Brooke Shields reveals doctor performed ‘unsolicited vaginal rejuvenation’ while she was anaesthetised
Brooke Shields has detailed the horrifying moment a surgeon revealed they had performed a vaginal rejuvenation without her consent while she was anaesthetised for another operation.
The Blue Lagoon actor, 59, had followed her gynaecologist’s recommendation and scheduled a labial reduction procedure eight years after welcoming her daughters Rowan and Grier with her husband Chris Henchy.
Shields had been experiencing discomfort due to the length of her labia, which her doctor assured her could be resolved by a labia reduction. However, the model’s surgeon made a shocking revelation during her checkup.
Speaking to The Observer, Shields recalled: “He was like, ‘Yeah it took a long time,’ and then he kind of gave me a little wink. And he goes, ‘because I tightened it all up a little bit.’”
She continued: “I was gobsmacked, as you might say. Speechless. He was acting like he had done me a favour of some kind, but I didn’t ask for that, I didn’t need that. I walked out of there stunned.”
The Pretty Baby star considered suing the doctor for their “audacity and the crime” but ultimately decided against legal action because she didn’t “want talk of my lady parts, once again, on the front page of every paper.”
Shields added that all she could think was: “Why can’t everybody just leave my vagina alone?”
Reflecting on the ordeal, the model added: ““One good thing that came out of it was that it made me feel more at one with women. When I was in the hospital with a broken femur, this brilliant surgeon saw me and said, ‘Oh, dear God. Famous people get the worst treatment.’
“He said, ‘Doctors either want to show off or they want to prove to you they don’t care who you are.’ And neither of those are healthy or productive. But I think this experience made me feel more unified with women, realising – that stuff like this is happening all the time.”
Vaginal rejuvenation is a general term given to cosmetic gynaecology treatment, which can help improve the appearance, sensation and function of your vagina.
It comes after Shields, who recently released her memoir Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Ageing as a Woman, revealed the sexist comment two doctors made to her after having a grand mal seizure.
“Women go through stuff. We need to be able to say, ‘This isn’t fair.’ We need to be able to self-advocate,” she said of her choice to write about the healthcare system.
“I had a seizure not too long ago and the two male doctors said, ‘Are you restricting yourself for dietary reasons?’” she continued.
“I was like, ‘No. I’m a 59-year-old woman who looks younger bloated. Give me some potato chips!’ You wouldn’t say that to a man.”
She continued to explain that the goal of her memoir was not to show the differences between men and women or even to be angry about the situation.
“But it’s time to kind of explore this without yelling, without being angry. I tell my girls… we don’t have to yell louder,” Shields said.
“We just have to be secure in what we believe and to be heard, because we’re not going to get anywhere by just screaming.”
