Pamela Anderson has been quietly rebelling against Hollywood beauty standards since 2023, when she stepped out at Paris Fashion Week barefaced and glowing.
The Baywatch star has opted not to wear makeup to most industry events in the years following, and has garnered praise for this choice from fans and peers alike.
Retro glam
Pamela broke her no-makeup rule in a sizzling Instagram photo posted by makeup artist David Velasquez, who worked with the actress on her Paper magazine photoshoot in 2022.
In the snap, she wore her signature '90s makeup look of dark smoky eyeshadow, skinny eyebrows and mattified beige lipstick, along with her classic bouffant blonde hair. "Rock n Roll like the 90s," David captioned the post, which sent fans into a frenzy as they shared how much they adored her new look.
"Like She never left!!!!! She looks [so] goooooooddddd! She had to remind everyone who she is," wrote one fan, while another added, "OG Pam is back."
© Corbis/VCG via Getty Images"Pay homeage when homeage is due [sic]!!!!!" commented another, while a fourth said, "There she is!!!"
Pamela opened up about her iconic '90s look in an interview with Elle, sharing that it became part of her identity over time. "I don't know if it was a defence mechanism or what. I just thought, 'I'm going to have fun,'" she told the publication.
"[I'd accessorise] with the makeup from the day before, and a little bit of glitter from two nights before. The stuff that never leaves you! I'd be volunteering at the kids' school, and I would catch myself in a reflection, and I'd have glitter all over my face. Which doesn't make you a bad mom, just because you're covered in glitter."
Fresh-faced beauty
© WireImagePamela added that her no-makeup era made her feel empowered and free. "I really feel powerful right now when everything's very pared down," she said. "I like to see my freckles. I like when my hair isn't done. I like just a really fresh face. I don't like those injections, and that doesn't work on me. I want to see what's going to happen."
The mother of two also wanted to be different from the slew of Hollywood stars going big and bold with their makeup looks, opting for toned-down glam instead.
"[The new look] is freeing, and fun, and a little rebellious too," she said. "Because 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."
Breaking the chain
© GC ImagesHer decision to forgo makeup at some of Hollywood's biggest events, like the Met Gala, has had an incredible impact on Pamela's fans, who have shared their appreciation for her brave decision.
"People come up to me daily; at the grocery store, on the beach, on my walks," she told People. "People are like, 'Thank you so much for doing this.'"
"I think that sometimes we have to come back to ourselves and peel it all the way to remember who we are, what our original thoughts are, what our dreams and aspirations are," she continued. "So this is all part of it, it's coming back to who you are and wherever you are in your beauty journey."
To learn more about Pamela's makeup-free journey, see below...
