A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by barrier islands or reefs. Lagoons are commonly divided into coastal lagoons and atoll lagoons. They have also been identified as occurring on mixed-sand and gravel coastlines. There is an overlap between bodies of water classified as coastal lagoons and bodies of water classified as estuaries. Lagoons are common coastal features around the world.

Definition[link]

Garabogaz-Göl lagoon in Turkmenistan.

Lagoons are shallow, often elongated bodies of water separated from a larger body of water by a shallow or exposed shoal, coral reef, or similar feature. Some authorities (such as Nybakken) include fresh water bodies in the definition of "lagoon", while others explicitly restrict "lagoon" to bodies of water with some degree of salinity. The distinction between "lagoon" and "estuary" also varies between authorities. Davis restricts "lagoon" to bodies of water with little or no fresh water inflow, and little or no tidal flow, and calls any bay that receives a regular flow of fresh water an "estuary". Davis does state that the terms "lagoon" and "estuary" are "often loosely applied, even in scientific literature."^[1] Kusky characterizes lagoons as normally being elongated parallel to the coast, while estuaries are usually drowned river valleys, elongated perpendicular to the coast.^{[2][1][3][4][5]} When used within the context of a distinctive portion of coral reef ecosystems, the term "lagoon" is synonymous with the term "back reef" or "backreef", which is more commonly used by coral reef scientists to refer to the same area.^[6] Coastal lagoons are classified as inland bodies of water.^[7][8]

Many lagoons do not include "lagoon" in their common names. Albemarle and Pamlico sounds in North Carolina,^[9] Great South Bay between Long Island and the barrier beaches of Fire Island in New York,^[10] Isle of Wight Bay, which separates Ocean City, Maryland from the rest of Worcester County, Maryland,^[11] Banana River in Florida,^[12] Lake Illawarra in New South Wales,^[13] Montrose Basin in Scotland,^[14] and Broad Water in Wales have all been classified as lagoons, despite their names. In England, The Fleet at Chesil Beach has also been described as a lagoon.

In Latin America often the use of “laguna”, which lagoon translates to, is used to describe a lake, such as Laguna Catemaco. In Portuguese, “lagoa” may be a body of shallow sea water, but also a relatively small freshwater lake not linked to the sea.

Etymology[link]

"Lagoon" is derived from the Italian laguna, which refers to the waters around Venice, the Lagoon of Venice. Laguna is attested in English by at least 1612, and had been Anglicized to "lagune" by 1673. In 1697 William Dampier referred to a "Lagune or Lake of Salt water" on the coast of Mexico. Captain James Cook described an island "of Oval form with a Lagoon in the middle" in 1769.^[15]

Atoll lagoons[link]

Atoll lagoons form as coral reefs grow upwards while the islands the reefs surround subside, until eventually only the reefs remain above sea level.

Coastal lagoons[link]

Coastal lagoons form along gently sloping coasts where barrier islands or reefs can develop off-shore, and the sea-level is rising relative to the land along the shore (either because of an intrinsic rise in sea-level, or subsidence of the land along the coast). Coastal lagoons do not form along steep or rocky coasts, or if the range of tides is more than 4 metres (13 ft). Due to the gentle slope of the coast, coastal lagoons are shallow. They are sensitive to changes in sea level. A relative drop in sea level may leave a lagoon largely dry, while a rise in sea level may let the sea breach or destroy barrier islands, and leave reefs too deep under water to protect the lagoon. Nybakken describes coastal lagoons and barrier islands as a "coupled system". Coastal lagoons are young and dynamic, and may be short-lived in geological terms. Coastal lagoons are common, occurring along nearly 15 percent of the world's shorelines. In the United States, lagoons are found along more than 75 percent of the eastern and Gulf coasts.^[3][4]

