Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors
Brooke Shields just revealed a shocking and rather unsettling detail with her fans in her new memoir.
In the book, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman, the actress revealed a deeply personal and unsettling experience that highlights the unfortunate reality many women often face when it comes to healthcare.
Shields, now 59, opened up about a traumatic procedure performed without her consent that occurred during her 40s to Us Weekly in an article that was published on Wednesday, January 8. The Blue Lagoon actress revealed that while undergoing treatment for a longstanding issue with her labia, she was shocked to learn that a plastic surgeon had performed an additional procedure she hadn't agreed to while she was under the knife.
Shields shared that during a visit to her gynecologist, she discussed her ongoing discomfort with her labia, including bleeding and chafing. She claims the doctor suggested a surgical reduction, which Shields reluctantly agreed to. However, what followed was something far beyond what she had anticipated.
After the surgery, she was allegedly informed by the plastic surgeon that he had gone ahead and performed a vaginal rejuvenation procedure, or tightening, without her consent. "It felt like such an invasion—such a bizarre, like, rape of some kind," Shields recalled to the outlet. The actress was stunned, and both she and her gynecologist were furious when they discovered what had occurred. "Nothing pointed toward this need to be tighter or smaller or firmer or younger, especially there," Shields said.
Shields' memoir is set to be released on January 14, 2024. In it, she reflects on her life in the public eye and the challenges women face as they age. The book also explores the pressures of beauty standards, the complexities of womanhood, and the emotional toll of living in a society that often forces women to fit into a narrow, unrealistic mold.