Brooke Shields and the cover of her new memoir.Photo:Taylor Hill/Getty; Flatiron Books
Taylor Hill/Getty; Flatiron Books
Brooke Shieldsis getting candid about aging and its backlash in her new memoir.
The title came to Shields, 59, after she attended a cocktail party with her daughter, who had asked her to meet some of the parents present. Shields struck up a conversation with the owner of the house — just a lighthearted chat about wine, she said.
“I was comparing myself to a 1965 bottle of Barolo — like it’s jam at this point,” she said. “He kind of shut down, and his tone changed. He said, ‘You really shouldn’t have told me that.’ I thought, ‘Wow, wait a minute — this is offensive.'”
She continued, “And that’s when it hit me: we imprint on people at certain ages — like we have their picture in our locker, then when they grow older, we’re not ready for it. We’ve aged too. And I think it’s courageous to get older.”
Shields was first inspired to write her memoir when she started Commence, which began as a platform for women. In conversations with women over 40, she found a real need for mature haircare, and the company grew from there.
Cover of “Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman.".Flatiron Books
Flatiron Books
It was a big moment for Shields, suddenly a CEO of her own company at 58. Her agents suggested she chronicle the experience in a book. At first, Shields wasn’t sure — “why should it be so extraordinary that a woman in her fifties” can accomplish this, she asked herself — but she then used the concept as a jumping-off point to share more of her story.
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“When does a woman’s confidence peak? What actually happens with her scalp and body? It’s not all horrible,” Shields said. “There’s a joy in realizing you’ve made it this far and wanting to do more.”
Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Oldis available now, wherever books are sold.
source: people.com
