From Brigitte Bardot’s trademark winged eyeliner to Taylor Swift’s signature red lip – an iconic beauty look can become synonymous with the celebrity wearing it.
Pamela Anderson carved her own hallmark look all the way back in the ‘90s which featured pencil-thin eyebrows, frosted smoky eye makeup and overlined lips. The Baywatch actress typically paired this glamorous look with a perfectly messy up-do.
However, you may have noticed that as of late, Pam has been daringly going makeup free to events from Paris Fashion Week to red carpets. And, it turns, out there’s a bittersweet reason why.
Pamela’s long-time friend and makeup artist, Alexis Vogel, sadly passed away from breast cancer in 2019. Alexis was first introduced to Pamela back in 1993. Upon their first meeting, she inadvertently created her signature makeup look for a Playboy shoot.
“I’d heard about her, she’d been on Home Improvement and she’d just started on Baywatch, but she didn’t really have her image – she was a baby,” Alexis recalled in a 2014 interview with the Daily Mail.
Pamela told Elle earlier in 2023 that following the passing of Alexis, she no longer found joy in makeup.
“She was the best. And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup.”
The former Baywatch star’s move to a more natural look also started when sheswapped the glitz and glam of Hollywood for the serenity of Vancouver Island – where she is currently renovating her grandmother’s house.
To match the change of scenery, the actress began unveiling a pared back, makeup free look both on her Instagram as well as at various events.
“I am much more comfortable in my own skin, but I also am in an industry that really focuses on beauty. And I thought, ‘I’m going to challenge beauty,'” Pamela told US publication Today.
“I think challenging ourselves is what keeps us young and beautiful. And I think, really genuinely, beauty does come from within and you don’t have to play the game,” she added.
“Chasing youth is futile,” Pamela said. In the interview, she referred to the mass media coverage her decision has created in a separate interview with People. “I really didn’t know anyone would notice it, but I’m glad it became a positive message.”
Most recently, the 56-year-old went makeup free at the Fashion Awards in London. To match her natural radiance, she opted for a stunning Victoria Beckham white pantsuit.
The appearance is just one of many throughout 2023 where Pamela has defied expectations and ditched high-maintenance glam. Her rejection of beauty standards is something that other celebrities have applauded her for.
“THE NATURAL BEAUTY REVOLUTION HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN! @pamelaanderson in the middle of fashion week with so many pressures and postures,” Actress Jamie Lee Curtis wrote on Instagram.
“This woman showed up and claimed her seat at the table with nothing on her face. I am so impressed and floored by this act of courage and rebellion.”
