Pamela Anderson described her Playboy image as a “cartoon character.”
The 57-year-old model, who recently shared the heartwarming story behind her upcoming cookbook, opened up about her step back from Hollywood and her status as a sex symbol Better homes and gardens magazine on Wednesday.
She has switched to a makeup-free lifestyle in recent years, admitting that she consciously chose her natural look.
As she thought about the idea of walking around without a face, she said, “That was the beginning of me letting go of the image I had always had of myself.
“What is this cartoon character that I created? Okay, that was fun. But I’m not that person anymore,” she said.
Pamela Anderson spoke candidly about her retirement from Hollywood and her sex symbol status in Better Homes and Gardens magazine on Wednesday; seen in 2024
She was 22 when she first posed on the cover of Playboy in 1989
The Baywatch star was also keen to challenge the idea of beauty and ‘the mask we put on’.
She insisted she “didn’t expect anyone to notice” that she was no longer wearing makeup, but the world has given her a new way of looking at herself.
Pamela added: ‘As soon as I took the mask off, the whole world opened up to me.’
The blonde beauty then went on to share how skipping lipstick changed her view on beauty, a relatable fact.
“It just happened that I was at Paris Fashion Week and I thought, ‘I’m not going to sit in a makeup chair for three hours. I’m going to the Louvre,'” she joked.
Then I thought, ‘Who am I competing with?’ I loved the fact that this girl who lives on Vancouver Island was dressed in these glamorous clothes.
“And I felt like a little freckled kid with a big, beautiful Vivienne Westwood hat on,” she added.
Pamela is glad she has distanced herself from the ‘pneumatic image’ that people have of her.
She explained to the outlet, “Even though I was hosting every dinner party and cooking all those meals for my family and kids, that wasn’t what was seen publicly. But I was also playing into the image that was being created around me.”
As she thought about exposing her face, she said, “That was the beginning of letting go of the image I had always had of myself.”
“What is this cartoon character that I made? Okay, that was fun. But I’m not that person anymore,” she said; seen in 1992
Pamela added: ‘As soon as I took the mask off, the whole world opened up’; seen in 2024
“I also played into the image that was created around me,” she admitted; seen in 2024
The activist said gratefully, “I’m glad I did all that, but I’m really glad I’m where I am now. I think the most important thing is that I survived it all. And now it’s such a relief that I can be myself and enjoy this time,” she concluded.
Pamela is currently preparing for the release of her cookbook I Love You: Recipes from the Heart, which builds on her much-discussed memoir Love, Pamela.
The book will be released on October 15 and contains recipes for 80 unique dishes.