Featured Image Credit: Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
Topics: Brooke Shields, Hollywood, Celebrity, Books, Film and TV, Health, US News
Liv Bridge
Topics: Brooke Shields, Hollywood, Celebrity, Books, Film and TV, Health, US News
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
Brooke Shields has spoken out about the horrific moment she was informed by her surgeon that he had performed additional surgery on her genitalia without her consent.
The Hollywood star has lived in the public eye before she could talk.
Shields, born in New York, became a child model at the age of 11 months before shooting to superstardom at age 12 for her role as a young prostitute in Louis Malle's 1978 film, Pretty Baby, which included nude scenes of her.
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The now 59-year-old hasn't shied away from discussing the trauma she endured as a rising star while under the brutal scrutiny of the press in an overtly exploitative and sexualised industry when she was just a child.
Shields opened up about her objectification in the 2023 Hulu documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, and touched upon another major traumatic event when she said she was raped by an important casting figure, who she has not identified, in her 20s.
Yet the star's personal boundaries continued to be invaded into adulthood, she has revealed in her new memoir, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman.
In her book and to Us Weekly, Shields said she endured an unwanted and unnecessary procedure while in her 40s as a surgeon 'tightened' her vagina without her consent while performing another surgery.
She said it started when her gynecologist had asked her whether her labia had caused her discomfort, which she said it had along with bleeding and chafing since she was a high school student.
The doctor advised her to book a surgical reduction, which she did with a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon.
Shield explained: "Of course, it’s not covered by insurance because it’s considered cosmetic, which is very interesting. The last time I did check, I did not want to be a porn star."
In her book, she wrote a caveat that it might be 'too graphic or simply TMI' but stressed her need to share it.
"I’d be lying if I said I’m not embarrassed to share this very intimate information.
"But, if we are to change the way we approach and talk about women’s health, then we need to bring up the uncomfortable but very real issues. Shame is no longer an option.”
It was during her post-op consultation that her surgeon 'proudly' announced he had thrown in 'a little bonus' - a vaginal rejuvenation which involves either tightening or reshaping of female genital tissues.
The actress told the magazine that it 'felt like such an invasion — such a bizarre, like, rape of some kind', and that she was 'dumbfounded' by the surgeon's admission.
She continued: "Nothing pointed toward this need to be tighter or smaller or firmer or younger, especially there."
Both Shields and her gynecologist were angry about the irreversible procedure being carried out without her permission but said she didn't want to talk about it, feeling 'shame' and 'anger'.
She didn't even tell her husband, Chris Henchy, for 'the longest time' but decided against taking any further action.
Shields' memoir hits shelves next Tuesday (January 14).