Brooke Shields is in the news again, this time for her new book. Shields’ new memoir, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old, will be hitting shelves on January 14th. The book reflects on aging and agency as a woman, especially for the ones who grew up in the public eye. Shields also discusses the importance of self-advocacy for women, especially in medical spaces.
In the memoir, Brooke Shields shared a horrifying incident she dealt with while having a labia surgery. The actress revealed that the surgeon performed a “little twofer”, to which she did not consent. She described the experience as “rape of some kind.”
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Shields revealed that since high school she grappled with discomfort, chafing, or bleeding due to having labial hypertrophy (having a large labia minora). Her gynecologist suggested that a labiaplasty (surgery to shorten the length of labia) could help her and she went ahead.
Brooke Shields explained to US Weekly that insurance did not cover the surgery as it was considered a cosmetic procedure. “Which is very interesting,” the model shared her surprise. Nevertheless, she went ahead with it but had experienced something more uncomfortable than her large labia.
The surgeon performed a vaginal rejuvenation without her consent. In her book, Brooke described it as the op “proudly” adding a “little bonus”. However, she also revealed that she was only informed about it when she visited the “wonderful” Beverly Hills surgeon for a post-op checkup.
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Vaginal rejuvenation (also known as vaginal tightening) is a procedure where the average diameter of the vagina is decreased, primarily for sexual reasons.
“The last time I did check, I didn’t want to be a porn star,” the Blue Lagoon star shared that she heard they did it for aesthetic purposes. She added that her gynecologist was equally enraged about it. “Nothing pointed toward this need to be tighter or smaller or firmer or younger, especially there,” she lamented.
Brooke was “dumbfounded” and felt like it was an “irreversible invasion.” She described the distressing experience as “bizarre…rape of some kind”.
Talking about it further, the actress revealed that she didn’t share this with her husband Chris Henchy for the longest time. Shields recalled feeling both shame and anger at that time. “I thought, I don’t want anybody else telling me what I have to do,” Brooke revealed why she decided not to take any legal action against the surgeon.
Despite the shocking experience being “too graphic or simply TMI”, she decided to talk about it in her memoir. “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,” the Endless Love actress penned.
Brooke Shields has been honestly sharing her traumatic past experiences. Previously, in her 2023 documentary, she shocked the world revealing that she was sexually assaulted by a Hollywood executive when she was in her 20s.
Apart from taking a stand for herself and all the women, the actress has been active in her career. In 2024, she starred in Mother of the Bride, a comedy-romance film also featuring Benjamin Bratt, Sean Teale, Chad Michael Murray, and more.