Brooke Shields Reveals How She Chose the Title for Her Newest Memoir, “Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old”

Brooke Shields is getting candid about aging and its backlash in her new memoir.

During An Evening with Brooke Shields, the actress opened up about her new book, Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman, which came out Jan. 14. The memoir covers everything from Shields' rise to CEO of haircare company Commence at 58, to the range of women's experiences with aging, to "this collective feeling of being overlooked," she said.

The title came to Shields, 59, after she attended a cocktail party with her daughter, who had asked her to meet some of the parents present. Shields struck up a conversation with the owner of the house — just a lighthearted chat about wine, she said.

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"I was comparing myself to a 1965 bottle of Barolo — like it's jam at this point," she said. "He kind of shut down, and his tone changed. He said, 'You really shouldn't have told me that.' I thought, 'Wow, wait a minute — this is offensive.'"

She continued, "And that's when it hit me: we imprint on people at certain ages — like we have their picture in our locker, then when they grow older, we're not ready for it. We've aged too. And I think it's courageous to get older."

Shields was first inspired to write her memoir when she started Commence, which began as a platform for women. In conversations with women over 40, she found a real need for mature haircare, and the company grew from there.

It was a big moment for Shields, suddenly a CEO of her own company at 58. Her agents suggested she chronicle the experience in a book. At first, Shields wasn't sure — "why should it be so extraordinary that a woman in her fifties" can accomplish this, she asked herself — but she then used the concept as a jumping-off point to share more of her story.

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"When does a woman's confidence peak? What actually happens with her scalp and body? It's not all horrible," Shields said. "There's a joy in realizing you've made it this far and wanting to do more."

She added, "So the book became an exploration of talking to women over 40, looking at marketing, the beauty industry, how we're treated and perceived by advertisers — not just entertainment, but in everyday life. I was shocked by the little representation we have."

Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old is available now, wherever books are sold.

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