Ever since Pamela Anderson’s documentary was screened last year, I have become slightly obsessed with her! Pre-doc she was always someone on my celebrity radar, but for the wrong reasons. She was the blonde bombshell from Baywatch. The original sex tape diva. It was hard to get past the fake boobs, red swimsuit and perma-tan…especially because I’m a less-is-more kind of girl when it comes to beauty and aesthetics.
But then Pamela’s Netflix documentary, Pamela - A Love Story, came out and I was obsessed! I was surprised by how she looked. I’d never seen her so unfiltered and natural. And her make-up-free face didn’t just reveal her freckles and pores - it also projected the inner Pamela Anderson. A Pamela Anderson we had never seen. Raw, intelligent, strong. A beautiful person and mother. A genuine warm soul.
Pamela then went onto show off her pared-back persona at public events and fashion shows. Unsurprisingly, much fuss was made about her make-up-free face and editors like me wrote articles applauding her new look.
Pamela’s transformation is a clear example of how superficial personal image can be. She is obviously the same person that she was in the 90s. So did the barbed-wire tattoo and pumped-up pout prevent the public from seeing her true self? Did she simply not show her real personality back then, on purpose or not? Or did we just greet her at face value and not see her for who she truly was? Is? I am ashamed to admit that I formed the textbook opinion (which I won’t spell out) that a blonde, blue eyed pin up image normally generates. And how wrong could I have been?
After watching Pamela, A Love Story, I subscribed to Pamela’s newsletter, The Open Journal, which has since landed in my inbox every Monday. I often read it, but normally it’s more of a skim read. But this week the subject line and first few lines really drew me in: Inner Beauty… Sonsie. A world where we…embrace, love, and accept our true selves.
Even the most hardened and cynical part of my Beauty Editor DNA was enticed. Scrolling down, I read how Pamela has taken ownership of Sonsie, a skincare brand with - as she writes - ‘an important message.’
Pamela continues to explain that her son’s girlfriend had the idea of creating a ‘simple, no-nonsense’ skincare brand that works around her busy life as a working mum. Yep, I can relate to that! She then draws upon her own life and experience saying how she loved the sound of a brand that “fits into a schedule that isn't all about me” and is a “proponent of attentive (hands-on) mothering” and “self-acceptance.”
I was won over. Sold. Sign me up.
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And even without trying a single Sonsie product, I found myself exploring the brand’s website and adding products to basket. Why?
There has been no fanfare behind this launch. No big, glitzy press event that’s normally attributed to celebrity brands. Plus zero sign of a stressed-out Beauty PR clogging up my inbox in the hope that I should write a flattering article (like this one, natch) in the hope that our readers will buy it.
Instead Pamela shares the news of Sonsie’s existence in a beautifully honest and authentic way. And Pamela is frank in her claims that while she hopes Sonsie will be ‘something everyone could love and use’, she also admits that ‘it doesn’t promise anything unrealistic.’ An honest stance that I believe more brands should take. Not least celebrity ones. Yes, we all want results from our skincare Of course! But we also don’t want false hope.
I also love that there are only 3 products to buy: a multi-tasking face mask, serum and balm. Yes, more products may follow but this subtle and slow kind of launch is what the market needs right now. Less waste financially and environmentally.
Pamela has been testing the range out for a year, which is probably no coincidence being in the same year that she chose to show her ‘inner beauty’. Her realness. And her real skin. Yes, it may be a smart marketing move in preparation for Sonsie’s reveal to the outside world. But honestly, I don’t care. This feels different. A new era in celebrity brands. And I am all here for it!
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