Pamela Anderson says her decision to go makeup-free wasn't about being pretty. 'It was "I'm brave."'

Yahoo

a day ago

Pamela Anderson is opening up about her decision to go makeup-free, as well as her approach to self confidence. The Canadian-born actress recently appeared on the "How To Fail" podcast, where she spoke candidly about reclaiming beauty on her own terms.
'It wasn't about 'look at me, I'm pretty,'' she said about her decision to go makeup-free. 'It was 'I'm brave.'' Her words echo a deeper message — not just about going makeup-free, but about reclaiming identity, aging with authenticity and self acceptance.
Read on for the highlights from Anderson's unfiltered interview.
Anderson, 58, has made headlines over the past couple of years for choosing a no-makeup approach to life — whether she's doing a photoshoot, walking a red carpet or hanging out at home.
"Everybody was so horrified when I decided I didn't need a glam team for certain events," she said. "When I was in Paris, I thought, 'Who's looking at me?' Is anyone going to fall over backwards if I'm not wearing makeup? And that's where it started, at Paris Fashion Week."
"And it just sent everybody scrambling around me thinking, 'No, this is not what people do.' And I said, 'Well, that even gives me more reason to do it,'" she explained.
"Not that it was world peace or anything, but it was just me challenging myself, thinking, why am I sitting in a makeup chair for three hours when I'm not trying to be the prettiest girl in the room?" she continued.
Anderson said she began to feel that makeup "really didn't do any favours."
"If I put makeup on, I like a lot of glam, a big glamorous look like in a photo shoot or something very fun," she said. "How I personally like myself is just completely barefaced."
"Me not wearing makeup and me being at this age, coming into this part of my career, I felt like it was important for me, in my personal life, to be more natural," she said.
Anderson also said she's always been a bit of a "rebel," and wants to continue to challenge beauty standards.
"I get people coming up to me on the street, at the grocery store, on the plane, and really loving this choice that I've made," she said.
"I feel like it is resonating and it's something I want to explore deeper, even for myself, because I'm a rebel. I'm always challenging things," she continued. "I'm always doing the opposite of what people tell me to do."
I'll see a picture of myself where I go, 'Oh, I look terrible.' And then I have to go, 'No, that's how I look.' And that's OK.Pamela Anderson
"We have these generational habits, the way that we're brought up even, and these things stick in our head," she continued. "So, I want to break free of that."
"I feel like this is a little bit of a rebel move, to be who you want to be. Like what is beauty? Beauty is subjective, and we don't have to look like the covers of magazines."
That said, she said even she can struggle with her self image.
"I have to catch myself, too," she says. "I'll see a picture of myself where I go, 'Oh, I look terrible." And then I have to go, 'No, that's how I look.' And that's OK."
"The Last Showgirl" star also spoke about the link between social media and women's mental health.
"I've seen how this social media craze has really created a bit of depression in women," she said. "How they don't look like their Instagram photos when they look in the mirror."
"I think people have to realize that all these images are retouched or have filters on them, and people can make themselves look any way they want. So, it's not a good resource for body image," she said.
She added that every generation "has its challenges with body image and with beauty and with what we think is trendy or looks good."
"We try and keep up with the Joneses, or we do what everybody else is doing."
Anderson said that her current approach to beauty is accepting herself as she is.
"We're not trying to chase youth," she said. "That's just been fed to us, to look as young as we possibly can, as long as we can."
"I have my own insecurities and things I catch myself [doing], but I think that's the challenge," she added. "To embrace those parts of yourself, even the ones you don't necessarily like a lot."
As for Anderson's advice to anyone struggling with their own body image? The "Baywatch" actress, who recently partnered with Dove for their Self Esteem Project, says that we're our "own worst critics."
Nobody else is judging you," Anderson said.
"I feel like that was my 'aha!' moment," she continued. "When I realized they're more worried about the way they look, and that I can go to the beach in a bathing suit. I can look at myself in a less-critical way."
"Body image should be based on, 'how do you feel healthiest?' and I think that's the most beautiful."