Brooke Shields Admits She’s Been ‘Fighting Ageism In Hollywood’ Since Age 7

Brooke Shields is opening up about life after 50.

The 57-year-old speaks to host and licensed therapist Amy Morin on the “Verywell Mind” podcast and discusses aging in Hollywood, creating a full life beyond 50, and her tips for self-improvement.

Shields shares of fighting ageism in Hollywood: “I’ve been fighting ageism in Hollywood probably since I was about seven, it starts then in Hollywood, but it really, it’s sexiness doesn’t have to just be a young person’s reality, the commodity of being sexy and being vibrant and not being burdened by so many of the things that burden you, whether it’s your biological clock, or the way things are laid out for you, because that’s what traditionally has done.

“All those burdens really do shift and take on a different look and a different meaning really when it starts in your 40s; that’s when I started to just really not waste time on things that just didn’t serve me, or make me feel good about myself.”

Shields continues, “I think it has to do a bit with procreation just historically. And then in talking about menopause, it’s looked at as you’re some just this withered, dried-up entity.

“And I think that type of messaging is something that we got used to accepting because everything is for younger people, it’s flashy and it’s made fabulous. And that’s the idea. And the idea is, ‘Oh, that’s the only time you’re really ever alive and vibrant.’ And I think that we just, we’ve gotten used to it. And I obviously didn’t think to question it when I was in my 20s. It wasn’t until I got past 50 where I thought, Wait a minute, there’s nobody out there talking to me. They’re overlooking me.”

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Shields adds of self-acceptance, improvement, and not comparing yourself to others: “I think the thing that’s the most important is not just necessarily, yes, if someone has achieved something, or they are physically fit in a way that is attractive to you, or that’s what you want, learn from them, ask questions.

“But when it gets right down to it, you’re only going to be able to find the happiness and the confidence and the peace and the acceptance of your uniqueness inside you. And I think if, when you start to realize how the uniqueness and individuality of people and women, your friends, and then you listen to how they beat themselves up, or the one thing they don’t like they make set the precedent for their whole.

“And I think the more that I’ve started to just support my friends and compliment them on things that I think are beautiful, naturally really curly hair [for example.] I’ve always wanted to have more waves, or whatever the thing is that you focus on, and the more you start going outside of yourself instead of comparing yourself. Comparison is just the kiss of death. And we all do it. And I’ve to remind myself daily not to do it.”

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The star goes on, “You might want to lose five pounds, you might not, you might not like your nose, maybe you never like, I don’t know, but whatever it is, you got to start within yourself first and then say, ‘Okay, this, I do not want to have this be a part of my life. What are my options?’ And I think that when you come at it from a different place instead of, ‘Oh, I want to look like that, so I’m going to get this done.’ That’s when I think we start changing how we see ourselves. And I think that, that’s a much safer, healthier, smarter way to go about making small changes that are going to have a big impact on your life.”