With just one look at Brooke Shields' youngest daughter, Grier Hammond Henchy, the resemblance
between the pair is unmistakable. Though she might be rocking the red head to her mom's
signature brunette, everything else about her proves that she's basically becoming her
mom's twin. Here's why!
Brooke Shields has been open about the fact that she didn't travel along the easiest road
to motherhood. She gave birth to her first child, daughter Rowan, in 2003, after suffering
a miscarriage and undergoing several unsuccessful rounds of IVF. Shields opened up about the
difficulties she faced following the birth of her oldest daughter during an event for
the Hope for Depression Research Foundation, in 2009. She shared,
"I finally had a healthy, beautiful baby girl and I couldn't look at her."
Shields even wrote a bestselling memoir revealing the intimate details of her experience in
2006, called Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression. A fierce advocate
for women who have also shared a similar journey, and dedicated to eliminating the stigma that
surrounds the reportedly highly common diagnosis, Shields told Strahan, Sara and Keke's Sara
Haines,
"It was a period of time where I was so glad that I felt the need to go on record because
people come up to me all the time."
Three years after Rowan was born, Shields gave birth to her daughter Grier. She revealed
to People magazine that her second pregnancy was much easier than the first — but not
everyone in the family was feeling the good vibes. Apparently, Rowan, who was three at
the time, wasn't thrilled with the prospect of having a sibling. Shields recalled,
"I said to Rowan, 'The baby is going to live in our house.' There was a long pause, then
she looked at me and said, ‘She is going to live in my house?' But she’s been helping
me decorate the room. It’s been sweet. I’m glad she’ll have a sibling."
Grier hasn't launched an acting or modeling career just yet, but as the daughter of a
famous Hollywood star and a screenwriter/producer dad, she's growing up firmly planted in the
media spotlight. Fans have gotten little glimpses of Grier during nearly every stage of her
young life — from the time she was a little kid, to her turn as a teen fashionista on
the red carpet with her family, in 2020.
But despite Greer's semi-public upbringing, Shields isn't subjecting either of her daughters
to the same crazy childhood she experienced. She opened up about her past relationship
with her mom, Teri Shields, remembering in her 2015 memoir how her mom made all the decisions
early on in Shields' life — even starting her modeling career at only 11 months old.
These days, in regard to her own children, Shields is doing things much differently.
"Brooke Shields, she's a beautiful doll. It's the Brooke Shields doll with long, beautiful
hair you can style in so many ways."
Shields told the New York Post in 2017,
"I won’t be the one pushing [my daughters] into [the entertainment industry]."
"I say this all the time, but it's a business that's sort of predicated on eating its young,
you know, it's based on rejection."
Even though Grier has spent a fair amount of time in the spotlight, she still manages
to live a pretty low-key life in New York, thanks to her mom and dad. Shields told The
New York Post,
"I think they need to really have as much of a conventional upbringing as you can in
New York City, with kids their own age, and not be thrown into something with all the
pressure."
Family time remains top priority for Shields, who enjoys spending summers with her kids
at their family beach house in The Hamptons. But on a regular day, Grier is just like any
other kid, devoting loads of time to school. Vogue cameras captured Shields helping her
daughter out with some math homework, while she was getting glammed up for the Met Gala.
"A squared plus B squared equals C squared. Yeah, so that's like the right triangle. So,
A is to B, B is to C, therefore A is to C. Yeah, sure."
As Grier gets older, she's looking more and more like her supermodel mom. In fact, the
mother-daughter duo was spotted in 2018 at the Hamptons Classic Grand Prix, with InStyle
noting Grier's piercing eyes, charismatic smile, model cheekbones, and tall stature
— just like her mom, of course.
So it probably comes as no surprise that Grier is taking a page out of her mother's handbook,
and is already creating a buzz in the modeling world. Even without stepping onto a runway.
In a 2020 interview on the Go Ask Ali podcast, Shields hinted that one of her daughters has
caught the eye of industry professionals, explaining,
"There's an agency that wants her to start modeling and I kept saying, 'I need to understand
the why.'"
"They've got enough of being self-absorbed with selfies and, I dunno, all that kind of
stuff. It's enough already."
Both of Shields' daughters have expressed an interest in the arts, according to their
mother. Shields revealed to Net-A-Porter,
"They take all these selfies and borrow all my clothes and make mini movies."
But while Grier may be considering a future career in modeling, Shields told Social Life
Magazine that if that's something Grier is genuinely interested in, she has to get her
college degree first. She added,
"It's a cutthroat and demoralizing business. Plus, they want you when they want you, and
you have to be there for auditions and work, and my kids aren't missing school."
Shields herself graduated from Princeton University, an experience that she says grounded her,
and ultimately saved her from the cruelty of Hollywood.
"I was 14 when I was dancing at Studio 54. As one does."
She explained,
"If I hadn't had the intellectual piece as my friend, I would have been more devoured
by an industry that has no loyalty whatsoever. You do think because you've been in the industry
all of your life it will be loyal, but it's the antithesis of that."
Though Brooke Shields was a famous actress by the age of 14 — thanks to Pretty Baby,
and The Blue Lagoon — that doesn't mean she had everything all figured out by the
time she entered her teens. In fact, it was quite the opposite, as she tells it. She revealed
that both of her daughters are much more mature than she ever was at their age, telling Net-A-Porter,
"They have the same stubbornness and strength that I do, but are more well-adjusted. I am
jealous as all hell about that."
