When the world first witnessed actress Pamela Anderson makeup-free at Paris Fashion Week in 2023, the star was genuinely shocked at the amount of press coverage it garnered.
In an interview with Vogue, Anderson’s explained that her reason for going makeup-free was a simple one – she wanted her outfit speak for itself, and avoid the time suck of a full makeup look – which is incredibly relatable. Since then, however, Anderson’s initial thoughts seem to have developed a deeper sense of realisation.
Appearing on the Drew Barrymore Show, Anderson admitted that the decision wasn’t as easy as it first appeared. “I’ve had my little, you know, journey with it, but we all are our own worst critics,” she shared, before explaining how it eventually allowed her to “feel free.”
Speaking about the unexpected response she’s received since, she said: “When people started coming up to me and talking about it, I through, ‘well, this is a great message’, you know? To really peel it back and find out who I was again. I wanted to remember who I was.”
After all, seeing Pamela Anderson makeup-free felt like a stark departure from the iconic beauty looks we’d come to associate with the actress over the years. And as it turns out, this was the exact reason for Anderson’s change of heart.
“I found I played characters my whole life. I was painfully shy as a kid, even doing Playboy, for instance, was a huge leap of faith for me,” she shared with Barrymore.
“This is what my fantasy of what a model is, or a playmate is, or a rock star’s wife is, or what anything is. I’m going to do it the best, and I’ve been playing these characters along the way.”
The realisation led to a period of reflection for the actress, who, in a quest to rediscover her sense of self, retreated to her grandmother’s home where she spent time “getting into nature and going back to the trees that knew me since birth.”
It was during this time that Anderson realised how empowered she had started to feel. “I started realising, ‘Oh, I feel great as me, I don’t want people to think of me as all those cartoon characters I created for protection,'” before continuing, “This is the best time in my life. I feel so… excited about life again.”
Pamela Anderson’s Best Minimal Makeup Looks
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
