Brooke Shields is shedding light on a deeply personal and troubling experience in her upcoming memoir, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman, set to release on January 14. In a candid interview with Us Weekly, the 59-year-old actress revealed that a Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon performed an intimate procedure without her consent during a cosmetic surgery she underwent in her 40s.
Shields shared that she initially sought the surgery to address long-standing discomfort caused by her labia, which she said had led to bleeding, chafing and pain “since high school.” However, after the procedure, the plastic surgeon delivered an unsettling surprise: “He informed me that he threw in a little bonus,” Shields explained, telling the outlet that he went ahead with a vaginal tightening procedure as well without consent. “It felt like such an invasion—such a bizarre, like, rape of some kind.”
“Nothing pointed toward this need to be tighter or smaller or firmer or younger, especially there,” Shields added, telling the outlet that both she and her dermatologist were upset by the surgeon’s decision to perform the “irreversible” procedure without her consent.
Shields said she was “dumbfounded” by the surgeon’s casual demeanor. He “legitimately proudly explained to me that he, you know, threw in a little twofer,” she added.
In her memoir, Shields acknowledges that some readers may find the details of her story “too graphic or simply TMI, as some generations still call it.” However, she stresses the importance of fostering open conversations about women’s health. “I’d be lying if I said I’m not embarrassed to share this very intimate information,” she wrote. “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.”
