Pamela Anderson gave a candid interview about her decision to go makeup-free and stop “playing characters.”
The 57-year-old model appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show on Tuesday (October 22), where the host congratulated her for being a “pioneer” among celebrities who are ditching makeup.
“Doesn’t it feel free? I feel free,” Pamela began telling Drew, who has also embraced her natural beauty. “It’s taken a while. I’ve had my little journey with it. We all are our own worst critics.”
Pamela Anderson revealed that she decided to go makeup-free after experiencing an identity crisis in her fifties
Image credits: The Drew Barrymore Show
The Baywatch alum shared that the first time she attracted attention for her bare-faced look was at Paris Fashion Week in 2023. Before the event, she decided not to waste time on makeup or compete with other women over her outfit.
“I decided I was just in a fashion show. I didn’t need to compete with anybody. Why am I wasting three hours in a makeup chair when I have these beautiful Vivienne Westwood clothes on?” the Canadian star continued, adding that she didn’t realize people would notice the change.
After receiving so much attention, Pamela decided to continue to send “a great message” to society.
The decision to ditch makeup—including her signature smokey eye— helped her connect with who she truly was and what she desired.
“I wanted to remember who I was. 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. I was physically sick doing it, but I didn’t want to be shy anymore,” the star continued.
“It just hit me a couple of years ago, and I was just shaking my head, going, ‘Who am I?'” the 57-year-old said on The Drew Barrymore Show
“I just thought, well, ‘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.
“It just hit me a couple of years ago, and I was just shaking my head, going, ‘Who am I?'”
“And that’s when I went home into my garden and started planting things and getting into nature and going back to the trees that knew me since birth. I bought my grandmother’s property and renovated it.”
Pamela added: “I just started taking it all back, and then started peeking out without makeup, and then I started realizing, ‘Oh, I feel great as me, I don’t want people to think of me as all those cartoon characters I created for protection. That’s why I think I did it, looking back.”
Pamela shared that she felt she had been “playing characters for protection” all her life, including roles as a model, a playmate, and a rockstar’s wife
The former Playboy model said she’s living “the best time in [her] life.”
“I feel so empowered and so free and so excited about life again.”
Inspired by her guest’s powerful words, host Drew Barrymore removed her hair extensions in the middle of the interview, saying, “Sorry, if we’re really going to be honest here, another really awesome symptom of perimenopause is you start to lose your hair.”
In the clip’s comments, people praised Pamela for challenging the status quo and normalizing a makeup-free look.
“Her skin is glowing!! She looks so gorgeous!!” one user wrote.
“I love the real Pamela Anderson! What a journey she’s been on all these years. The real her seems so beautiful!” a separate commenter agreed.
“People are so desensitized to how natural women look. No makeup, filters, or fillers. Nothing is wrong with aging gracefully and being natural. Bring that back. Well done, ladies,” a third added.
Ditching makeup in her fifties has been “freeing, and fun, and a little rebellious too,” the former Playboy model said
Pamela had previously opened up about her new look during an interview with Elle, revealing that her decision was prompted by the death of her longtime makeup artist, Alexis Vogel, who died from breast cancer in 2019.
“She was the best. And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup.”
Stepping out without makeup in her fifties has also been “freeing, and fun, and a little rebellious too,” reflecting her personality.
“I did notice that there were all these people doing big makeup looks, and it’s just like me to go against the grain and do the opposite of what everyone’s doing.”
Pamela rose to fame in 1989 after attending a BC Lions Canadian Football League game in Vancouver, where she appeared on the jumbotron wearing a Labatt’s Beer T-shirt. She was then hired as a model for the beer company and flown to Los Angeles to appear on the cover of Playboy magazine.
“Next…saying NO to high heels,” a reader commented