Coastal lagoons are usually connected to the open ocean by inlets between barrier islands. The number and size of the inlets, precipitation, evaporation, and inflow of fresh water all affect the nature of the lagoon. Lagoons with little or no interchange with the open ocean, little or no inflow of fresh water, and high evaporation rates, such as Lake St. Lucia, in South Africa, may become highly saline. Lagoons with no connection to the open ocean and significant inflow of fresh water, such as the Lake Worth Lagoon in Florida in the middle of the 19th century, may be entirely fresh. On the other hand, lagoons with many wide inlets, such as the Wadden Sea, have strong tidal currents and mixing. Coastal lagoons tend to accumulate sediments from inflowing rivers, from runoff from the shores of the lagoon, and from sediment carried into the lagoon through inlets by the tide. Large quantities of sediment may be occasionally be deposited in a lagoon when storm waves overwash barrier islands. Mangroves and marsh plants can facilitate the accumulation of sediment in a lagoon. Benthic organisms may stabilize or destabilize sediments.^[3][4]

River-mouth Lagoons on Mixed Sand and Gravel Beaches[link]

River-mouth lagoons on mixed sand and gravel (MSG) beaches form at the river-coast interface, where a braided river interacts with a coastal environment that is significantly affected by longshore drift ^[16]. The lagoons which form on the MSG coastlines are often located on the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand and have long been referred to as 'hapua' by the Maori People. This classification differentiates hapua from similar lagoons located on the New Zealand coast termed 'waituna'. Hapua are often located on paraglacial coastal areas^[17] where there is a low level of coastal development and minimal population density. Hapua form as freshwater fills an elongated coast-parallel area, blocked from the sea by a MSG barrier which constantly alters its shape and volume due to longshore drift^[16][18]. Longshore drift continually extends the barrier behind which the hapua forms by transporting sediment along the coast. Hapua are defined as a narrow shore-parallel extensions of the coastal riverbed^[18]. They discharge the majority of stored water to the ocean via an ephemeral and highly mobile drainage channel or outlet^[19]. The remainder percolates through the MSG barrier due to its high levels of permeability. Hapua systems are driven by a wide range of dynamic processes that are generally classified as fluvial or marine; changes in the balance between these processes as well as the antecedent barrier conditions can cause shifts in the morphology of the hapua, in particular the barrier. New Zealand examples include the Rakaia, Ashburton and Hurunui river-mouths.

Hapua Environment[link]

Hapua have been identified as establishing in the Canterbury Bight coastal region on the east coast of the South Island. They are often found in areas of coarse-grained sediment where contributing rivers have moderately steep bed gradients ^[16]. MSG beaches in the Canterbury Bight region contain a wide range of sediment sizes from sand to boulders^[20] and are exposed to the high energy waves that make up an east coast swell environment^[21]. MSG beaches are reflective rather than dissipative energy zones due to their morphological characteristics. They have a steep foreshore which is known as the ‘engine room’ of the beach profile. In this zone, swash and backwash are dominating processes alongside longshore transport ^[22]. MSG beaches do not have a surf zone; instead a single line of breakers is visible in all sea conditions^[16]. Hapua are associated with MSG beaches as the variation in sediment size allows for the barrier to be permeable.

The east coast of the South Island has been identified as being in a period of chronic erosion of approximately 0.5 metres per year^[23]. This erosion trend is a result of a number of factors. Zenkovich^[17] defined the rivers on the east coast as ‘small’; this classification was not related to their flow rate but to the insufficient amount of sediment that they transport to the coast. The sediment provided is not adequate to nourish the coast against its typical high energy waves and strong longshore drift. These two processes constantly remove sediment depositing it either offshore or further up drift^[24]. As the coastline becomes eroded the hapua have been 'rolling back' by eroding the backshore to move landwards^[18].

Hapua or river-mouth lagoons form in micro-tidal environments. A micro-tidal environment is where the tidal range (distance between low tide and high tide) is less than two metres^[16]. Tidal currents in a micro-tidal zone are less than those found on meso-tidal (two – four metres) and macro-tidal (greater than four metres) coastlines^[25]. Hapua form in this type of tidal environment as the tidal currents are unable to compete with the powerful freshwater flows of the rivers therefore there is no negligible tidal penetration to the lagoon^[16]. A fourth element of the environment in which hapua form is the strong longshore drift component^[16]. Longshore or littoral drift is the transportation of sediments along the coast at an angle to the shoreline. In the Canterbury Bight coastal area; the dominant swell direction is northwards from the Southern Ocean^[16]. Therefore the principal movement of sediment via longshore drift is north towards Banks Peninsula. Hapua are located in areas dominated by longshore drift; because it aids the formation of the barrier behind which the hapua is sited.

