Brooke Shields says sex has ‘evolved’ for her after 'being terrified' of it: 'I was a virgin until I was 22’

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At age 56, Brooke Shields is feeling more comfortable in her skin than ever before.

"I believe that it’s a misconception that women can’t be sexy over a certain age," the star told Yahoo! Life on Monday. "The acceptance of our bodies come at a later date. I live much more in my body now than I ever did. My body actually feels like it belongs to me. And I can’t say that about my youth."

"… Sex for me – it has really evolved," she continued. "My 20s, I was always terrified of it, because I was a virgin until I was 22… It wasn’t until my 40s that I started thinking of sex as my experience and not someone else’s experience that I just navigated. What I want my daughters to know is that it’s a joint decision. Even with as woke as everybody is, you’d be shocked at how they see themselves within relationships."

But the journey to self-acceptance wasn’t always easy for the actress. She told the outlet that her 40s were met with setbacks. It became difficult for her to have children and she "did IVF seven times." As for her career, Shields was being "told sort of, oh, you’re not viable once 40."

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Brooke Shields admitted she was faced with fertility challenges. "I did IVF seven times." (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)

But Shields credited her husband, Chris Henchy, for supporting her along the way. The couple tied the knot in 2001 and share two daughters.

"When you start off in a relationship, it's like this -- it's magnetic," said Shields. "And then all of a sudden, it's about having children. And then your body is really your babies. And you're bigger, and you sort of are, like, oh, I wonder if that's sexy."

"And it takes talking to your partner, for sure," she shared. "You have to carve out time to remind yourself that you are in this relationship first. Now I'm not saying it takes precedence over your children. Children are everything. But you can't lose sight of date night or romance. You don't want it to become, like, a chore. You know? With age comes this sense of confidence and knowledge. And I think that that's not the predominant message out there."

In 2020, Shields told Fox News she had no interest in squeezing into her famous Calvin Klein jeans again. The star was 15 at the time when she appeared in the controversial 1980 campaign. Despite the outcry that came with it, the campaign was a massive success for everyone involved.

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Brooke Shields is a proud mom of two. (Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for AAFA American Image Awards)

"I can get into them, but it looks painful," Shields said at the time. "I recently found them, [but] I think the last time I fit into them comfortably was probably while I was in ‘Wonderful Town’ on Broadway [back in 2004]. They’re so high-waisted."

"When I was that age, I was built like a little boy," the star continued. "I don’t have any desire to fit back into them. I’ve had two children and I’ve grown into a more womanly shape that I feel comfortable in and that I’m proud of.

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Brooke Shields caused a stir when she famously posed for Calvin Klein. (Alamy)

"I’m celebrating who I am now, not trying to get the body I had when I was 15. One of the messages I want to share with other women is to celebrate yourself. Own your curves and strengths rather than trying to look like somebody else or be skinny. I'd rather be strong and fit than anything else."