A two part documentary series that examines the early stardom and shocking, harrowing exploitation of a teen idol, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields is a hard hitting watch to be sure. But out of it all , we get a picture of the woman behind the image and how resilient she has been to where she is now.

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields focuses on the journey the former teen idol made from sexualised girl to strong woman reflecting on it all. From before she could talk or walk, Brooke was in front of a camera , orchestrated by her mother/manager Teri. She was a formidable and controlling woman who seems to have insidiously exploited the prettiness of her daughter by placing her in content that was wholly inappropriate. These consisted of the highly controversial Pretty Baby, in which an 12 year old Brooke portrays a child prostitute and nudity is required. Next comes The Blue Lagoon, in which Brooke was 14 during production and though never really seen without clothing, the implications and sexualisation of an underage girl is very apparent and unsettling. Plus the marketing of the film in the words of Shields “ Sold her sexual awakening” , which is deeply problematic and difficult to get your head around when you consider her young age. The Calvin Klein adverts for jeans that she did at 15 are alarmingly in your face, her purring “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvin’s? Nothing”  . It’s hard to believe all this happened before she was a grown up and it’s truly shocking that it was plainly in sight for everyone to see

One telling thing is that all the people who made a point of uncomfortable remarks towards the young actress, except Brooke’s mother, are men who seemed to think it was ok to do this. It really shows how times have changed. There’s still a while to go in society before the balance is restored and double standards are eroded, but it’s gradually progressing to it. We get an insight into how the movie industry and society worked in the 70’s and 80’s. It doesn’t feel like long ago, which makes some of the content even more disturbing. We see many interviews and instances of the teenage Brooke being spoke to in a leering manner by many older men; catching her occasionally pained glances as she attempts to laugh it off like it was fine, when it was anything but. People focused on her sexuality so much that they forgot that she was a living, breathing human like everyone else. It seems that because of the image of , it lead to much in the way of misunderstanding with how people perceived her. A clear cut example of this is when Brooke, having took time away from acting to focus on studies, then wrote a book showing she was just like any girl. People responded to it, but once again in a way that made it seem salacious. The fact she revealed she was a virgin until her mid 20’s was hijacked and mocked, when all she was trying to do was say there shouldn’t be a pressure on young people for this. And one of the most horrifying parts of this documentary is Brooke Shields revealing she was sexually assaulted by a producer who she thought was offering her a film role. The fact she blamed herself at the time for the incident is devastating and says a lot about how women have been conditioned by society for centuries to think this way because of a toxic patriarchy.

The most prominent feature of this documentary is the framing device employed by the talented director Lana Wilson. Brooke speaks to the camera on a stool, as if getting ready for her picture to be taken. It’s telling because we constantly see images and footage of her having to pose , but this time she is the one in charge and is doing it on her own terms. She’s now allowed to have a voice and not just be an object to be lusted after anymore. The narrative is now in line with her as a woman and as a person , which is exactly the way it should be. She is not like a “real living doll”, which one advertiser used as a tagline when doing dolls in her likeness. No longer is Brooke Shields an object of attractiveness for others, but a strong woman who is anything but exploited anymore. 

Out of all of it, Brooke Shields comes through as a strong woman who never realised in the beginning she could have agency.  And this heartbreaking but open documentary series is testament to someone who has seen the ugly side of the industry for a long time, and emerged out the other side. I’d highly recommend this documentary, but I’ll say that it’s a tough watch.