Brooke Shields is embracing her body at 56 in a new unretouched denim campaign for Jordache’s Spring 2022 campaign, shot by famous photographer Cass Bird. The model, whose name became synonymous with denim more than 40 years ago with her iconic Calvin Klein ads, told PEOPLE that she can “appreciate” the “honor” now more than when she was 15.
“It’s such an honor to be my age and be represented. I feel the magnitude of it more,” she shared. “There’s a knowledge that comes with age, and this feels less like a job and more like a privilege.” Modeling for Jordache, Shields said she was very open about her stance on retouching and wanted to make sure that the photos were authentic to what she actually looks like. “It was important for you to see this is my 56-year-old body and to fight the retouching,” she continued. “I’m always like, ‘You better keep it honest.’ And we did.”
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Calling Jordache’s famous ad slog “You’ve got the look” an “iconic” one, Shields shared, “Everybody was like, ‘Well, I want the look. You’ve got it, so I want it.’ Jordache was very much a part of that barrier-breaking mentality.” The model continued, “They celebrate the idea of being sexy and bold and they’ve always featured strong, hard-working, ambitious women in their campaigns. It was never just about models. I’ve always appreciated that – it celebrates a different type of advertising and puts the focus on female strength.”
When it came time to go topless during the shirt, Shields credits Bird with keeping her comfortable. “I knew Cass would handle it well, and I also knew it wouldn’t be exploiting at all,” she assured. “There’s something about owning your sexuality at this age that is on point for where we are today. It’s not angry empowerment.”
Shields also made sure to work with her trainer Ngo Okafor ahead of the shoot to look her best. “We did 5 a.m. workouts, but I wasn’t drinking so it was easier to wake up in the morning,” she shared, adding, “I pushed it to the limit. My ego helped! I thought, ‘If you do these pictures and you are not happy with what you see, you’ll be hard on yourself.’”
