Film, modeling, and TV icon Brooke Shields, 59, wants to redefine what aging looks like for women. In her new book, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old, the former child star takes an open and unapologetic approach to challenging society’s expectations of older women who are “past their prime.”
In the memoir, the mother of two shares her journey to empowerment and confidence — one not without humbling detours. Here are five key experiences she describes in her book.
She Battled Depression (and Tom Cruise)
Early in the book, Shields recounts the difficult decision to tell her fans about the postpartum depression she experienced after the birth of her first daughter, Rowan.
At first, she was reluctant to open up, afraid she would become a “sob story.”
“While I’ve learned to have no shame about experiencing postpartum depression (about 1 in 8 women experience symptoms), it was not exactly something I was proud of, especially in 2005, when it was far less openly discussed than it is today,” Shields writes.
The actor was “gobsmacked” a few months later when actor Tom Cruise publicly attacked her use of antidepressants and called her choice to open about it “dangerous.”
Shields admits that earlier in her life, she may have remained quiet — but the episode took place a month after her 40th birthday, and her thought process was shifting from “everyone knows better than I do” to “I know myself best.”
She clapped back with an op-ed in The New York Times defending herself and her choice, using data to refute the actor’s claim that she should have relied on vitamins and exercise to combat her depression, while pointing out that Cruise was criticizing her without having experienced the condition himself.
“Today, I know what is best for me, and I feel certain that trusting myself — and prioritizing myself — will only benefit me,” Shields concludes.
She Takes Hormone Therapy for Menopause Symptoms
When Shields began dripping in sweat in the middle of shooting a movie scene, it didn’t occur to her that it might be a hot flash, even though she had recently turned 50.
The film star “hadn’t given much thought to menopause before this moment,” she writes. Flash forward almost 10 years, and the conversation about menopause is picking up thanks to many celebrities and investments in menopause care.
Shields found relief from symptoms with low dose hormone replacement, a treatment she calls a “personal decision” and“incredibly helpful.”
What else can improve the experience of menopause? Sharing about it with other women, she says. And not only more talk, but more of a focus on the peace, emotional growth, and creativity that comes with age, and not just the unpleasant symptoms.
She Experienced Trauma at the Hands of a Doctor
After the birth of her daughters, Shields decided to have labial reduction surgery because of the painful chafing she had experienced since high school. “It hurt and it was in the way,” she writes.
Post-surgery, the surgeon informed her that, along with her scheduled surgery, he also “tightened her up a little bit,” and gave her vaginal rejuvenation surgery — without her consent.
Shields never took legal action against the doctor, but she was angry and unhappy with the results.
After a lifetime of believing that doctors knew best, the star now says her first instinct is, “I know myself better than you do. I’ve lived in this body for almost 60 years. … I know my body,” she writes.
She Prioritizes Well-Being Over Unrealistic Beauty Standards (Despite the Occasional Botox Shot)
We live in a world where unrealistic beauty standards are the cultural norm, writes Shields. And the actor has a unique perspective, given that she was labeled one of the world’s great beauties at a very young age.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown tired of being preoccupied with achieving a certain standard of beauty. It’s exhausting!” she says.
While it’s easy to get caught up in the pursuit of eternal youth, Shields encourages readers to focus on what truly matters: self-acceptance. But she admits she isn’t ready to sit back and embrace everything that comes with aging, and acknowledges turning to hair dye to cover her grays, the occasional Botox treatment, and Fraxels, which are laser treatments to improve skin tone.
“But I’ve begun to shift my focus to what I feel comfortable with rather than what I assume will please others,” she writes. Shields advocates for a balance of self-care and self-acceptance — one where women can prioritize their well-being while also learning to love themselves as they are.
She’s Learned to Take Risks and Tolerate Fear of Failure
Great opportunities are not reserved for the young, says Shields. New adventures, challenges, and successes can come at any age — but you may have to play a role in creating it.
In 2024, Shields started her own business, Commence, a line of haircare products for women over 40. This new role has required her to raise capital, learn the ropes of getting a startup off the ground, and open herself up to possible rejection or even failure.
“I’ve learned by now how to sit in that fear (of failure) and tolerate it, rather than let it drive me away from something I want. And if a new endeavor does go up in smoke … well, we’ve all lived through worse,” she writes.