In Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Ageing as a Woman, her new memoir, Brooke Shields addresses the sexualization she experienced because of The Blue Lagoon and her mother’s alcoholism. The publication followed her broader project to support women in middle age, covering themes she began exploring in 2012 on social media.
During interviews about her book, the actress and Actors’ Equity Association president repeatedly noted that people still expected her to appear unchanged from her early career. “People wanted me to look like I did in Blue Lagoon, but I didn’t,” said Shields, according to a report by ABC News. She acknowledged that many saw aging as a disappointment, yet she rejected that idea. “By the time you got to 50, they completely wrote you off. You were out to pasture,” said Shields, according to CBS News. She preferred a renewed sense of self. “I felt like I was at the beginning of a new stage,” said Shields, according to CBS News. “The more confident you got—the more opportunity you got,” she added.
In the memoir, Shields details a surgery she underwent in the late 2000s after her gynecologist recommended vaginal labia reduction to relieve discomfort. After the operation, she received unexpected news from the doctor. “I also tightened you a bit. I gave you a little rejuvenation. After two children, everything is more relaxed,” said the doctor, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano. Shields felt upset and recalled feeling shocked. “I was in such shock that I just became numb. I didn’t even know what to do,” said Shields, according to CBS News. Asked what she said at the time, she replied, “I didn’t say it, I didn’t say a thing, because it sounded like he wanted me to thank him,” said Shields, according to CBS News. She revealed that the doctor performed a procedure without her consent, which she long hesitated to share publicly.
Shields also broke the taboo of acknowledging how many women felt shame about their intimate parts but lacked the courage to discuss it. “And there’s no shame around it. And the more we have those conversations with them, conversations that I never had, the more progress I think we will have as women,” said Shields, according to CBS News. She decided to speak out because she had daughters and wanted to support openness and empowerment for younger generations.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.