Resurfaced magazine clippings of Brooke Shields as a pre-teen are reigniting uncomfortable questions on how she was portrayed at first of her profession.
The unearthed material shows the young star being described in ways many now view as inappropriate, including comments that framed her as having “the face of a stunning woman” and the power to drive men “crazy.” The renewed attention also brings fresh scrutiny to her controversial Calvin Klein campaign, which Shields has since said she didn’t fully understand on the time.
For many years, Shields has been linked to an advanced mixture of innocence and provocation, particularly after starring within the 1978 film “Pretty Baby.” Within the movie, she played a toddler living in a 1917 Latest Orleans brothel, a job that drew intense scrutiny, given she was just 12 years old on the time.
That scrutiny only intensified within the early ’80s, when a 15-year-old Shields fronted a controversial Calvin Klein jeans campaign. The ad featured the now-infamous line, “You would like to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” Many interpreted this as a sexual innuendo, suggesting she wasn’t wearing underwear, which sparked widespread backlash.
Resurfaced Magazine Clippings Paint An Even Darker Picture
Resurfaced magazine features are shedding latest light on how Shields was portrayed as a toddler at the peak of her early fame.
In a widely shared excerpt of the clippings on Reddit, a author described being “shocked by the kid who drives men crazy,” while also labeling her an “up-and-coming fast sex symbol.” One other headline referred to her as “America’s Newest Sexy Kid Star” while promoting her role in “Pretty Baby.”
A separate feature went even further, calling Shields the “world’s youngest sex symbol” and remarking that the then-12-year-old had “the body of a toddler and the face of a stunning woman.”
Online Reactions Condemn Brooke Shields Coverage
The resurfaced material has drawn strong reactions online, with many questioning how such coverage was ever approved in the primary place.
“The words ‘sexy’ and ‘kid’ should never appear in the identical sentence. What the f–k was that?” one Reddit user wrote.
One other commenter argued that those answerable for publishing such headlines needs to be held accountable, calling the coverage “abhorrent” and suggesting it crossed into exploitation.
A 3rd added, “Goodness, she got here out alive and still intact. The poor girl was exploited. Horrible parents/mother.”
Shields Reflects On Controversial Calvin Klein Ad
In a 2021 interview with Vogue, Shields looked back on her role within the controversial Calvin Klein campaign directed by Richard Avedon, revealing that the brand had initially approached her mother.
“She was like, ‘Do you ought to placed on these jeans and do that business?’” Shields recalled.
On the time, she said she didn’t fully grasp the importance of the brand, but was excited by the chance to work with Avedon, whose creative vision appealed to her. She also described the shoot as demanding, requiring quite a few takes and precise direction.
“No one was allowed on set,” she said. “Since it was Avedon’s first foray into the business world, I believe he was pretty nervous. Stakes were pretty high, and I believe there was a number of pressure. We did multiple, multiple takes of all the pieces.”
Brooke Shields Admits She Didn’t Anticipate The Backlash
Shields has since admitted she wasn’t prepared for the extraordinary backlash and media scrutiny that followed the campaign, explaining that she never viewed the now-infamous tagline as suggestive on the time.
“I used to be away once they got here out, after which I began hearing that the commercials were being banned,” she recalled. “The paparazzi would scream at me and my mother, ‘How could you!’ It just struck me as so ridiculous.”
Shields added that she didn’t interpret the ad as sexual, describing herself as “naive” and much less aware than people assumed.
“I didn’t think it was about underwear or sexual in nature,” the actress said. “I believe the idea was that I used to be far more savvy than I ever really was. I used to be a virgin, and I used to be a virgin without end after that.”
Despite the controversy, Shields noted that the campaign ultimately proved successful.
“The controversy backfired. The campaign was extremely successful, after which the underwear overtook the jeans,” she said. “[Calvin Klein] understood methods to push the envelope. It set the tone for many years.”