the entire comments section

whatever, chloe -- don't apologize. talking about running and talking about thigh size aren't off topic in this thraed.

I'm not surprised by her insecurities at all. She's basically judged solely on her appearance, so any physical imperfection is going to get her noticed in a bad way. I'm sure she runs plenty, but even if she runs a lot, she won't get big thighs unless she eats more. If you don't get enough protein, you can't replace muscle as efficiently.

Sorry chloe bella, that came off way more aggressive than I intended!

Ekstor: "You're judging healthy by appearance"

But it's perfectly okay to assume a larger person is unhealthy based solely on appearance. Gotcha.