Brooke Shields was controversy’s favorite child as a teen, and not just because of her skin show in the “The Blue Lagoon”. When she was just 15, she did a Calvin Klein campaign, uttering the infamous line, “You want to know what comes in between me and my Calvins? Nothing.”
The world went on fire post that, and the iconic 1980 advertising campaign of her in Calvin Klein jeans was dubbed “sexually suggestive” with some of the more conservative countries even banning the ad. Now, more than 40 years later, the 56-year-old model and actress, is doing another denim campaign. And this time, she’s topless, again, with zero regrets.
First, Let’s Revisit Calvin Klein
In an interview with Vogue, the first thing Brook Shields remembers of that infamous campaign was that it was long and exhausting. She was working with Avedon, who had a specific intellectual spin on the campaign and no one was allowed on set. Plus, the flexible poses that Shields had to do were a challenge in itself, and everything was choreographed to a tee, with multiple takes of everything.
Shields remembers that she was not prepared for the backlash that followed when the line was taken as a sexual innuendo. She recalled, “I was away when they came out, and then I started hearing that the commercials were being banned. The paparazzi would scream at me and my mother, ‘How could you!” It just struck me as so ridiculous.” Despite it all, she remains proud of the campaign, and it did go on to be a big success.
Shields continued to say, “The controversy backfired. The campaign was extremely successful, and then the underwear overtook the jeans. [Calvin Klein] understood how to push the envelope. It set the tone for decades.”
She also looks back at “The Blue Lagoon” fondly as well.
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Brooke Shields Proud Of Her 56-Year-Old Body
The one thing that Shields was clear about, before signing up to “dare to bare”, for Jordache’s Spring 2022 campaign, was that it was crucial that her pictures appear authentic and not be cosmetically enhanced.
Shot by famed photographer Cass Bird, Shields wanted to make sure her body looked real. Said Shields, in an interview with People Magazine, “It was important for you to see this is my 56-year-old body and to fight the retouching. I’m always like, ‘You better keep it honest.’ And we did.”
She also felt that the Bird would handle the photoshoot well, saying, “I also knew it wouldn’t be exploiting at all. There’s something about owning your sexuality at this age that is on point for where we are today. It’s not angry empowerment.”
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Of course, Shields admits that part of her confidence came from a lot of gymming because she increased her exercise quotient to make sure she looked her best. Said the “Pretty Baby” actress, “I worked so hard with my trainer Ngo Okafor. We did 5 a.m. workouts, but I wasn’t drinking so it was easier to wake up in the morning. I pushed it to the limit. My ego helped! I thought, ‘If you do these pictures and you are not happy with what you see, you’ll be hard on yourself.'”
Brooke Shields Has “Got The Look”
The fan reaction is heartwarming. Wrote one Instagram user, “Still such a freaking rockstar! Thanks for being such an inspiration to our generation.”
Another fan posted, “When you’re all-time crush as a teenager in the 1980s is still your all-time crush in the 2020s.”
Celebrities like Helena Christensen, Christie Brinkley, Sophia Bush, and Jennifer Beals sent her love and encouragement, with all sorts of compliments.
Another of Shield’s fans also wrote a rather flowery speech, “Even more beautiful than before. Thank you for always sharing smiles, positivity, and so much self-respect from the beginning. What a special role model for everyone to benefit from.”
Meanwhile, heritage jeans brand Jordache’s President Liz Berlinger stated, “We are excited to work with Brooke Shields. Like Jordache, she is iconic in fashion. We have watched her grow from a young girl into an incredible woman, mother, and entrepreneur – throughout it all she has remained authentic and an inspiration to women everywhere.”
Iconic indeed…
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