Anything Posh can do! Psychologist reveals why Nicola Peltz is 'mirroring' Victoria Beckham as she tries to 'assert that she has greater power, confidence and influence'

'You're just like your mother-in-law!' is hardly a phrase many women want thrown at them - and yet, for Nicola Peltz, it appears, whether on purpose or not, that's exactly the accolade she's achieving. The American actress, 31, and her husband Brooklyn Beckham, 27, took to Instagram over the weekend to share photos of their Halloween costumes, with Nicola slipping into a leather crop top and matching trousers for a Catwoman transformation. Her look reminded fans of the leather catsuit her mother-in-law Victoria Beckham, 52, wore in the Spice Girls' Say You'll Be There music video. Famously, the outfit was the first that caught husband David's eye. 'Say you’ll be there - part two!' commented one fan on Brooklyn's post whilst another mused that Brooklyn 'must be missing Posh Spice!' after he shared his wife's look, which was equally reminiscent of Victoria's infamous matching leather outfit with David at a 1999 Versace party. Nicola and Brooklyn have been estranged from his parents for over a year after he publicly cut ties in a January 2026 Instagram post - but his wife has frequently took inspiration from her fashion designer mother-in-law's looks.Phil Macleod, psychologist and founder of Thought Reader, told The Daily Mail: 'In life, the people who influence us most are not always the people we are closest to or indeed on the surface people we like the most.'Sometimes they are people in our lives that we have complicated relationships with - and we demonstrate control in many ways, the most fascinating is through something psychologists call mirroring, which is when we subconsciously reflect aspects of another person's life, behaviour, mannerisms or style.'The expert noted how Nicola's Posh-inspired wardrobe - and even her similar poses and dance moves to her mother-in-law - could be about 'asserting that you have the same or greater power, confidence and influence as the person you're reflecting'.Nicola Peltz donned a leather outfit for her Halloween Catwoman costume, with the look reminding fans of Victoria's leather catsuit in the Spice Girls' Say You'll Be There video Nicola's Halloween costume also sparked baffled comments from fans who questioned why she had decided to match with friend Damian Hurley rather than her husband Fans pointed out that Nicola and Damian's matching leather looks were reminiscent of Victoria and David's infamous coordinating outfits at a 1999 Versace partHe said of 'mirroring': 'We all do it to different degrees, usually without realising it. It’s not always about connection, sometimes it’s about belonging, competition or the desire to show real power dynamics.'The psychologist added: 'As it's well known Nicola and Victoria have had a public fallout, this apparent subconscious mirroring could fall into competitive modelling or implicit influence, where someone is influenced by another person and, in turn, makes similar choices without realising it or consciously linking those choices to that person.'The truth is, someone can influence another person and be a significant reference point even with a tricky family dynamic or relationship between those two people.'Or there could be a subconscious rivalry where Nicola is reflecting, in visual form, aspects of Victoria's public persona or exhibiting a very similar style or behaviour to her.''Only Nicola knows, and we can't read her mind, but as the comparisons have been well documented in the media, they are now on her radar, either through her own observations or through her many advisors.'So, if it started off as unconscious implicit influence, without her realising at first that she was doing it, she has now decided to retain the look and style,' argued the expert.He added: 'She could either be confident enough not to let the comparisons get to her and simply live above the noise. Or deep down, she could now be in competition mode with her mother-in-law, whether consciously or subconsciously.'But equally, Nicola may simply be confident enough in herself to carry on making her own choices, regardless of the comparisons or what anyone else thinks.As far back as 2024, Nicola paid homage to Victoria, stepping out in the same Dolce & Gabbana leather jacket, originally worn by the fashion designer in 2001 The former pop star has always loved a baseball cap - often with the Yankees logo - teemed with a casual black vest and lycra Nicola's casual attire also nodded to Victoria's trademark cap and vest lookVictoria Beckham pictured in 2000, pictured left. Pictured right: Nicola Peltz Beckham arrives for the premiere of the movie Lola at the Bruin Theatre, in Los Angeles, California on February 3, 2024 Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and Nicola Peltz Beckham attending the Messika Womenswear Spring/Summer 2027 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on October 01, 2026 David and Victoria Beckham at the NRJ Music Awards ceremony, Cannes, France in 2001'Mirroring isn’t always about wanting to become someone else, sometimes it's about asserting that you have the same or greater power, confidence and influence as the person you're reflecting.'As far back as 2024, Nicola paid homage to Victoria, stepping out in the same Dolce & Gabbana leather jacket, originally worn by the fashion designer in 2001. The motocross jacket worn by Victoria originally cost £965, however they are now being snapped up second hand for £7,800 on one pre-loved site.The jacket proved incredibly popular at the time with stars including Naomi Campbell, Madonna and Jennifer Saunders being spotted in it.Then earlier this year, Nicola channelled her estranged mother-in-law's signature pose while preparing for her role in indie drama Prima where she plays a ballerina.The actress shared a photo of herself kicking her leg in the air along with another where she didn't quite manage it.But the pose was noticeably similar to Victoria's famous leg kick she has done in photos many times over the years. Meanwhile, when she's not rocking a sharp suit, Victoria's casual attire often keeps to block colours, with simple accessories such as baseball caps. Nicola and Victoria pictured together before their estrangement The mother-of-four has been frequently seen through the decades in a Yankees cap, often teamed with lycra and a simple black vest.And sure enough, Nicola had also shown herself to be a fan of a vest and cap look, sharing a photo on Instagram showing her wearing just that, and holding the family's adorable white chihuahua during happier times.