A hapua also requires sediment to form the lagoon barrier. Sediment which nourishes the east coast of New Zealand can be sourced from three different areas. Material from the highly erodible Southern Alps is removed via weathering; then carried across the Canterbury Plains by various braided rivers to the east coast beaches^[24][18]. The second source of sediment is the high cliffs which are located in the hinterland of lagoons^[24]. These can be eroded during the occurrence of high river flow or sea storm events. Beaches further south provide nourishment to the northern coast via longshore transport.

Hapua Characteristics[link]

Hapua have a number of characteristics which includes shifts between a variety of morphodynamic states due to changes in the balance between marine and fluvial processes as well as the antecedent barrier conditions^[18]. The MSG barrier constantly changes size and shape as a result of the longshore drift. Water stored in the hapua drains to the coast predominately though an outlet; although it can also seep through the barrier depending on the permeability of the material^[18][26].

Changes in the level of the lagoon water do not occur as a result of saltwater or tidal intrusion. Water in a hapua is predominately freshwater originating from the associated river. Hapua are non-estuarine, there is no tidal inflow however the tide does have an effect on the level of water in the lagoon. As the tide reaches its peak, the lagoon water has a much smaller amount of barrier to permeate through so the lagoon level rises^[27]. This is related to a physics theory known as hydraulic hear. The lagoon level has a similar sinusoidal wave shape as the tide but reaches its peak slightly later^[26]. In general, any saltwater intrusion into the hapua will only occur during a storm via wave overtopping or sea spray^[18][24].

Hapua can act as both a source and sink of sediment^[24][23]. The majority of sediment in the hapua is fluvial sourced^[16]. During medium to low river flows, coarser sediment generally collects in the hapua; while some of the finer sediment can be transported through the outlet to the coast^[24]. During flood events the hapua is 'flushed out' with larger amounts of sediment transferred through the outlet. This sediment can be deposited offshore or downdrift of the hapua replenishing the undernourished beach^[24]. If a large amount of material is released to the coast at one time it can be identified as a 'slug'. These can often be visible from aerial photographs.

Antecedent barrier conditions combined with changes in the balance between marine and fluvial processes results in shifts between a variety of morphological states in a hapua or river-mouth lagoon on a MSG beach. Marine processes includes the direction of wave approach, wave height and the coincidence of storm waves with high tides^[28]. Marine processes tend to dominate the majority of morphodynamic conditions until there is a large enough flood event in the associated river to breach the barrier^[16]. The level and frequency of base or flood flows are attributed to fluvial processes. Antecedent barrier conditions comprise of the permeability, volume and height of the barrier as well as the width and presence of previous outlet channels^[28]. During low to medium river flows, the outlet from the lagoon to the sea becomes offset in the direction of longshore drift^[24]. Outlet efficiency tends to decrease the further away from the main river-mouth the outlet is^[18]. A decrease in efficiency can cause the outlet to become choked with sediment and the hapua to close temporarily. The potential for closure varies between different hapua depending on whether marine or fluvial processes are the bigger driver in the event. A high flow event; such as a fresh or flood can breach the barrier directly opposite the main river channel^[24][18]. This causes an immediate decrease in the water level of the hapua; as well as transporting previously deposited sediments into the ocean. Flood events are important for eroding lagoon back shores; this is a behaviour which allows hapua to retreat landward and thus remain coastal landforms even with coastal transgression and sea level rise^[18]. During high flow events there is also the possibility for secondary breaches of the barrier or lagoon truncation to occur.

Storm events also have the ability to close hapua outlets as waves overtop the barrier depositing sediment and choking the scoured channel^[23]. The resultant swift increase in lagoon water level causes a new outlet to be breached rapidly due to the large hydraulic head that forms between the lagoon and sea water levels. Storm breaching is believed to be an important but unpredictable control on the duration of closures at low to moderate river flow levels in smaller hapua^[23].

