Pamela Anderson Shares How People Reacted When She Stopped Wearing Makeup

Pamela Anderson, who rose to fame as a well-known model and actress, recently made a personal decision that took many by surprise — she stopped wearing makeup entirely.

While plenty of her fans have applauded this choice and see it as empowering, others were caught off guard, especially since she stuck to this decision even while attending high-profile events. Still, the Baywatch star has remained confident in her decision and has spoken candidly about it.

Now 58 years old, Anderson told The New York Times that she's embracing her natural appearance more and more as she grows older. She shared: "The things that are happening to my face — a little elasticity is leaving — I'm finding humor in that. I feel sexier now that I have some secrets and some mystery."

Even though Anderson feels good about choosing to go makeup-free, she admitted on the podcast How To Fail with Elizabeth Day that some people around her reacted quite strongly. In fact, she described their reactions as 'horrified'.

She went on to explain that changing how she presented herself felt like a bold act, saying: "What is beauty? Beauty's subjective, and we don't have to look like the covers of magazines."

Although her perspective makes a lot of sense, that didn’t stop others from pushing back and showing their disapproval.

Anderson stopped wearing makeup as she felt she had 'nothing to lose' Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images

Anderson added more on the subject and said: "We don't have to do the industry standard, which everybody was so horrified when I decided I didn't need a glam team for certain events."

Despite the criticism and surprised reactions, Anderson didn’t let it sway her. She stayed true to her decision and used her time in places like Paris to focus on things she found more meaningful, like exploring architecture and soaking in the local culture.

"I thought, who's looking at me? That's what started at Paris Fashion Week and it just sent everybody scrambling around me, thinking 'no this is not what people do', and I said well 'that gives me more reason to do it'." Anderson shared.

Anderson was also clear that she’s not completely against makeup. She mentioned that she still enjoys dressing up and getting glammed up. But she felt like she had nothing to lose by trying something different. She also believed that, as a public figure, she had an opportunity to spark more honest conversations about what beauty really means — beyond the filtered and polished looks people often see on social media.

She expressed: "I really want to know who I am, and I'm just discovering that now." "It's not that I'm letting myself go... I'm just peeling it back to see who I am. It's a starting position."