Book excerpt: "Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old"

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Brooke Shields has written two New York Times bestsellers that recount a life lived in the public eye, and of the challenges faced in private, whether it be post-partum depression or the loss of her mother. In her latest, "Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old: Thoughts on Aging as a Woman" (‎to be published January 14 by Flatiron Books), the model, actress and entrepreneur writes about the wrinkles that come with society's expectations of women as they reach or surpass "a certain age."

Shields, who will turn 60 in May, says that external perceptions don't match up with her internal sense of self, and that later years are something "to enjoy and revel in, not something to merely survive." She also notes how society's ignorance of the power (not to mention the purchasing power) of women middle-aged and older is short-sighted at best.