Pamela Anderson rose to fame for portraying a blonde bombshell on Baywatch, but in recent years, the actress has pushed back on societal beauty standards to pave her own path.
The 57-year-old famously decided to go makeup-free in September 2023 when she shocked fans at The Row show in Paris with her bare-faced beauty; Pamela revealed to Better Homes and Gardens this week how her makeup-free movement allowed her to feel like herself for the first time.
"[Going bare-faced] 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? Okay, that was fun. But I'm not that person anymore," she told the publication.
"I started thinking that I want to challenge the idea of beauty and this mask we put on. As soon as I took the mask off, the whole world opened up."
The actress caused a stir at Paris Fashion Week last year by forgoing makeup, with some critics commenting that a full face should be required for such events, while others praised her for actively tearing down beauty standards.
"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 said.
"I felt like this little freckle-faced kid with a big, beautiful Vivienne Westwood hat on. It was such a refreshing way to see everything, and I didn't think anyone would even notice."
She told Vogue in January about how the pivotal moment made her feel "very seen", after "testing the waters".
Pamela put her money where her mouth is when she bought a stake in the natural skincare line, Sonsie, alongside her two sons, Brandon and Dylan, in 2023. She shares the two boys with her ex-husband and Mötley Crüe member Tommy Lee.
"It's about accepting yourself where you are right now," she explained to Vogue of the brand. "All of us have tried all sorts of different things-- your friends are doing it, then you're doing it."
"But I just came to a point where I felt like, 'This is it. I just want to do me, keep my skin hydrated, and look after myself, but I don't want to have to think about tomorrow. I want to think about right now. Live and how I feel in this moment.'"
The mother of two emphasized the importance of making Sonsie a natural brand and revealed that she had wanted to be involved in the beauty space since her Baywatch days.
"It just always felt like too much plastic. Whether it was shampoo or a pet line, or beauty more recently, all I could see was the plastic waste, and I couldn't do it."