Brooke Shields is no longer bowing to “shame” when it comes to women’s health. The actress and model, 59, reveals in her new memoir, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old, that she received a nonconsensual “bonus” procedure from her surgeon while undergoing a labia reduction surgery in her 40s.
After years of discomfort, chafing and bleeding due to the length of her labia, Shields recalls going under the knife in an Us Weekly preview of her memoir, out Jan. 14. While she initially thought surgery went as planned, during a post-operative checkup with her surgeon, Shields said she learned her surgeon had also performed a vaginal rejuvenation procedure without her consent.
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“He informed me that he threw in a little bonus,” Shields told the outlet. “It felt like such an invasion — such a bizarre, like, rape of some kind.” The Suddenly Susan star was “dumbfounded” by her surgeon’s revelation, noting that he “legitimately proudly explained to me that he, you know, threw in a little twofer.”
“Nothing pointed toward this need to be tighter or smaller or firmer or younger, especially there,” Shields said, pointing out that her gynecologist was also upset.
Shields writes in her brook, “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.” The star, who shares daughters Rowan, 21, and Grier, 18, with husband Chris Henchy, continued, “Shame is no longer an option.”
The Golden Globe-nominated actress continued to Us Weekly that she didn’t tell Henchy what had happened “for the longest time,” as she felt both “shame” and “anger” at what had been done to her. She also decided not to take any legal action against the surgeon, explaining, “I thought, I don’t want anybody else telling me what I have to do.”
Shields aims to change the narrative about aging as a woman in Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old. “With remarkable candor, Brooke bares all, painting a vibrant and optimistic picture of being a woman in the prime of her life, while dismantling the myths that have, for too long, dimmed that perception,” according to her publisher. “Sharing her own life experiences with humor and humility, and weaving together research and reporting, Brooke takes aim at the systemic factors that contribute to age-related bias.”
