Brooke Shields‘ career has always placed beauty and body image at the forefront of her mind, but it wasn’t until she became a mother that she felt positively about her own beauty and body, or even beauty and body image in the abstract.

During a forum with SheKnows at this year’s WWD Wellness Summit, Shields explained how her Gen Z daughters have expanded her perspective on beauty, saying, “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. [Putting makeup on] used to be a chore for me — I never wore makeup if I didn’t have to; to me, that was a job.”




The actress and model-turned-wellness brand founder continued, “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].”


Shields shared that she also had a profound perspective shift on her own body image once she became pregnant: “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.”


She continued, “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.”


What a profound conclusion: Beauty is not “an indulgence,” but “a valued part of your existence.” Join us in adding that statement to our daily mantra list, because wow … we have chills.













Related story





	
				Andy Cohen Serenades Daughter Lucy & Her Bright Blue Eyes Light Up

Before you go, check out these celebrity moms who have embraced the changes in their bodies after giving birth.