Cruz Beckham celebrated his 17th birthday in style by appearing on his first magazine cover, but the internet appears divided over the reaction of his parents.
Both David and Victoria Beckham championed their son by sharing images of his i-D magazine photo shoot on Instagram,
but some Twitter users have called the images “weird” and “disturbingly inappropriate.”
Many people have also pointed out an age discrepancy since the photos must have been taken while he was still only 16-years-old.
The various images, which were taken by American photographer Steven Klein, show Cruz topless with dyed pink hair, jewelry and an array of extravagant clothing choices.
The images were inspired by pictures taken of David Beckham when he was a young soccer star.
Within i-D’s “Out of Body” issue, the accompanying interview features Cruz discussing “coming of age” and his music career.
David shared the pictures of his son on his Instagram account as he claimed he’s “such a proud dad” while Victoria wrote “Big first day as a 17-year-old!” Older brothers Brooklyn and Romeo also showed their support for Cruz by sharing the images on their Instagram stories.
While some comments show support for the family and the style of the images, other people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the magazine cover.
On Twitter, @Llexxbee wrote, “Why is it socially acceptable for Cruz Beckham to be taking photos In his underwear/grabbing his crotch/clearly showing he has tattoos under age when he was 16 when the photos were taken?!😬 and why is Victoria hyping them? He’s a child.”
Others echoed the sentiment, with @bjewl_ calling the shoot “disturbingly inappropriate,” while @_JessicaDavies questioned what the reaction would have been if they had been pictures of a 16-year-old girl posing in her underwear.
Ignoring the appropriateness for a second, @jaymesblond pointed out that Cruz’s family connections are helping his career, writing “the beckham’s are one of my favorite categories of nepotism.”
Cruz is seemingly paying tribute to his family, as @felipemnzp points out by sharing images of David’s 2000 photo shoot with Arena Homme+ alongside Cruz’s recent photos.
Cruz is seemingly paying tribute to his family, as @felipemnzp points out by sharing images of David’s 2000 photo shoot with Arena Homme+ alongside Cruz’s recent photos.
Cruz is the third child of four in the Beckham family. David and Victoria have shared many clips on their social media accounts of him singing before, and he even released a Christmas single at the age of 11 in 2016 called “If Every Day was Christmas.”