Hapua are extremely important for a number of reasons. They provide a link between the river and sea for migrating fish as well as a corridor for migratory birds^[16][29]. To lose this link via closure of the hapua outlet could result in losing entire generations of specific species as they may need to migrate to the ocean or the river as a vital part of their lifecycle. River-mouth lagoons such as hapua were also used a source for mahinga kai (food gathering) by the Maori people^[16][29]. However, this is no longer the case due to catchment degradation which has resulted in lagoon deterioration. River-mouth lagoons on MSG beaches are not well explained in international literature.

Hapua Case Study[link]

The hapua located at the mouth of the Rakaia River stretches approximately three kilometres north from where the river-mouth reaches the coast. The average width of the hapua between 1952 and 2004 was approximately 50 metres; whilst the surface area has stabilised at approximately 600,000 square metres since 1966^[30]. The coastal hinterland is comprised of erodible cliffs and a low lying area commonly known as the Rakaia Huts. This area has changed notably since European Settlement; with the drainage of ecologically significant wetlands and development of the small bach community.

The Rakaia River begins in the Southern Alps, providing approximately 4.2 Mt per year of sediment to the east coast. It is a braided river with a catchment area of 3105 kilometres squared and a mean flow of 221 cubic metres per second^[31]. The mouth of the Rakaia River reaches the coast south of Banks Peninsula. As the river reaches the coast it diverges into two channels; with the main channel flowing to the south of the island^[23]. As the hapua is located in the Canterbury Bight it is in a state of constant morphological change due to the prevailing southerly sea swells and resultant northwards longshore drift.

Images[link]

• 

  Glenrock Lagoon in Australia

• 

  Lagoa dos Patos lagoon in Brazil

• 

  Venetian Lagoon as seen by Landsat 1

• 

  Szczecin Lagoon as seen by Landsat c. 2000.

• 

  Vistula and Curonian lagoons on the Baltic Sea.

• 

  Nearly half the area of Kiritimati is covered with lagoons, some freshwater and some seawater.

• 

  Blue lagoon, Ölüdeniz, Turkey

• 

  Washdyke Lagoon in New Zealand

• 

  Marano Lagoon in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy

See also[link]

• Aerated lagoon
• Anaerobic lagoon
• Ayre (landform)
• Braided river
• Coastline
• Estuary
• Kerala backwaters
• Longshore Drift
• Sediment transport

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lagoons

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Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields at the 2008 Emmy Awards
Born	Brooke Christa Shields[1] (1965-05-31) May 31, 1965 (age 47) New York City, United States
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	1966–present
Spouse	Andre Agassi (1997–1999) Chris Henchy (2001–present)
Children	Rowan Francis (2003) Grier Hammond (2006)
Parents	Frank Shields (father) Teri Shields (mother)

Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model.^[2] Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle.^[1]

Early life[link]

Brooke Shields was born in New York City^[2] to Frank and Teri Shields (née Schmon), who divorced several months after she was born.

Through her father's side, she has Italian, French, Irish, and English roots, along with high social position and relations to nobility.^[3] Her paternal grandmother was the Italian princess Donna Marina Torlonia. Shields was raised in the Roman Catholic faith.^[4] She has two stepbrothers and three half-sisters.^[5][6]

When Shields was five days old, her mother openly stated she wanted her to be active in show business, "She's the most beautiful child and I'm going to help her with her career."^[7]

For her confirmation at the age of 10, Shields adopted her middle name, "Camille". While attending high school, Shields resided in Haworth, New Jersey.^[8]

When she was 12 years old, Shields played a child prostitute her age in the 1978 film Pretty Baby. Eileen Ford, founder of the Ford Modeling Agency, said of Brooke Shields: "...She is a professional child and unique. She looks like an adult and thinks like one."^[9]

Shields with Princeton University Band for taping of Sally Jessy Raphael's Show (Feb 1991)

Education[link]

She attended the all-female New Lincoln School until eighth grade.^[10][11] Shields graduated from The Dwight-Englewood School in Englewood, New Jersey in 1983.^[1]

Shields moved into the dorms of Princeton University to pursue her bachelor's degree in French literature, graduating in June 1987.^[12][13] While attending Princeton, she spoke openly about her sexuality and virginity. Shields was a member of the Princeton Triangle Club and the Cap and Gown Club. Her autobiography, On Your Own, was published in 1985.^[14] Her 1987 senior thesis was titled "The Initiation: From Innocence to Experience: The Pre-Adolescent/Adolescent Journey in the Films of Louis Malle, Pretty Baby and Lacombe Lucien."^[1]

