SI LifeStyle

Brooke Shields Is Still a ‘Work in Progress’

The actress opened up to ‘New Beauty’ about her entrepreneurial adventures and what she's learned from her time in Hollywood.

Ananya Panchal

Brooke Shields attends the Z100's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2022 Press Room at Madison Square Garden.

Brooke Shields attends the Z100's iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2022 Press Room at Madison Square Garden.

At 57 years old, Brooke Shields thinks she has been asked every question possible. The actress said that even with years of media training and becoming immune to public scrutiny, her top priority is being authentic.

“I’m an open book. What you see is what you get,” she said in her winter cover story for New Beauty. “I’ve been out here talking about myself too long to hide it. It’s way too late to try to hide anything. I’d never get the story right.”

The Chalet Girl star has been in the industry for long enough to realize that the more “vulnerable” she is, the safer people will feel talking to her. Her podcast, Now What? focuses on telling other people’s inspiring stories and allows Shields to be in the seat of asking the questions, a side opposite of where she has spent so much time.

“The biggest thing across the board for me is authenticity; I know I don’t always look or act polished,” she added. “This is not about showing an ideal of me with filters—this is about showing people that this is what a 57-year-old woman looks like. This is what I’m doing in my life; I feel blessed to be excited about the future. I’m not putting forth an image; I’m just putting forth as much of my true self as I feel comfortable with, without it being self-indulgent.”

Shields landed her first major motion picture role in 1976’s Alice, Sweet Alice. She just launched her company, Beginning is Now, a global community of women that doubles as an online clothing store.

“Im not a meditative person,” she continued. “I’m a run-faster, jump-higher person. It takes a lot to get me to disconnect. I’m trying to find other things that help. I like exercising because then I’m physically exhausted, but that still doesn’t help my brain. It’s hard. I’m still a work in progress.”

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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit, where she covers fashion, beauty, pop culture and the internet’s favorite personalities and trends. She joined the brand in 2022 after roles at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. Panchal loves to write about fashion in all its forms—from standout runway moments and evolving street style to the best accessories to elevate each season’s wardrobe (she rarely goes anywhere without a stack of jewelry and a coffee in hand). A self-proclaimed beauty fanatic, she’s always on the hunt for must-have products and loves breaking down viral trends. Her favorite series at the moment is spotlighting female founders and the stories behind the brands they’ve built—especially those shaping the future of fashion, wellness and tech. She is based between New York City and San Francisco and, when she’s not writing, can be found rewatching One Tree Hill, playing sudoku, trying new restaurants or ranking her favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism with a minor in criminal justice from Boston University.

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