At 57, Pamela Anderson Says People ‘Never Liked’ Her Before She Went Makeup-Free
Pamela Anderson reflected on her now famous decision to go makeup-free at red carpet events and online.
For her, the decision was about being the truest version of herself.
“I want to challenge the idea of beauty and this mask we put on,” she said.
From fans’ points of view, Pamela Anderson’s choice to go makeup-free at Paris Fashion Week last year was random, out of the blue. But for her, it was very calculated and a long time coming. In a new interview, she elaborated on the shift. Put simply, her life is no longer conducive to painting on the Pam Anderson iconography of the ’90s.
A few years ago, Anderson moved back home to Canada where she lives on a piece of land near the beach, hosts family, tends to her garden, and cooks—things she always did while raising her kids behind closed doors. But this was a far cry from her glamorous public image, she told Better Homes & Gardens. At 57, it was finally time for those two worlds to collide.
“That was the beginning of me letting go of the image I had always had of myself. What is this cartoon character that I’d created? OK, that was fun. But I’m not that person anymore,” she recalled. “It was a dance I was doing that I was only partly aware of. And looking back, I can see why I did it. But I’ve always been into being a homemaker too... my kids have always seen that part of me. And it hurt them to think that those other things are the only things people think of their mom. Yes, she’s been in Playboy. Yes, she’s done all these things, but we know who she is.”
And so, the makeup came off and her gig as co-owner of minimalist skincare brand, Sonsie, slathered in a glowy simple three-step routine—sun spots, freckles, fine lines bared for all to see—stepped in.
“I don’t think I was ever striving for perfection. But somewhere along the way, I started thinking that I want to challenge the idea of beauty and this mask we put on,” she explained. “As soon as I took the mask off, the whole world opened up. It just happened to be this silly thing of being at Paris Fashion Week and me saying, ‘I’m not going to sit in a makeup chair for three hours. I’m going to the Louvre.’”
She continued: “It was such a refreshing way to see everything, and I didn’t think anyone would even notice. And then it became this whole thing. I have people stop me on the street now and say, ‘You know, I never liked you before, but I do now.’ And then I think, ‘Hmm, I know there’s a compliment in there somewhere.’”
The Baywatch star hasn’t sworn off makeup for good—she still occasionally dabbles in a natural look if she’s feeling it. To her, though, it’s all about feeling content with what’s underneath. The rest is just for fun. “This is me,” she captioned a February 2023 Instagram. “I’m happy with who I am right now.”
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