'I'm amazed I survived it.' Brooke Shields was just a child when she was sexualised in Hollywood.

Brooke Shields has had a spotlight on her for over 45 years. 

In that time, she's dealt with an alcoholic mother, a life propelled into media headlines and the sexualisation of her body. 

Now, in a teaser trailer for her upcoming two-part documentary, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, the 57-year-old has recalled the constant focus placed on her looks throughout her career.

"The entirety of my life it was 'she's a pretty face' over and over and over and over again," she said. "And that always just seared me."

Watch the trailer for the upcoming documentary 'Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields'. Post continues below. 

In the tailer, a teenage Shields is seen sitting down with talk show host Mike Douglas.

"You really are an exquisite looking young lady," Douglas tells her on his The Mike Douglas Show.

"I know you've been told that but isn't she a pretty girl?" he asks the audience as they clap.

The documentary, which will be released on April 3, also highlights how Shields was a "sexualised child model" and "catapulted into the world of adult sexuality".

"I'm amazed that I survived any of it," said Shields. 

"I was struggling to find my own voice... I wasn't told it was important to have agency."

Ahead of the documentary's release, here's what we know about Shield's life in the spotlight, which saw her sexualised and deemed "the most famous virgin in the world". 

Shields began modelling at just 11 months old and was described by Eileen Ford – founder of the Ford Modelling Agency – as a "professional child and unique. She looks like an adult and thinks like one".

She found success as a child model and took worrying risks under the direction of her mother who allowed her to pose naked. The photos were later published in a Playboy-owned magazine, Sugar And Spice. She was 10 years old.

Brooke Shields and Teri Shields. Image: Getty.

Eventually, Shields pivoted into acting at 11 years old. Her first role would be a small one in the 1977 film Annie Hall, directed by Woody Allen. While the role would be cut out of the final edit, she would score a starring role in her next movie – the 1978 film Pretty Baby. 

The film showed Shields as a child prostitute and was heavily criticised for sexualising the then-young actor. 

It didn't phase the actor who shot up into stardom and gained worldwide notoriety. She became the youngest fashion model to appear on the cover of Vogue in 1980. That same year, she appeared in a TV ad for Calvin Klein jeans where the ad included the tagline: "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." 

Shields starred in Blue Lagoon later that year, where she went topless. 

Brooke Shields in Blue Lagoon. Image: Getty.

The mass hysteria surrounding the actor was "creepy" and obsessive Shields said, because not only did the media and fans sexualise her, they obsessed over her "virginity" too. 

Later, when she was enrolled at Princeton University, a book was published in her name. While it discussed incredibly personal details concerning her, Shields hadn't written the book.

"I mean, I think it was, in hindsight, a bit of a mistake for me to be so open about my virginity because it never left me alone," she explained on her podcast Now What? With Brooke Shields, last year. 

The book was released in 1985 and titled On Your Own. While it was intended to help college students adjust to a new life in college, there was a chapter that became tabloid fodder for gossip magazines. 

"In it, there was one part of a chapter, where I discuss – not abstinence per se – but owning your choice," she said.

"I would get a lot of fan mail from kids saying, 'Oh, my boyfriend's pressuring me, and I don't want to have sex. What do I do? My narrative was, 'You don't have to do anything you don't want to'."

Listen to this episode of The Spill, Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast. Post continues below. 

She later said that while the topic of virginity was only a small part of the book, it immediately became "the most talked about" thing in the media.

"Creepy" situations began to occur and Shields recalled moments when "old" male interviewers forced her to speak up about her virginity. 

"There was something to be in the line of fire, at such a young age, in that way. I gained a resilience. It did sort of set me up to be ready for anything," Shields revealed.

Brooke Shields in 2022. Image: Getty.

While the actor did end having sex for the first time at 22 years old, she admits she regrets the "when" factor and wishes she'd only done it sooner. 

"I have regret around [waiting]," she said. "Because there was a sense of joy and freedom that I should have been able to feel within a relationship that was so lovely and so beautiful and sweet."

This article was originally published on November 10, 2022 and was updated on March 22, 2023.

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.