Magazine Clippings Discovered Sexualized Brooke Shields at Age 12

Refurbished magazine clippings Brooke Shields as a preteen reignite uncomfortable questions about how she was portrayed early in her career.

Uncovered documents show the young star is described in ways that many now believe are inappropriate, including comments that describe her as having “the face of a beautiful woman” and the ability to drive men “crazy.” This renewed attention also brings new scrutiny to his controversial campaign for Calvin Klein, which Shields has since said he didn’t fully understand at the time.

Brooke Shields was sexualized from a young age

For decades, Shields has been associated with a complex mix of innocence and defiance, particularly after starring in the 1978 film “Pretty Baby.” In the film, she played a child living in a New Orleans brothel in 1917, a role that attracted intense scrutiny given that she was only 12 years old at the time.

This scrutiny only intensified in the early 1980s, when Shields, at age 15, fronted a controversial Calvin Klein jeans campaign. The ad featured the now-infamous line: “You want to know what’s going on between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” Many interpreted this as a sexual innuendo, suggesting she was not wearing underwear, which sparked widespread backlash.

Resurfaced magazine clippings paint an even darker picture

The resurfaced magazine articles shed new light on how Shields was portrayed as a child at the height of her early fame.

In a widely shared excerpt from the clippings on Reddit, one writer described being “shocked by the babe who drives men crazy,” while calling her a “fast and promising sex symbol.” Another headline called her “America’s Hot New Star” while promoting her role in “Pretty Baby.”

A separate article went even further, calling Shields “the world’s youngest sex symbol” and noting that the 12-year-old had “the body of a child and the face of a beautiful woman.”

Online reactions condemn media coverage of Brooke Shields

The resurfaced material sparked strong reactions online, with many questioning how such coverage could have been approved in the first place.

“The words ‘sexy’ and ‘kid’ should never appear in the same sentence. What the hell was that?” » wrote one Reddit user.

Another speaker argued that those responsible for publishing such headlines should be held accountable, calling the media coverage “abhorrent” and suggesting it devolves into exploitation.

A third added: “My goodness she came out alive and still intact. Poor girl was taken advantage of. Horrible parents/mothers.”

Shields Reflects on Controversial Calvin Klein Ad

In a 2021 interview with Vogue, Shields opened up about her role in the controversial Calvin Klein campaign directed by Richard Avedon, revealing that the brand initially approached her mother.

“She said to me, ‘Will you put on these jeans and do this commercial?'” Shields recalled.

At the time, she said she didn’t fully grasp the importance of the brand, but was excited about the opportunity to work with Avedon, whose creative vision appealed to her. She also described the filming as demanding, requiring many takes and precise direction.

“No one was allowed on set,” she said. “Because it was Avedon’s first foray into the commercial world, I think he was quite nervous. The stakes were quite high and I think there was a lot of pressure. We did many, many takes of everything.”

Brooke Shields admits she didn’t anticipate the backlash

Shields has since admitted that she was unprepared for the intense backlash and media scrutiny that followed the campaign, explaining that she never considered the now-infamous slogan to be suggestive at the time.

“I was away when they came out, and then I started hearing that the ads were banned,” she recalls. “The paparazzi were screaming at me and my mother, ‘How could you!’ It seemed so ridiculous to me.

Shields added that she didn’t interpret the ad as sexual, describing herself as “naive” and much less self-aware than people thought.

“I didn’t think it was about underwear or sexual in nature,” the actress said. “I think the assumption was that I was a lot wiser than I ever was. I was a virgin, and I stayed a virgin forever after that.”

Despite the controversy, Shields noted that the campaign ultimately proved successful.

“The controversy backfired. The campaign was extremely successful, then underwear took over from jeans,” she said. “[Calvin Klein] understood how to push the limits. This set the tone for decades.