When we think of David Beckham, we think of a tattooed, sinewy footballer who now appears in come-hither H&M underwear ads. That's apparently not how his daughter Harper sees him, though. Beckham appeared on Late Night With Jimmy Kimmel yesterday, and he told Kimmel quite the perplexing story about his three-year-old's body commentary.
"You're so fat," Jimmy Kimmel joked when Beckham first walked out. It seemed like an odd comment to make considering we just saw the nearly-naked former athlete in a new H&M shoot last week, and "lithe" and "svelte" are probably the best words to describe his body. Kimmel was just priming Beckham to tell his story about Harper, though. "You look terrible, retirement is ruining you," Kimmel said.
"Funny you say that," Beckham began, "My little girl turned 'round to me the other day. I'd just bathed her, and I was in the bath as well. I got her out, and I was toweling her down, and she said, 'Daddy, I love you so much, but I don't like you. You're so chubby.' I mean, I didn't think I was, but..."
"Maybe she doesn't know what the word chubby means," Kimmel responded.
"Well, maybe not. I hope not," Beckham said.
"Does chubby mean perfect over in England?" Kimmel joked.
"I would think so," Beckham replied, blushing.
The two then segued away from the Harper story, but it's worth examining. Why would Harper, upon seeing her father disrobed, think that the word chubby was the best way to describe him? More importantly, where did a three-year-old get the idea that someone being chubby is a reason not to like them?
Of course, this was just supposed to be a lighthearted tale that David Beckham shared on late-night television, but size discrimination is a very real problem in our country. Instilling in children a negative attitude toward heavier people will only ensure that it continues in the next generation. Sure, Harper is still a toddler, but it still makes you pause and wonder why she would decide to connect her dad's weight to whether she likes him.
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