Brooke Shields is opening up about surviving a sexual assault that occurred more than 30 years ago.
In a recent interview with People, Shields revealed she was assaulted by a Hollywood executive shortly after graduating from Princeton University.
At the time she blamed herself, but as decades have gone by she’s had time to process what happened.
“I’m more angry now than I was able to be then. If you’re afraid, you’re rightfully so. They are scary situations. They don’t have to be violent to be scary.”
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This is the first time the model turned actress has revealed she was a victim of sexual assault because “People weren’t believing those stories back then. I thought I would never work again.”
Her story, which has sadly become too common in Hollywood, is told in more detail in a soon-to-be released two-part documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields.
“Doing the documentary, you see it all together, and it’s a miracle that I survived,” Shields said.
The 57-year-old first got her start as a model when she was just 11 months old. She continued to model until 1978 when she appeared in the controversial film, Pretty Baby where she played a child prostitute.
She was 12 years old at the time.
At 14 years old she became the youngest model to appear on the cover of Vogue.
Throughout the 1980’s Shields continued to appear in controversial ads, including Calvin Klein, which led to her sexualization at a very early age.
After graduating from Princeton University, Shields found herself at the “lowest point” of her career. She met with an unnamed Hollywood executive for dinner who she believed would offer her a movie or a job, but after their meal he invited her to his hotel room.
He convinced her to go to his room under the guise of calling a cab from his room. But once there he sexually assaulted her.
“I didn’t fight,” she said. “I just froze.”
Shields felt incredibly guilty and blamed herself for the attack.
“I kept saying, ‘I shouldn’t have done that. Why did I go up with him? I shouldn’t have had that drink at dinner.’ “
At the time Shields only told one person, her close friend and one-time security consultant Gavin de Becker. But now she’s ready to share her story “with the hopes of helping people not feel alone.”
“Everybody processes their own trauma on a different timeline. I want to be an advocate for women to be able to speak their truth.”
Anytime someone comes forward to share they were sexually assault and they reveal never spoke up because they were afraid no one would believe them, it breaks my heart.
We need to start believing people so they don’t have to live with these horrible secrets for decades.
Please share Brooke Shields’ story.