In the op-ed page of The New York Times, her Princeton education was scrutinized after she had publicized her school records in a July edition of Life Magazine shortly after university graduation. The criticism emphasized that Shields did not take any courses in history, mathematics, philosophy, economics, world literature or science with laboratory experience.^[15]

Career[link]

Early work[link]

Brooke Shields began her career as a model in 1966, at the age of 11 months. Her first job was for Ivory Soap, shot by Francesco Scavullo.^[1] She continued as a successful child model with model agent Eileen Ford, who, in her Lifetime Network biography, stated that she started her children's division just for Shields.

In early 1980, the 14-year-old Shields was the youngest fashion model ever to appear on the cover of the top fashion publication Vogue magazine. Later that same year, Shields appeared in controversial print and TV ads for Calvin Klein jeans. The TV ad included her saying the famous tagline, "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."^[1][16][17] Brooke Shields ads would help catapult Klein's career to super-designer status.^[18]

From 1981 to 1983, Brooke Shields, her mother, photographer Gary Gross, Playboy Press and the New York City Courts were involved in litigation over the rights to some photographs her mother had signed away to the photographer (when dealing with models who are also minors, a parent or legal guardian must sign such a release form while other agreements are subject to negotiation) which were originally intended to appear in a book titled Sugar and Spice to be published by Playboy Press. The courts ruled in favor of the photographer but due to a strange twist in New York law, it would have been otherwise had Brooke Shields been considered a child "performer" rather than a model.^[19]

By the age of 16, Shields had become one of the most recognizable faces in the world, because of her dual career as a provocative fashion model and controversial child actress.^[1] TIME magazine reported, in its February 9, 1981, cover story, that her day rate as a model was $10,000. In 1983, Shields appeared on the cover of the September issue of Paris Vogue, the October and November issues of American Vogue and the December edition of Italian Vogue.^[12] During that period Shields became a regular at New York City's nightclub Studio 54.^[20] In 2009, a naked picture of Brooke Shields, taken when she was 10, and included in a work by Richard Prince, Spiritual America, created a row. It was removed from an exhibition at the Tate Modern after a warning from the police.^[21]

Film[link]

Brooke Shields at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.

Shields' first major film role was her 1978 appearance in Louis Malle's Pretty Baby, a movie in which she played a child who lived in a brothel (and in which there were numerous nude scenes).^[1] Because she was only 12 when the film was released, and possibly 11 when it was filmed, questions were raised about child pornography.^[22][23][24] This was followed by a slightly less controversial and less notable film, Wanda Nevada (1979).

After two decades of movies, her best known films are still arguably The Blue Lagoon (1980), which included a number of nude scenes between teenage lovers on a tropical island (Shields later testified before a U.S. Congressional inquiry that older body doubles were used in some of them), and Endless Love (1981). The MPAA initially rated Endless Love with an X rating. However, the film was re-edited to earn an R rating.^[25] She won the People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Young Performer in four consecutive years from 1981 to 1984. In 1998, she played lesbian Lily in The Misadventures of Margaret.^[26]

In 2001, Lifetime aired the film What Makes a Family, starring Brooke Shields and Cherry Jones in a true-to-life story of two married lesbian mothers and a baby versus the adoption laws of Florida.^[27]

Television appearances[link]

Brooke Shields has appeared in a number of television shows. In 1980, she was the youngest guest star to ever appear on The Muppet Show, in which she and the Muppets put on their own version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She was also the youngest person to host ABC's Fridays, a Saturday Night Live-like sketch comedy show, in 1981. In one episode of the popular comedy sitcom Friends, Shields played Joey's stalker. This role led directly to her being cast in the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan, in which she starred from 1996 until 2000, and which earned a People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series for her, in 1997, and two Golden Globe nominations.^[1]

In the early 1980s, she starred in the USPHS PSA sponsored by the American Lung Association as an initiative that VIPs should become examples and advocates of non-smoking.^[28] In the mid-1980s, Brooke began her support of the USO by touring with Bob Hope.^[29]

Brooke Shields aboard the USS Midway (CV-41) during a USO tour on January 1, 1991.

