On Air Now
Heart's Club Classics with Toby Anstis 7pm - 11pm
Why Pamela Anderson has stopped wearing makeup
29 August 2025, 10:38
The iconic siren was famous for her full glam but in 2023 decided to ditch 'her mask', paving the way for a 'fun and freeing experience' – here, she explains why.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Pamela Anderson is a self-proclaimed "rebel" and in recent years has channelled her wild streak into bashing down unrealistic beauty standards.
Known for her iconic bouncy blow-dry and full glam in the 90s and 00s, the Baywatch siren, 58, has since decided to ditch her vampy make-up for good and embrace a much more natural look.
Partly to make a point, party to achieve "self acceptance", the former model addressed why she wanted to 'take off her mask' and feel more authentic in life.
She first unveiled her bare-faced appearance in September 2023, walking the red carpet at Paris Fashion Week in a series of stylish outfits accessorising with nothing but hats, bags and jewellery.
At the time she shared a series of snaps on social media, writing: "An adventure in Paris with fresh eyes… 🤍 There is beauty in self acceptance, imperfection and love."
Pamela revealed one of the reasons she decided to stop the wearing her "mask" was because her beloved make-up artist, Alexis Vogel, sadly passed away from breast cancer.
Describing the move as "freeing, and fun, and a little rebellious too", she told Elle: "She was the best. And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup.
"Because I did notice that there were all these people doing big makeup looks, and it’s just like me to go against the grain and do the opposite of what everyone’s doing."
The Naked Gun star continued: “I think we all start looking a little funny when we get older. And I’m kind of laughing at myself when I look at the mirror. I go, ‘Wow, this is really…what’s happening to me?’ It’s a journey.”
Pamela later told Allure that she wasn't even sure people would notice her new stripped-back appearance.
She explained: "I just thought, 'I’m not competing with all these beautiful people'. I like that it resonated but it wasn’t my intention to… thinking everyone’s going to get into this thing. But as I noticed it was resonating, I thought, this is really great."
And it's not just her cosmetics routine that's now super low-maintenance, her beauty regime has been hugely scaled back too.
Pamela revealed she had undergone Botox and filler treatments in the past but hasn't kept it up in recent years.
She said: "My skin is very sensitive. I did Fraxel a little bit on my decolletage and it went black, so I’ve always been scared of stuff like that."
Confessing that she also felt like a different person with injectables in her face, she added: "I thought, 'Why am I doing this sh*t?' So, I’m free and clear of that stuff and I look like myself again."
As for her sultry blonde locks, she simply colours her hair with box dye at home, admitting she "always has".
Speaking of her "uninhibited" aesthetic back in the day, she looked back at her beauty choices, confessing: "I don’t know if it was a defence mechanism or what. I just thought, ‘I’m going to have fun'.
"[I’d accessorise] with the makeup from the day before, and a little bit of glitter from two nights before. The stuff that never leaves you!
"I’d be volunteering at the kids’ school, and I would catch myself in a reflection, and I’d have glitter all over my face. Which doesn’t make you a bad mum, just because you’re covered in glitter."
But now Pammy is embracing her bare-faced beauty and the empowering nature of being make-up and filler-free.
She said: "I really feel powerful right now when everything’s very pared down. I like to see my freckles. I like when my hair isn’t done. I like just a really fresh face. I don’t like those injections, and that doesn’t work on me. I want to see what’s going to happen.”
- Read more: The Miss England contest launches make up-free round 'to boost confidence'
- Read more: Helen Mirren and Celia Imrie on being 'underestimated' and standing up for themselves
