Brooke Shields is one of the most iconic actresses of her generation and is widely regarded as a major beauty by her fans. However, she has recently opened up about some of the unfair criticism she has faced throughout her life.
Keep reading to learn more about what the actress went through…
Brooke Shields is one of the world’s most successful supermodels, having built a career on both the runway and on screen thanks to her talent and striking looks.
The 57-year-old beauty icon, however, has also faced her share of critics who attempted to diminish her success. Now, she is speaking about her relationship with her mother, Teri, who also served as her manager since Shields was a child.
Her mother was also her first critic. The actress recalls, “My mother would get drunk and say: ‘Why don’t you move your fat ass?’ So, I’ve always believed I had a fat ass.” She experienced body-shaming from her own mother, which deeply affected how she saw herself.
In 2012, her mother passed away after a lifelong struggle with alcoholism. But her words left a lasting impact that was difficult to overcome, and it took years for Shields to heal from that damage.
Eventually, it was her husband of 17 years, screenwriter Chris Henchy, who helped her embrace her body and recognize her own beauty.
She shared, “I would walk backwards out of rooms, and he’d say: ‘No, I want to grab onto you,’” Shields said. “He really celebrated my womanliness and my body. And I needed a man to celebrate me.”
She was previously married to Andre Agassi from 1997 to 1999. Shields began her Hollywood career as a teenage actress, but it was her iconic Calvin Klein jeans campaign, shot by Richard Avedon in 1980, that cemented her status as a global icon.
Although she was widely considered beautiful, she says criticism was always present. She explained, “I modeled swimwear when I was 15, and even then I didn’t think I had a swimsuit body.” She added, “I was a cover girl, not a supermodel. I was ‘neck up’ — the face, the eyebrows — and I was always described as ‘athletic,’ ‘not rail-thin,’ ‘not a runway model.’ Those messages, they seep into your consciousness.”
A few years ago, she returned to a swimsuit campaign with Calvin Klein and dedicated herself to being in top shape.
“I knew that if I didn’t look my best, I’d be embarrassed and mad at myself. I stopped drinking beer and wine, and I worked out three times a week. I was the best version of myself,” she said, adding, “I was also hungry.”
It is surprising that even someone as admired as Brooke Shields struggled with insecurity. While the world saw her as beautiful, her mother and others often made her feel otherwise. It is heartening that her husband helped change that perspective and reminded her of her beauty, allowing her to accept herself.
Recently, the actress also opened up about a sexual assault she experienced more than 30 years ago. In an interview with People, Shields revealed she was assaulted by a Hollywood executive shortly after graduating from Princeton University.
At the time, she blamed herself, but over the years she has processed the experience differently. “I’m more angry now than I was able to be then. If you’re afraid, you’re rightfully so. They are scary situations. They don’t have to be violent to be scary.”
This is the first time the actress has publicly shared this experience, explaining that “people weren’t believing those stories back then. I thought I would never work again.”
Her story, like many in Hollywood, is explored further in the upcoming documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields. “Doing the documentary, you see it all together, and it’s a miracle that I survived,” she said.
After graduating from Princeton University, Shields reached what she described as the “lowest point” of her career. She met an unnamed Hollywood executive for dinner, believing he would offer her work, but he later invited her to his hotel room.
He convinced her to go under the pretense of calling a cab, but once there, she says she was sexually assaulted.
“I didn’t fight,” she said. “I just froze.” Shields also expressed guilt at the time, saying, “I kept saying, ‘I shouldn’t have done that. Why did I go up with him? I shouldn’t have had that drink at dinner.’”
At the time, she confided only in one person, her close friend and former security consultant Gavin de Becker. Today, she says she is ready to share her story “with the hopes of helping people not feel alone.”
“Everybody processes their own trauma on a different timeline. I want to be an advocate for women to be able to speak their truth.”
Share this article so others can learn more about Brooke Shields. She has been through so much and continues to thrive in her career despite the challenges she has faced. We send her our best wishes.
