David Beckham doesn’t just score goals — he and his wife Victoria are relationship goals.
For many viewers of Beckham, Netflix‘s limited documentary series about the footballer, the most memorable scene wasn’t David calling out Victoria for referring to herself as “working class” or David getting a football cleat to the head, but rather the couple casually grooving to “Island in the Streams” by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. The married pair share a seemingly spontaneous dance to the tune in the kitchen toward the end of the doc.
Fans circulated the clip of the pair on TikTok with captions like “The Real Power Couple” and “This is my Roman Empire.” Others posted videos dancing to the audio from the scene overlaid with their reactions. TikTok user @caitlinann wrote, “I did not know one of my major life goals was to dance to this song in my countryside home with my future husband, but apparently it is now.” Another TikTokker, @siennakitchener, said, “pov: you just watched the Beckham docuseries & this scene has occupied your brain all day.”
Admiration for the sweet moment quickly morphed into a challenge for people, most of whom are women, to see if their partners measure up to the football star’s fancy footwork. The challenge, aptly called “The Beckham Test,” has TikTokkers dance along to “Island in the Streams” and record their partner’s reaction. To pass the test, the partner must join in on the dancing.
While the trend is light-hearted, it encourages users to compare their relationships to the curated, public image of the Beckhams and requires TikTokkers to surveil their partners in pursuit of internet clout.
In one video that garnered over 5.6 million views, @rebeccavieirax dances in the kitchen before her husband quickly “passes” and copies her dance moves. In another with 3.9 million views, @tess.shananhan puts her husband to the test by dancing alone in the living room, but fear not — he enters the frame and starts dancing alongside her.
Single people may be unable to participate in The Beckham Test, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t posting the audio, too. In one funny take on the trend, TikTokker @user3693184408 dances, adding the caption, “seeing if my bf will do the Beckham dance with me.” Then the camera pans and reveals she is entirely alone. Another video of two friends moving together to the beat reads, “My best friend and I still living with each other 25 years from now.”
Rather than passing a test of rhythm, maybe the next Beckham-inspired trend will involve passing a football.
Topics
Sex & Relationships
TikTok
