Will David Beckham's appearance on Elle's cover boost or reduce sales?

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David Beckham is the first man to ever grace the cover of Elle magazine. In fact he is the first man to ever make a solo appearance on the cover of any glossy women's magazine. Elle's editor is convinced plenty of women will still buy the magazine even though it does not have its usual female star on the cover, if only to see the shirtless photos of Beckham inside. Is Elle's editor right in thinking Beckham has such an appeal with women? I can't help feeling that Beckham's global stardom is a lot to do with clever PR and media hype and as a result this makes him quite unattractive despite his chiselled features. I remember him when he first started out as a player at Manchester United and he was incredibly unsure of himself and came across as a little bit vacuous. Should we celebrate how far he has come or should we be giving his marketing team a pat on the back instead?