Victoria Beckham

Synopsis
After forming in 1993, each of the five members of the Spice Girls developed her own persona, with Victoria Beckham as "Posh Spice." They released their debut album, Spice, in 1996, and it sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. Beckham later explored her love of fashion, developing a line of jeans called VB Rocks in 2004. In 2007, Beckham went on a reunion tour with the Spice Girls.

 Aspiring Dancer

Victoria Adams was born on April 17, 1974 in Hertfordshire, England. Since achieving success as a pop singer in the 1990s, Beckham has become one of the most photographed women in the world. Tabloids seem to follow nearly every move that she and her husband, soccer star David Beckham make. Capitalizing on her broad exposure, Victoria Beckham has built her own brand, consisting of clothing, perfume, and sunglasses.

Raised in an affluent family, Beckham started studying ballet at a young age. She pursued her interest in dance at the Laine Arts Theatre College in Surrey when she was 17. After three years there, Beckham moved to London to try to make it as a dancer. Her lucky break came when she answered an ad seeking energetic and hard-working young women in 1993. Out of the 400 women who applied, Beckham was chosen to part of a new all-female pop music group.

Spice Girls

Created by manager Chris Herbert, the band that would become known as the Spice Girls started rehearsing together. The final line-up came together by mid-1993 and consisted of Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, and Beckham. The group wanted more creative control and soon broke off with Herbert. They later signed with manager Brian Fuller and got a contract with Virgin Records.

Each of the five members of the Spice Girls developed their own persona: Melanie Brown was known as "Scary Spice"; Melanie Chisholm was "Sporty Spice"; Geri Halliwell was "Ginger Spice"; Emma Bunton was "Baby Spice"; and Beckham was "Posh Spice." They released their debut album, Spice, in 1996 and reached the top of American charts with the catchy dance-pop song "Wannabe" the following year. The follow-up single, "Say You'll Be There," climbed as high as number three on the Billboard 200 chart. The album eventually sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

The group's "girl power" message attracted a substantial audience, especially young teenage girls. In 1997, they released the second album titled Spiceworld and starred in a film of the same name early the following year. While they scored a hit with the song "2 Become 1," Spice Girls failed to duplicate the success of their debut recording. The film featured cameos by such performers as Elvis Costello, Bob Geldof and Elton John, and had some success at the box office, netting close to $30 million.

After drifting apart in the late '90s to pursue other projects, the Spice Girls reunited for a series of concerts in 2007 and 2008. In June 2012, the group reunited again, this time to announce the creation of a new musical about the rise and fall of the Spice Girls. Viva Forever!, named after the group's 1998 No. 1 single, is slated to open in London by the end of 2012.

Marriage to David Beckham

Behind the scenes, Beckham's personal life was also thriving. She met soccer player David Beckham at a game in 1997, and the two soon became one of Britain's most popular couples, known in the tabloid as "Posh" and "Becks." They got engaged in 1998 and welcomed their first child together, son Brooklyn, in March 1999. That summer, the couple wed in a lavish ceremony at a castle in Ireland. Beckham invited television audiences inside her life with the reality special Victoria's Secrets, which aired on British television in 2000. She has been featured in several other reality programs since then.

Also in 2000, the Spice Girls released the album Forever, which was recorded without Halliwell who had left the group during an earlier tour. Beckham soon went solo, releasing a self-titled album in 2001. She also wrote her autobiography, Learning to Fly (2001), which became a best seller in Britain. Beckham gave birth to another son, Romeo, the following year.

All of Beckham's success has attracted its share of unwanted attention. In 2002, she and her family also made headlines when the authorities uncovered a plot to kidnap Beckham and hold her for ransom. The following year Beckham moved to Madrid, Spain. After 14 years with the Manchester United team, her husband had signed a lucrative deal to play for the Real Madrid team.

Stepping away from the music scene, Beckham explored her love of fashion. She developed a line of jeans called VB Rocks for the Rock & Republic brand in 2004. In 2006, Beckham shared her fashion wisdom in the book That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything in Between. One year later, Beckham launched her own line of sunglasses called dVb Eyewear and a line of jeans soon followed.

Expanding Empire

That same year, Beckham and her family (which now included third son Cruz born in 2005) moved to Los Angeles, California. David Beckham joined the American soccer team the LA Galaxy, and the arrival of the Beckhams created quite a media frenzy. They were soon seen with some of the city's top celebrities, including Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. She also befriended model and television personality Heidi Klum who also lived in their neighborhood. "Under all that glam and glitz is a really lovely person who is genuine, funny, sexy, and such a great mother," Klum said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar.

Also in 2007, Beckham returned to the pop music world for a reunion tour with the Spice Girls.This time around, the five singers brought their seven children on the road. "We're very strict moms, and that's what keeps the children happy. They have a routine even if they're with us on tour. Children thrive on routines," Beckham explained to Entertainment Weekly.

Her return to music was short-lived, despite having numerous sold-out shows. Beckham has said several times that her main focus is fashion. She expanded her clothing line in 2008, introducing a new line of dresses. "Everything that I design I would wear myself," Beckham once said. Her business empire also includes a line of fragrances.

In 2009, Beckham became the model for the Emporio Armani underwear line for women. Her husband had previously been featured in ads for their men's line. Beckham explained that she took the job because "when I'm 50, I can look back and say, 'Hey,

Mommy didn't look too bad after having three kids,' " Beckham told Time magazine.

Beckham maintains a light-hearted attitude about being the target of frequent tabloid news stories. "I've had so many ludicrous things written about me and my family and my friends that it's almost like a joke," she told Allure magazine. For right now, Beckham is focused on her work as a designer. "I'm so grateful to the fashion industry for accepting me and giving me a chance."