Of course, Rowan and Grier's strong personalities have everything to do with how well their
parents raised them — a stark contrast to the way in which Shields grew up in the public
eye, guided by her manager mom.
"Mama? Yes it's mama."
Shields told People in 2020,
"I grew up with absolutely the most conflicting, paradoxical way of living. I just shut down."
Shields also revealed that she had trouble feeling comfortable in her own skin, when
she was young. Instead, she struggled with body image, especially after starring in a
very revealing role in the film Pretty Baby. She shared with Yahoo! Life,
"I had a very strong disconnect to my body. I was the face on the covers, I was […] the
face or whatever the thing was that people and the press and everybody focused on."
And because Shields wasn't as thin as the models who were walking the runway at the
time, she couldn't fit into the sample sizes. As a result, she began to believe that her
body wasn't worth loving. Now with her own daughters, Shields is teaching them something
that took a long time for her to learn, herself. She told the outlet,
"I'm trying to present to them the image of a whole woman, which was very different from
the way I grew up."
"Insecurity is the enemy of happiness."
In practicing the tactic, Shields hopes her daughters learn to love their bodies, and
never feel the shame that she once did.
Shields' body-positive parenting is working so well that Grier is even encouraging her
mom to be more confident in herself. In fact, Shields credits her youngest daughter and
her sister for inspiring her to post bikini photos on Instagram — which, of course,
were a hit with fans. Shields told Yahoo! Entertainment,
"My daughters are always like, 'Mom, you work so hard. Why don't you ever post?'"
"The more you do, the more your kids want you to do. It will never be enough for them.
So, you have to define what's good for you."
Shields went on to reveal that she sometimes feels a little weird posting alluring shots
of herself to her more than one million followers. But because her own daughters are constantly
encouraging her and telling her how great she looks in a swimsuit, any awkwardness she
feels is diminished by the positivity. She said,
"They've given me such confidence to sort of be a little bit more of an exhibitionist.
[…] They know that I try and I care about myself, and they also know I give myself a
break and enjoy my life."
In an effort to protect her youngest daughter from the harshness of the world — and the
negativity that can come from it — Shields doesn't give Grier complete freedom when it
comes to social media. While Shields' own image was controlled by her momager growing
up — long before Instagram ever existed — Shields explained to the Go Ask Ali podcast
that these days kids and teens have the ability to do that themselves. But as an added measure
of guidance, Shields and her hubby have access to both their daughters' social media accounts,
including…
"The power to turn it off for any reason."
Grier didn't have a public social media account when her mother gave the interview, as she
was only 14 years old at the time. But it appears that's all by design. Shields says
she wants her daughter to understand the power of social media before ever posting on it.
She said,
"We have put the fear of God into them with regards to, 'Whatever you post doesn't go
away. The words you choose have to be chosen very carefully.'"
Fortunately, she says, Grier is starting to get the idea.
Just like her mom, it appears Grier has learned the value of a dollar early on — except
she's not modeling or starring in movies in order to earn an income. For the first time
ever, in 2020, Grier and her sister had to work a summer job. While Shields didn't specify
exactly what it was — she did say it was a real job, telling Us Weekly,
"They got a paycheck every week."
Shields also taught her daughters how to manage the money they earned, in the hopes that it
would teach them a lesson about valuing hard work. She added,
"This was their hard-earned money. And they realized how hard it was to get that check,
that piece of paper."
Shields revealed that working at a real job also gave Grier and her sister an appreciation
for the work Shields and her husband do, as well.
"You were what 14 and on the front cover of Vogue. Yeah, I was like the youngest person."
She said of her daughters,
"They have a larger understanding of what it means to work and provide."
The height to match
If Grier ever decides to pursue a career in the modeling industry, she certainly has the
genetics to do it. Her mom is reportedly six feet tall, according to Insider, and from
the looks of it, Grier isn't too far behind.
Whether or not Grier will ever follow in her mom's footsteps as an actress and model is
still to be determined. But it's safe to say that she has an incredible role model to look
up to if that's the industry she chooses. Her mom's longevity in Hollywood is impressive,
to say the least. But no matter what direction Grier decides to go in, Shields will make
sure she's serious about doing the work. She told Net-A-Porter,
"No matter who your parents are, you either have it or you don't, and you have to commit
— it can't be a hobby."
While Shields has worked hard to protect her youngest daughter's privacy — ever since
she was just a child — we can tell from the more recent photos they've posted together
that she and Grier appear to be inseparable. From social mixers in The Hamptons to movie
premieres in Hollywood, this mother-daughter duo seem to be very close — often posing
with their arms around each other.
In addition to public appearances, you can see Shields being super chummy with her daughter
on Instagram. Shields has also posted sweet tributes to Grier on the gram as well, in
which she refers to Grier as her, quote, "baby." But as perfect as this family seems, it just
might not be all roses and butterflies behind the scenes, according to Shields.
"Do they know what an icon you are, Brooke?"
"If I was a TikTok star, then maybe."
Shields hilariously admitted on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that it's tough
raising teens, confessing,
"They don't want anything to do with their mother."
"My 14 year old is 14. Her life's hard."
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