Today Show

I met Dr. Rita Dunn when I was just eleven years old. She was a kindergarten teacher and I was her class monitor. I stood at the end of the line as she took her little ones to the playground, and I helped pick up their blocks and clean the messy jars of finger paint after play period. I loved the time I spent with her. She was beautifully attired, stunningly attractive, and had a knack for making an awkward preteen feel special.

Also the school drama coach, Dr. Dunn coaxed me to try out for the role of Ado Annie in Oklahoma---and ultimately gave me the part. I never could imagine another circumstance under which such a shy young girl would ever find the self-confidence to appear center stage and belt out, “I Can’t Say No.” She told me I could do it and I did. In the audience, my startled parents beamed with pride. From time to time, I still hum the lyrics in the shower and look back at the cast photos in my closet...

In the past, actress Brooke Shields has been upfront and honest about her bout with post-partum depression. Now, the Princeton grad has taken up another personal cause: promoting the importance of female friendships.

Shields made the morning talk show rounds this week appearing on the Today Show and The View, where she announced that she is partnering with Tupperware as a spokesperson for the newly launched Chain of Confidence campaign. The web site offers an online community where women can link to the chain and discuss how friendship has affected their self-confidence.