Brooke Shields attends Take Home A Nude Art Auction & Party at Sotheby’s on October 21, 2024 in New York City.
Originally appeared on E! Online
Brooke Shields will no longer beat around the bush when it comes to women’s health.
The "Suddenly Susan" actress shared in her new memoir that she underwent labia reduction surgery during her 40s after spending years struggling with discomfort, chafing and bleeding. However, during post-op checkup with her surgeon, she said she learned he also performed a vaginal rejuvenation procedure while she was under the knife without her consent.
“I’d be lying if I said I’m not embarrassed to share this very intimate information,” she wrote in "Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old," per Us Weekly. "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."
According to Shields, her doctor seemed proud of the "twofer," even though she didn't want the "irreversible" procedure.
"He informed me that he threw in a little bonus," Shield recounted in an Us Weekly interview published Jan. 8. "It felt like such an invasion — such a bizarre, like, rape of some kind."
READ Why Brooke Shields Is Saying "F--k You" to Aging Gracefully
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She continued, "Nothing pointed toward this need to be tighter or smaller or firmer or younger, especially there."
While the 59-year-old kept quiet about her experience to husband Chris Henchy "for the longest time," she’s now going public with her story as a way to raise awareness about women’s autonomy over their personal health appearance.
As Shields — who shares daughters Rowan Henchy, 21, and Grier Henchy, 18 — put it in her book, "Shame is no longer an option."
But her memoir is not the first time she's gotten candid about societal beauty standards. After all, the "Pretty Baby" alum once said, "Aging is not a graceful process."
"Isn't it interesting how we even have to say, okay, well if you're going to age, you're going to have to do it gracefully," she told Allure last year. "Excuse me, but f--k you."
Shields added grace comes from giving yourself "acceptance and kindness" as well as facing reality.
"If you don't like what's happening to your stomach, do sit-ups," she added. "Those things to me are graceful. I think being 'graceful' as you age is just admitting the truth and then seeing what you're comfortable doing about it."
