Pamela Anderson’s move to go makeup-free is a conscious lifestyle shift. It can serve as a clarion call for millions of women, who fight the battle against social pressures of ageing
If we had to reduce the 1990s to a single iconic pop culture moment, the sight of model-actress Pamela Anderson, running on the beaches of Los Angeles in a red swimsuit in the show Baywatch, will easily be in the top three. The red bathing suit, easily one of the most famous in the world, was as much a symbol of the era, as Anderson was.
With her platinum blonde hair, lush body and the ability to run unencumbered on American beaches — and saving lives in the process, Anderson defined a generation. The legendary bathing suit is even part of “Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style” — a new exhibition at The Design Museum in London, on till August 17, 2025.
Anderson off late has been making news for something else entirely. The former ‘IT Girl’ was noticed for her ‘no-makeup’ look at a string of fairly public events, the latest being the premiere of her new movie The Naked Gun, a crime comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer, in New York City on Monday night.
In her film, The Last Showgirl (2024), Anderson was makeup free. Even in her tell-all documentary, Pamela: A Love Story (2023, Netflix), Anderson wore no makeup. In 2023, she also attended the Paris Fashion Week, completely stripped of makeup.
She later shared in an interview on the Drew Barrymore Show, “Why am I wasting three hours in a makeup chair, I have these beautiful Westwood (Vivienne Westwood) clothes on…” She has attended red-carpet events, gone full glam and high fashion, but her face is devoid of any cosmetic embellishment. The world sat up and noticed.
Going clean
There have been incidents of celebs going makeup free, some while they are going about their lives, some for a specific role or demands of their career. But there is something exceptionally beautiful in Anderson going make-up free. Anderson was handpicked out of relative obscurity and curated to be the siren she became, courtesy Playboy magazine. Her persona was crafted very carefully: the full lips, the breast augmentation, the full hair — everything came together to make her the sex symbol.
Anderson’s choice to shed a very important layer of herself — something that’s been a part of her for decades — is a remarkable tale of self-acceptance and embracing one’s authentic self. After years of living in the public gaze and courting controversies, Anderson is finally reclaiming her own narrative and is sharing her story the way she wants to.
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Her step is also a bold statement of defiance against the unreal standards imposed upon women by the world at large. The pressure to ‘look younger’, ‘look perfect’, and adhere to impossible benchmarks has taken a huge toll on women. Think invasive procedure of botox and fillers, and even cosmetic surgeries. Ageing women have especially borne the brunt of these demands, at huge cost. The case of model Linda Evangelista comes to mind. The supermodel developed paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, after having undergone a ‘coolsculpting’ procedure went awry. Evangelista was effectively disfigured.
Baywatch cast, 1995/1996 (from left to right): Pamela Anderson, Jason Simmons, Alexandra Paul, David Hasselhoff, Gena Lee Nolan, David Chokachi and Yasmine Bleeth.
Anderson is also having a resurgence in her career at the age of 57, an age where normally roles and screen time for women dry up, or are often diminished to stereotypes. The Last Showgirl even earned her nominations for Best Actress at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards and the 31st SAG Awards.
The Naked Gun released in theatres on August 1, and Rosebush Pruning (Karim Aïnouz’s drama thriller, remake of Marco Bellocchio’s 1965 debut feature, Fists in the Pocket, about a young man suffering from epilepsy, who plots the murders of the members of his dysfunctional family) and Place to Be (directed by Kornél Mundruczó, known for Pieces of a Woman, 2020, and five-time Cannes laureate) are in the works. And she is doing all this sans makeup. Clearly, neither the audience seem to mind the fresh-faced version of Anderson, nor do filmmakers.
It’s just business
Back home, we have all listened to various actresses talk about how they were asked to ‘wash their face’ and be bare-faced for a particular film. The instance of Rani Mukerji for Hey Ram (2000) definitely makes the cut. But that’s all in pursuit of a character, to share a story. But what Anderson has done is unprecedented. It’s not a token, or a slick social media marketing gimmick.
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It’s a conscious lifestyle shift for the model-actor. Her move can serve as a clarion call for the millions of women who fight the battle against societal pressures of ageing. She has successfully fought two battles — one against unrealistic expectations of beauty and the other of ‘ageing gracefully’. Anderson has gone full throttle against the very powers that were instrumental in creating her — the global beauty industry is all-encompassing.
The beauty industry is a wide-ranging spectrum, spanning more than $60o billion a year and comprising skincare, hair care and fragrances. Skincare alone brings in more than $150 billion on its own standing. It’s big business, and even noted filmmakers and members of the entertainment fraternity have been affected by its all-pervasive clutches.
A couple of years ago, director Anurag Kashyap had lamented the cost of the star entourage in India and how the fees of a hair and makeup artist rivalled that of a skilled film technician. Most big beauty brands have an A-list actor as their brand ambassador. So do luxury jewellery and clothing giants. They are all telling us how we should look, how we should dress.
But of all people, if Anderson can do this, then maybe we can also take a leaf out of her book. Maybe we don’t need to go all nuclear. Maybe skip the extra layer of foundation or use makeup minimally. Eat healthy and let your skin breathe. And those days, you don’t want to adorn yourself with full warpaint, don’t. Arm yourself with authenticity and honesty just like Anderson did. It’s looking great on her.
