In a time long ago, before the culture was inundated with scantily clad pop tarts, Brooke Shields was the most hyper-sexualized teen of her day. Looking back, she says her status as a sex symbol drove her away from the bedroom and towards the kitchen.
"I think I would have lost my virginity earlier than I did at 22. I had the public and all this pressure, and I wish I had just gotten it over with ... I think I wouldn’t have had issues with weight—I carried this protective 20 pounds [in college]. It was all connected. And to me, that’s a health regret," Shields told Health magazine.
A 13-year-old Shields appeared partially nude as the daughter of a New Orleans madame in Louis Malle's "Pretty Baby." As a 14-year-old she filmed love scenes with 18-year-old Christopher Atkins for "Blue Lagoon" and spent much of the movie with her hair glued over her breasts. The following year she starred in "Endless Love" as a 15-year-old who sleeps with her 17-year-old boyfriend.
Amidst all this, she did a series of print and TV ads for Calvin Klein jeans with the notorious tag line, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."
For men of a certain age, this campaign was nothing short of maddening.
That Shields managed to remain a virgin until she was 22 is a minor miracle.