A physically attractive young Brooke Shields helped drive her career in Hollywood. However, it came with a great cost for the actor. She lost the 1983 court case about the right to continue selling n*de pictures of a 10-year-old Shields by a photographer named Garry Gross. Now the topic has resurfaced with the release of her two-part documentary on the 20th of January. The documentary is titled Pretty Baby: Brook Shields, which alludes to her 1978 movie of the same name. In the flick, she played a preteen prostitute. As it kind of touches the whole theme of the documentary, therefore, the title is a perfect fit.
Now the case has resurfaced again thanks to the documentary, and fans have taken to Twitter and are expressing their disagreement with the final ruling of the court in the 1983 case.
Fans Express Outrage at an Old Legal Case That Brooke Shields Lost
A new documentary called Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields premiered recently at the Sundance festival. It is a two-part documentary and as the title suggests, is centered around actress Brooke Shields. As it is a well-known fact, the Blue Lagoon actress got objectified in the industry when she was still a child. She was exploited by adults around her who obviously did not have any good interest in their hearts for the child. In 1983, Shields’ legal team appealed to the court to have an old contract (1975) signed by her mother with a photographer named Garry Gross terminated. However, the actor and her legal team could not achieve what they sought. Gross was allowed to continue selling n*de pictures of 10-year-old Shields which he took under the contract.
The case was done and dusted at the time, however, it has resurfaced with the new documentary and fans are naturally very disappointed at the court’s decision. One fan called out the adults in the actor’s life at the time, terming it a “disgrace”.
This is a disgrace beyond measure. The parents, the assaulter, the photographer who is selling nude photos of Brooke at 9-10 years old and the judge who said that it was harmless
— breannafaye.eth (@_breannafaye) January 22, 2023
Men didn’t control her, her mother pimped her out from birth
— Frank Malfitano (@FrankMalfitano) January 21, 2023
Another responded to this with,
It's always the mom (occasionally the dad). The industry is disgusting, but it always starts with an overly willing parent.
— Lex Jurgen (@Lex_Jurgen) January 21, 2023
Both can happen simultaneously
— breannafaye.eth (@_breannafaye) January 22, 2023
A Twitter user wrote,
if brooke shields or any other sexualized child actor wants to complain in retrospect about exploitation they really need look to their parents first of all. Their guardians. There are classic stories that involve young sex & first awakenings. They deserve to be told
— dean martini (@martinidayz) January 21, 2023
The documentary might actually shed light on a case that in the present time might have ended differently. But it’s nice to see people sticking up for Shields and her history as the youngest s*x symbol.
What Was The Case All About?
Back in 1978, Brooke Shields appealed to the court to break the contract her mother signed with Garry Gross, a photographer. The charges put forward by her legal team were on the basis of “Invasion of Privacy”.
Under the contract, he shot n*de pictures of 10-year-old Shields for a sum of 450 dollars paid to her mother. But unfortunately for the actor, Gross possessed the right to sell these pictures under the contract signed. This is exactly what the Blue Lagoon star wanted to get rid of. But she could not succeed in breaking the 1975 contract. The court ruled that Gross was allowed to sell and market the pictures anywhere except to p***ographic publications.
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields will be available to stream on Hulu.
Source: Twitter
