<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0CvkGX_0vlKdJKx00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0CvkGX_0vlKdJKx00" width="1200" height="630" >Brooke Shields visited Missouri State University on Tuesday for her keynote during the Public Affairs Conference. Shields spoke at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts and was the first of five in-person-only presenters to kick off MSU’s Public Affairs Conference week.Vice President for University Advancement Brent Dunn was the moderator of the event, interviewing Shields.Shields emphasized the power of reclaiming her public image. Due to the films Shields starred in during her youth, she said she was often typecast into femme fatale or Lolita-type roles but did not feel comfortable portraying those characters. “I was never asked — or allowed, I should say — to be funny,” Shields said. When she appeared on “Friends” in 1996, Shields felt like she was finally trusted with “kind of crazy” material, and a “lightbulb went off.” In the same year, the NBC sitcom “Suddenly Susan” starring Shields aired. For four years she performed a comedy-centric role. For the first time, Shields felt genuine as a performer, reaching a level of authenticity she had not previously experienced.Shields also found a sense of relinquishment in comedy. “You can’t plan it, and that’s hard for people to do,” she said. “It’s hard for them to let go of control, and for me, that’s when I come alive.” Shields credits her four years at Princeton University for granting her a level of anonymity, freedom and trust, which she said are often some of the first qualities and aspects of life that are lost when a person is in the entertainment industry.Growing up with a single mother, Shields’ early childhood work kept her family financially stable. She discovered early on that acting was an occupation that could bring financial freedom and safety, just like any other job. Oftentimes, she viewed her projects as transactional. “I learned at a very early age that it was really important to have a strong work ethic,” she said.Contrary to the portrayal of her mother in the media, Shields said she was very protected as a child actress and did not experience the “scary part” of Hollywood as many young actors have. Shields was very close with her mother, who was an alcoholic, and often felt responsible for her mother’s life, fearing their separation would leave her questioning her place in the world. It was important to Shields to tell the narrative of her dynamic with her mother from her own perspective and wrote the book “There Was a Little Girl” after the death of her mother.“I just wanted (the public) to understand the complexities (of our relationship),” she said Shields also struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of her first daughter and said she felt a “beautiful” responsibility to her daughters and other women who have felt shame because of their experience. In January 2025, Shields is set to release “Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old,” a book detailing the agency that comes with embracing your age as a woman. Entering a new era of her life, Shields said she’s focusing on celebrating the journey of life.“I’ve lived 59 years through a lot of stuff,” she said. “And we can all relate to that, and we need to give ourselves credit.”By sharing her story of postpartum depression, fame, her relationship with her mother and the ageism she’s faced as a woman, Shields has taken the reins on her life.“I’ve had so much said about me my whole life, that I learned early on that I needed to get ahead of my own narrative because it’s my story,” Shields said. Follow Liz Garcia on Instagram, @liz.vanessa__Subscribe to The Standard's free weekly newsletter here.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Brooke Shields presents keynote at MSU for 2024 Public Affairs Conference

Brooke Shields visited Missouri State University on Tuesday for her keynote during the Public Affairs Conference. Shields spoke at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts and was the first of five in-person-only presenters to kick off MSU’s Public Affairs Conference week. Vice President for University Advancement Brent...