Shields made a couple of guest appearances on That '70s Show. She played Pam Burkhart, Jackie's (Mila Kunis) mother, who later was briefly involved with Donna's (Laura Prepon) father (played by Don Stark). Shields left That '70s Show when her character was written out. Shields recorded the narration for the Sony/BMG recording of The Runaway Bunny, a Concerto for Violin, Orchestra and Reader, by Glen Roven. It was performed by the Royal Philharmonic and Ittai Shapira.

In the latter half of the first decade of the 21st century, Shields guest-starred on shows like FX's Nip/Tuck and CBS' Two and a Half Men. In 2005, Shields appeared in a season two episode of HBO's Entourage, entitled "Blue Balls Lagoon." In 2007, she made a guest appearance on Disney's Hannah Montana playing Susan Stewart, Miley and Jackson's mother, who died in 2004. In 2008, she returned in the primetime drama Lipstick Jungle. The series ended a year later.^[1]

In 2010, Brooke Shields guest-starred in the situation comedy, The Middle, as the next-door nemesis of Patricia Heaton's character, Frankie.^[30][31] She also appeared as a featured celebrity in NBC's genealogy documentary reality series, Who Do You Think You Are?, where it was revealed that, through her father's ancestry, she is the distant cousin (many generations removed) of King Louis XIV of France, and thus a descendant of both Saint Louis and Henry IV of France.^[32]

Theatre[link]

Brooke has appeared in several Broadway theatre productions, including the musicals Grease (1994 revival) as Betty Rizzo, the 1998 revival of Cabaret (in 2001), the 2003 revival of Wonderful Town (in 2004-2005) and Chicago.^[1] She also performed in Chicago in London's West End. She took over the role of "Morticia" in the Broadway musical The Addams Family on June 28, 2011.^[33]

Personal life[link]

In the June 2009 issue of Health magazine, Brooke Shields related that she lost her virginity at age 22. She said it would have occurred earlier if she had a better self-image.^[34]

In the mid-1980s while at Princeton, Shields dated classmate Dean Cain.^[35] Shields has also been linked to John F. Kennedy Jr,^[36] actor Liam Neeson^[37] and singer George Michael.^[38] She was also a favorite date of Prince Naruhito of Japan.^[39] After a romantic interlude with John Travolta, the 16-year-old Brooke Shields dated 18-year-old Mohammed, son of the arms-dealer billionaire Adnan Khashoggi, in Cannes where they first met.^[40] At 18, Brooke Shields met Dodi Fayed and they became friends. Brooke was 24 years old when she spent the evening with Dodi Fayed in Paris to celebrate his 33rd birthday.^[41]

By the 1990s, Brooke Shields would be exhibiting her physique as an extension of her womanhood, promoting physical fitness as an extension of femininity, demonstrating that femininity and athletics are consistent rather than incongruous. Although she was not the only one, Shields had what was required to promote woman athletics.^[42]

Brooke has been married twice. From April 19, 1997, to April 9, 1999, Shields was married to professional tennis player Andre Agassi; the couple had been together since 1993.^[43] On April 4, 2001, she married television writer Chris Henchy after they met in 1999 through mutual friends.^[44] The couple have two daughters: Rowan Francis (born May 15, 2003) and Grier Hammond (born April 18, 2006).^[45]

Postpartum depression[link]

In the spring of 2005, Brooke Shields spoke to magazines (such as Guideposts) and appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to publicize her battle with postpartum depression, an experience that included depression, thoughts of suicide, an inability to respond to her baby's needs and delayed maternal bonding. The illness may have been triggered by a traumatic childbirth, the death of her father three weeks earlier, stress from in vitro fertilization, a miscarriage and a family history of depression, as well as the hormones and life changes which were brought on by childbirth. Her book, Down Came the Rain, discusses her experience,^[46] contributing to a greater public awareness of postpartum depression.^[47]

