Being a mother to two Gen-Z daughters, Shields shares of observing and learning from the more evolved, positive definitions of beauty.
The glamour industry is infamous for being exceedingly critical of beauty and body standards. Being an Actress and a Model, Brooke Shields also found herself housing all the critical so-called guidelines about her body and beauty image for the longest time as well. However, when she became a mother, she truly experienced what body positivity felt like. In a forum with SheKnows at this year’s WWD Wellness Summit, Shields explained how being a mother to two Gen-Z daughters has widened the definitions of beauty for her. “It’s very interesting because I have one daughter who is constantly putting contour on … And my other daughter doesn’t really like to wear that much makeup." She recalled her own relationship with beauty practices, how putting on makeup felt like an inevitable chore for her, "To me, that was a job.”
Shields' daughters belong to a generation that associates beauty with individuality. As opposed to how makeup was a tool to match a generalized set standard, definitions of beauty have evolved for today's kids. She shared her conversation with one of her daughters. “I said [to my daughter], ‘You know, you don’t need makeup.’ [She told me], ‘Mom, [it] just makes me feel good.’ That never occurred to me as a child. I’m seeing this younger generation appreciate [beauty] differently and owning the fact that they’re not trying to look [like a] different person; they’re trying to feel better [about who they already are].”
She also shared how pregnancy really ignited a change of mindset for her. “I was never skinny [in the modeling world]. I was always told I was too big. When I got pregnant, and I had to feed this baby, and I had to be bigger, I finally started reveling in the fact that I had this body that was going to carry this thing.” Pregnancy and motherhood really led her to embrace her body after a really long time of being consistently stringent about her body image. “The first time I stepped outside of myself, and didn’t compare myself to other people — because when you’re in your mind, [in the modeling] industry, it’s all about comparison … Everything’s about what you’re not. It’s rarely [about] the way you [actually] are. [Pregnancy] was the first time that I actually [loved] all of my body, and then appreciated my face … And I think I always thought that beauty was an indulgence instead of a valued part of your existence.”
We all have our fair share of insecurities. Even the stars who we take to be the ever-confident flawless ones. It is heartwarming and empowering to see Shields talk about motherhood lifting her towards a healthier image of self. It's correctly said that children shape the world of parents just as much as parents shape theirs. Shields has two daughters Grier and Rowan, 18, with husband Christopher Henchy. She shares a very loving and fun relationship with both of them. In the Armchair Expert podcast hosted by Dax Shepard, she lovingly talks about them as she says "18 and a–hole. It’s so much fun.", as per reports from SheKnows.
References:
https://fairchildfashion.swoogo.com/wwdwellnessforum
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Mike Coppola
