Pamela Anderson Challenges Beauty Industry, Ditches Makeup for Good

Pamela Anderson is breaking away from the traditional beauty standards surrounding women and makeup, while encouraging others to follow suit.
The three women, who joined her fresh-faced on stage, discussed Anderson’s decision to ditch makeup for good after the actress opted not to wear make-up during Paris Fashion Week last year.
Barrymore commended the “Baywatch” alum for her journey calling her a “pioneer” for women embracing their natural features, in an industry that really focuses on beauty.
“Isn’t it freeing? Doesn’t it feel free? I feel free. I mean, it’s taken a while too; I’ve had my little, you know, journey with it, but … we all are our own worst critics,” replied Anderson.
The model went on to explain her reasoning for making the decision in the first place and how she was able to fully embrace and feel comfortable in her own skin.
“I was at Paris Fashion Week and decided [if] I was just going to a fashion show, I didn’t need to compete with anybody. Like, why am I wasting three hours in a makeup chair when I have these beautiful Vivian Westwood clothes on,” she said.
Since that point in time, Anderson felt a ripple effect and continued not to wear any makeup to public events. Through the process, Anderson says she found self-reflection.
“I didn’t realize anyone would even notice. So then, when people started coming up to me and talking about it, I thought, ‘Well, this is a great message.’ You know, to really peel it back and find out who I was again. I wanted to remember who I was,” she said.
In the public eye, Anderson says people can lose sight of who they are, adding she felt like she’s played characters throughout her entire life and was shy even as a kid.
“It just hit me a couple of years ago, and I was like, you know, just shaking my head, going, ‘Who am I?’ You know, and that’s when I went home into my garden and started planting things and getting into nature and going back to the trees that knew me since birth,” she said.
“I bought my grandmother’s property and renovated it, and I just started taking it all back. And then started peeking out without makeup. And then I started realizing, ‘Oh, I feel great as me,’” she continued.
Despite challenging the beauty industry, Anderson reaffirmed she is happier and feeling more beautiful than ever.
“This is the best time in my life. I feel so empowered and so free and so excited about life again,” she told Barrymore and Bertinelli.
“I am so impressed and floored by this act of courage and rebellion.”
Anderson has been on the forefront of fashion and beauty trends since she rose to prominence in the 1990s after appearing in Playboy magazine—a move she referred to as a “huge leap of faith.”