Actress and model Brooke Shields has made a shocking and deeply personal revelation in her new memoir, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman.
In the book, Shields opens up about a distressing experience with a plastic surgeon who, without her permission, performed an additional vaginal rejuvenation procedure while she was under anesthesia.
“Sharing this intimate information is undoubtedly embarrassing,” Shields admits in an excerpt published by Us Weekly. “But to change the dialogue around women’s health, we must confront these uncomfortable yet crucial issues.”
Shields explains that she originally underwent a labia reduction surgery in her 40s to address chronic chafing and pain. During a post-operative appointment, she was stunned to learn that the surgeon had also performed a vaginal tightening procedure she had never consented to.
“He told me he’d thrown in a ‘little bonus,’” Shields writes. “It felt like a violation—a bizarre form of assault.” The doctor reportedly referred to the unauthorized procedure as a “twofer,” a comment that left her furious and humiliated.
“There was absolutely no need for anything to be tighter, smaller, firmer, or younger down there,” Shields adds, saying her gynecologist was equally enraged when she learned what had been done.
Now 60, Shields says she kept the experience secret from her husband, Chris Henchy, for years before deciding to speak out. Her motivation, she explains, is to raise awareness about bodily autonomy and the double standards women face in medicine and aging.
“We can no longer afford to be ashamed,” she writes. “Staying silent about such violations is not an option.”
This is far from the first time Shields has challenged the industry’s treatment of women and aging. In an interview with Allure last year, she bluntly rejected the phrase “aging gracefully,” saying, “Why do we have to ‘age gracefully’? Excuse me, but f-ck that.”
Through her memoir, Shields continues to dismantle the stigma around women’s bodies, aging, and consent—sharing her story not for shock value, but to demand accountability and compassion in women’s healthcare.
