Brooke Shields Recalls Awkward Interview With Barbara Walters As A Teen

Being in the public eye as a teenager like Brooke Shields was, can lead the paparazzi and media to take advantage of a star's naivety.

The experience was undoubtedly the best teacher for the former child model when she became the face of an infamous Calvin Klein ad at age 15. 

The American actress recently detailed how the press hounded her and shared about an invasive interview she had with a famous journalist at the time.

Shields is older, wiser, and looking back on the challenging experience she faced following a jeans campaign for Calvin Klein in 1980. 

The 56-year-old detailed the experience on the "Armchair Expert" podcast with host Dax Shepard while discussing how the media sexualizes young celebrities.

One of Shields' lines on the 1980 ad was that nothing comes between her and her Calvins. This statement was taken out of context and led to heavy backlash for the young model.

While clearing her name, the 15-year-old was interviewed by Barbara Walters and attacked with out-of-line questions regarding her sexual life. 

Shields referred to Walters' invasive questioning as "practically criminal" and not journalism. Shepard also agreed that the interview was "maddening."

Shields recounted to PEOPLE in October about the repercussions she endured from the public due to her Calvin Klein campaign. 

The "Endless Love" lead said the commercials got banned in Canada and several other places. The paparazzi and the public also began harassing her and her mother.

Shields called the entire experience ridiculous because she only asked a naive and rhetorical question that did not correlate with underwear.

The "Sahara" actress clarified that she "didn't think it was sexual in nature. I would say it about my sister, Nobody can come between me and my sister."

Nevertheless, the controversy backfired, and the jeans campaign was a resounding success that placed Calvin Klein as the frontrunner for a new demographic for decades.

After being sexualized and criticized by the public for her 80s jean campaign, Shields wants to ensure that her daughters have a positive view of their bodies.

The Blast shared that the mother-of-two parents Rowan Francis, 18, and Grier Hammond, 15. She spoke to PEOPLE about celebrating the differences in their bodies and avoiding any comments that make them body-conscious.

Shields also wants her girls to be confident and to learn to say no, because they shouldn't care about what everybody thinks all the time.

The model got candid to Yahoo lifestyle about struggling with her body image because she was never skinny enough for runway and covered magazines without fitting their size samples.

Shields remembered she was both the most famous virgin and the sexy screen siren at the time, which led her to have a strong disconnect with her body. 

The "A Castle For Christmas" star marvels at the fact that she did not become a train wreck and wants her daughters to be free from "any of that shame" while understanding their body is theirs.

The mama bear also shields her lovely girls from the public eye to afford them a better chance of loving themselves and their bodies.