In May 2005, Tom Cruise, a Scientologist whose beliefs frown upon psychiatry, condemned Brooke, both personally and professionally, particularly for both using and speaking in favor of the antidepressant drug Paxil. As Cruise said, "Here is a woman and I care about Brooke Shields, because I think she is an incredibly talented woman, you look at [and think], where has her career gone?" Shields responded that Cruise's statements about anti-depressants were "irresponsible" and "dangerous." She said that he should "stick to fighting aliens" (a reference to Cruise's starring role in War of the Worlds as well as some of the more exotic aspects of Scientology doctrine and teachings), "and let mothers decide the best way to treat postpartum depression." The actress responded to a further attack by Cruise in an essay "War of Words" published in The New York Times on July 1, 2005, in which she made an individual case for the medication and said, "In a strange way, it was comforting to me when my obstetrician told me that my feelings of extreme despair and my suicidal thoughts were directly tied to a biochemical shift in my body. Once we admit that postpartum is a serious medical condition, then the treatment becomes more available and socially acceptable. With a doctor's care, I have since tapered off the medication but, without it, I wouldn't have become the loving parent I am today."^[48] On August 31, 2006, according to USAToday.com,^[49] Cruise privately apologized to Shields for the incident and Shields accepted and said that it was "heartfelt." Three months later, she and her husband attended the wedding of Cruise and Katie Holmes, in November, 2006.

Brooke Shields is a spokeswoman for Tupperware's Chain of Confidence SMART Girls campaign, a program that teaches girls to nurture their mental and physical well-being.

Relationship with Michael Jackson[link]

Brooke Shields spoke at the memorial service for Michael Jackson on July 7, 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, before a television audience of more than one billion people.^[50] Shields stated in that speech that she first met Michael when she was 13 years old, and the two instantly became friends.^[51] Shields said:

Thinking back to when we met and the many times that we spent together and whenever we were out together, there would be a caption of some kind, and the caption usually said something like 'an odd couple' or 'an unlikely pair,' but to us it was the most natural and easiest of friendships... Michael always knew he could count on me to support him or be his date and that we would have fun no matter where we were. We had a bond... Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together, we were two little kids having fun.^[52]

In her eulogy speech, she also shared a number of anecdotes, including an occasion in which she was his date for one of Elizabeth Taylor's weddings, and the pair sneaked into Taylor's room to get the first look at her dress, only to discover Taylor asleep in the bed. Shields gave a tearful speech, referring to the many times she and Michael Jackson shared and briefly joked about his famous sequin glove. She also mentioned Jackson’s favorite song "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin which was later sung in the memorial service by Jermaine Jackson.^[53]

New York Times columnist Gail Collins noted that "it was a little peculiar hearing Brooke Shields’s weepy testimony about her deep friendship with Jackson given the fact that she told reporters that the last time she saw him was at Elizabeth Taylor’s eighth wedding in 1991."^[54] This however does not agree with Michael's statements during his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey that he was dating Shields at the time,^[55] as well as with the fact that Shields was Michael Jackson's date to the 1993 Grammys.^{[citation needed]} Shields has stated that Jackson asked her to marry him numerous times and to adopt a child together.^{[56][dead link]}

Jackson said of Shields in a conversation with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach in 2001:

That was one of the loves of my life. I think she loved me as much as I loved her, you know? We dated a lot. We, we went out a lot. Her pictures were all over my wall, my mirror, everything. And I went to the Academy Awards with Diana Ross and this girl walks up to me and says "Hi, I'm Brooke Shields." Then she goes "Are you going to the after-party?" I go, "Yeah." "Good, I'll see you at the party." I'm going "Oh my God, does she know she's all over my room?" So we go the after-party. She comes up to me she goes, "Will you dance with me?" I went, "Yes. I will dance with you." Man, we exchanged numbers and I was up all night, singing, spinning around my room, just so happy. It was great.^[57]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Brooke Shields at the Internet Movie Database
• Brooke Shields at the Internet Broadway Database
• Brooke Shields at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• WebMD article on Shields and Postpartum Depression
• "Regarding Ardy": an online short film with Brooke Shields
• "The Runaway Bunny" violin concerto, by Glen Roven and narrated by Brooke Shields
• Brooke Shields 2007 Interview on Sidewalks Entertainment
• Brooke Shields 2007 short film on Funny Or Die