Brooklyn Beckham: Sexualized Response To 15-Year-Old’s Modeling Debut Causes Controversy

Brooklyn Beckham stirred controversy in his modeling debut, with the 15-year-old son of David and Victoria Beckham prompting an inappropriate and often sexualized response from much-older women.

The young Beckham followed in dad’s footsteps into modeling, appearing in March on the cover of Man About Town magazine. He was seen in several photographs inside, and while the pictures themselves weren’t particularly racy, the response certainly was.

Many women took to Twitter to comment on Brooklyn Beckham, posting sexualized messages despite the fact that he is still just a teen. The phrase “Brooklyn Beckham can father my children” even became a trending term among the comments.

Some advocates took notice. Phil Mitchell, coordinator of the BLAST Project, an organization that bring attention to the sexual exploitation of young boys, called out the commenters. Mitchell asked whether people would have found the same comments acceptable if they were made to a 16-year-old girl.

The controversy marred what was otherwise a highly touted debut for Brooklyn Beckham. He earned good marks from the modeling world, following his dad and 11-year-old brother Romeo who have both done modeling before.

His parents seemed undeterred by the controversial response.

“David and Victoria are immensely proud of all their children, and they never push them into anything even though the boys get lots of offers,” a source told the MailOnline. “Brooklyn is focused on school and soccer, but of course he was so excited to get his first magazine cover shoot as he’s interested in photography like his dad.”

The magazine itself praised Brooklyn in his debut.

“We are thrilled to feature Brooklyn Beckham in a world exclusive on the cover of the Spring/Summer 2014 issue of Man About Town,” noted Man About Town Editor-in-Chief Ben Reardon. “Brooklyn’s first published editorial is a 20-page fashion story celebrating teenage style, which shows a warm and honest insight into the moment men begin to express themselves through clothes.”

Despite the controversy, it seems Brooklyn Beckham has a bright modeling future ahead of him.