Rhianna Benson
Brooke Shields has sparked a controversial debate on the subject of consent this week.
Speaking to press ahead of the release of her new bombshell book, the American actress has slammed her former surgeon for giving her a 'little bonus' during her a labiaplasty procedure she previously underwent.
The 59-year-old is set to lift the lid on discomfort in her nether-regions in her upcoming memoire, Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman.
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In the tell-all book, she'll recall both bleeding and chafing throughout her youth, particularly during her high school years, caused by the extreme length of her labia.
She also details the moment that her 'wonderful' gynaecologist recommended she undergo labia reduction - otherwise known as 'labiaplasty'. And speaking to US Weekly this week about the release of her book, she revealed she had officially gone under the knife after being prompted by the medic.
Unfortunately for the former Blue Lagoon star, however - as she explains in her incoming release - Shields says she got more that she bargained for, and that her surgeon had thrown in a little extra during the procedure without her permission.
"Of course, it’s not covered by insurance because it’s considered cosmetic, which is very interesting," she recalled of the decision to undergo the surgery to the news outlet.
"The last time I did check, I did not want to be a porn star."
After recovering from the procedure, she returned to the office of her beloved Beverly Hills medic, telling the publication it was then that he 'proudly' informed her that he'd added 'a little twofer', in the form of a vaginal rejuvenation.
Whilst a labiaplasty sees the labia - the folds of skin in the vulva - either reshaped or shortened, a vaginal rejuvenation is a full-fledged procedure that sees female genital tissues surrounding the vagina tightened, reshaped, or reduced entirely.
The latter is a considerably more extreme procedure - being that it sees the average diameter of the vagina decreased - and is often sought in a mid to increase sexual satisfaction.
The mother-of-two will admit in her memoir that she was 'dumbfounded' to discover what had happened, describing the surgery as an 'irreversible invasion', and comparing it to a 'rape of some kind'.
"Nothing pointed toward this need to be tighter or smaller or firmer or younger, especially there," she told the publication ahead of the book's release, revealing she also opted not to tell her husband Chris Henchy about her experience for 'the longest time'.
After eventually filling in her other-half, Shields now believe it was vital to 'share this very intimate information', even if it is 'too graphic or simply TMI'.
“If we are to change the way we approach and talk about women’s health," she told the publication. "Then we need to bring up the uncomfortable but very real issues.
"Shame is no longer an option."