Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of mental illness.

Brooke Shields (b. 1965) began her public career at the age of 11 months when she appeared in her first advertisement. She became a child model and actress who appeared in numerous commercials and several films, including Pretty Baby, where she played a child sex worker and appeared nude at the age of 11. Her film career continued into her teen years, during which time she starred in films like Blue Lagoon (1980) and Endless Love (1981). She was also a model for Calvin Klein jeans, helping to launch the designer brand. Shields was renowned for her good looks and was deemed the face of the 1980s by Time magazine.

Shields’s parents divorced when she was a baby. Her mother was her primary caregiver and managed her modeling and acting career. Shields describes her relationship with her mother as close and dependent. She admits to being unable to function without her mother, not even knowing if she liked certain foods without her mother telling her. Her mother’s persona overshadowed her own, leaving Shields lacking independence. With age, however, Shields has reclaimed her freedom and counters stereotypes that say that middle age is a time of decline for women.