Brooke Shields says women over 40 are 'unrepresented' in her career: 'You’re put out to pasture'
Brooke Shields has spoken out about ageism in Hollywood in the past
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brooke Shields has accomplished a lot in her career, but she’s not slowing down anytime soon.
In a clip shared on Instagram, Shields, 57, teased an upcoming interview with Gayle King for "Oprah Daily" in which she discussed aging in Hollywood, her career and her online platform "Beginning is Now."
"I'm still in a career, I'm still working, I'm here and I was shocked by how unrepresented I was," Shields said to King. "You're either [in your] 20s and sexy and fabulous or you're in Depends and you've got dentures."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brooke Shields encourages all women to "try new things, to say look how long I've lived and look how much more I have." (Photo by Theo Wargo)
Shields noted that she believes "from 40 on we start living in our lives," but society doesn’t seem to agree.
"We're not marketed to!" Shields said. "Once you're over, you stop working; you're, like, put out to pasture. I was incensed by that."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The "Blue Lagoon" star dove into her women-driven lifestyle brand in the interview. "When I think about beginnings, I feel like it's now," she said. "I wanted women to be able to feel that."
"We're not asking for permission," she said before encouraging all women to "try new things, to say look how long I've lived and look how much more I have."
Despite leading a successful decades-long career as a sought-after actress and model, Shields said it hasn't been easy growing older in the public eye. (Photo by Gary Gershoff)
King and Shields' interview is set to air Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In June, the actress appeared on the "Verywell Mind" podcast and spoke to host and licensed therapist Amy Morin about her experience aging in the public eye.
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"I've been fighting ageism in Hollywood probably since I was about 7," said the 57-year-old. "It starts then in Hollywood, but it really… 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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"All those burdens really do shift… They take on a different look and a different meaning really when it starts in your 40s," she shared. "That's when I started to just really not waste time on things that didn't serve me or make me feel good about myself."
Shields said she has been "fighting ageism" in Hollywood since she was 7 years old. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy)
The "Endless Love" actress spoke to Fox News Digital in 2020 on how she’s leaving her coveted Calvin Klein jeans behind.
"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."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"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.
"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."
Fox News' Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.