MONITOR: VICTORIA ADAMS

All the News of the World

Comment on Posh Spice's dramatic weight loss following the birth of her first child

The Express

AT SEVEN stone, Posh Spice is distraught that people should think she's anorexic, naming instead a number of photographs that make her look thinner than she really is. I've tried for years to buy a camera like that. (Crista Ackroyd)

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Daily Mail

HER JUTTING collarbone and stick-like legs are testament to the dramatic weight loss she has experienced since the birth of her son Brooklyn eight months ago. How can this skeletal look possibly set a healthy example to the millions of little girls who aspire to be her? It is a pity that the message sent to young girls is that a bit of fat is something to dread. It is even more of a pity that the message is being sent by a woman so many young girls adore. (Helen Weathers)

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The Guardian

THE PRESSURE women are under to be thin goes hand in hand with howls of condemnation when they - perhaps inevitably - start to look ill. It could be that Posh Spice is still breast-feeding, and that this, combined with Spice Girl antics and genetic accident, means she's using up more calories than she eats. That could be it. And whether or not Posh has an eating problem is ultimately her business. But her weight - or lack of it - is culturally important nonetheless. Whether we care or not, little girls do, and that's our responsibility. (Lucy Atkins)

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The Mirror

ANOREXIA IS not a joke, as anyone who has suffered from it or been close to someone who has knows too well. But it has become fashionable in some nasty circles to accuse any woman who is thin of having the disease. Would these same people be as happy to claim that someone has, say, cancer? We think not. Posh, in common with the other Spice Girls, has tried to make sure she has not abused her position as a role model. It is tragic that others do not support her in that.

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The Daily

Telegraph

AT 71/2 stone and 5ft 6in tall, Victoria is said to have lost about a stone from her pre-pregnancy weight and in spite of reports claiming that she is "very fit" and "feels great", photographs published over the past few days suggest a certain frailty. But concluding from this that Victoria must be either anorexic or bulimic is irresponsible. (Amanda Ursell)