Anyone who watched TV in the 1990s is familiar with the slow-motion “Baywatch” run meant to highlight the enviable physiques of the lifeguards at Malibu beach.
The most famous slow-motion jogger, of course, was Pamela Anderson, who went on to have a public profile laced with several high-profile rock romances, a blonde bombshell image, lots of makeup and tight clothing, and, predictably, a sex tape.
Her long-running sex symbol status is what makes Anderson’s newest iteration so extraordinary. Gone are the over-plucked eyebrows, glittery makeup looks, and skimpy outfits. And instead of simply toning down her look into a more polished yet styled version of the 90s version, the actress did a complete 180 and started walking around with a totally bare face that appears natural and shows signs of aging.
Anderson, 58, now looks more like a kindly grandmother at the grocery store than she does like the record holder for most times posing nude for Playboy (14, if you were wondering). She’s also enjoying what appears to be a later-in-life romance with Liam Neeson, which looks sweet enough to melt even the most cynical hearts.
Anderson has been discussing her change in appearance openly ever since it began. She described her over-styled ’90s look as a “defense mechanism.”
Spurred in part by the death of her longtime makeup artist Alexis Vogel in 2019, the celeb said her decision to ditch the cosmetics was “freeing, and fun, and a little rebellious too.”
“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,” she told Elle in 2023.
She also spoke about being confronted with her own reflection, saying, “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,” she told the magazine. “But I feel rooted for. I feel good. I’m in a good place.”
In a Vogue interview about going makeup-free at Paris Fashion Week, she explained that her transformation wasn’t a protest. It was personal.
“I just thought, ‘I’m doing this for all the girls out there.’… This is it.”
“You kind of have to challenge beauty sometimes,” she told the outlet. “You know, if we all chase youth, or we’re chasing our idea of what fashion magazines [want] and everything, we’re only gonna be disappointed or maybe a little bit sad. So I feel like this is it.”
Anderson also discussed her plan to forge a path for other women in her age bracket.
“I feel as a woman and a woman of my age, and a woman in the public eye…it’s also your job to be a model of everything,” she shared. “Just all sorts of choices. So I am just being me, kind of who I am, in all these great clothes running around Paris.”
Other celebrities celebrated the move, with Jamie Lee Curtis calling Anderson’s bare face “an act of courage and rebellion” and Scarlett Johansson saying it was a “powerful message for women to see other women rejecting standard beauty norms.”
It’s true that there’s something especially powerful about the unmasking of a star who once embraced the beauty industry to such an extreme. Anderson also seems to reject Hollywood’s relentless obsession with looking young, saying the pursuit is ultimately “futile.”
It stands in stark contrast to some of Anderson’s contemporaries, who are still dancing, dressing, and acting like they did in their 20s, often with mixed results (ahem, Madonna).
Followers are also rooting for Anderson’s relationship with Neeson, who was seemingly drawn to that same sincerity. Their relationship carries the same refreshing quality as Anderson’s beauty revolution.
That’s saying a lot, considering that Anderson has been married five times.
People started noticing the chemistry between Anderson and Neeson on the set of “The Naked Gun” reboot, where Neeson praised Anderson by saying “I can’t compliment her enough, I’ll be honest with you. No huge ego. She just comes in to do the work. She’s funny and so easy to work with. She’s going to be terrific in the film.”
Anderson offered a glowing review of her own, calling her co-star “the perfect gentleman.”
Recently, the pair even pretended to make out on Today as rumors of their romance persisted. Neeson called their connection “lovely,” while Anderson said of their connection, “I think I have a friend forever in Liam. And we definitely have a connection that is very sincere, very loving, and he’s a good guy.” So far, the duo has brushed off any attempts to define their relationship, but it’s obvious just by looking at them that their connection is strong.
To be clear, this isn’t about Anderson becoming some sort of saint. She’s still contradictory. The celeb has been criticized for railing against pornography while insisting that posing nude in Playboy is acceptable because it’s “highbrow.” She was married to avid Trump supporter Kid Rock for a year, but she’s also a fervent supporter of PETA and an animal rights activist. And despite saying she once considered becoming a nun and says prayers every morning, Anderson does not openly practice any specific faith.
To sum up, Anderson isn’t becoming a right-wing influencer anytime soon, but her transformation does point to a very Christian concept: redemption.
Pamela Anderson’s transformation from a sex symbol defined by tabloid headlines to an introspective, grounded woman who has openly reflected on her past mirrors, in many ways, the Christian concept of forgiveness of sin. In Christianity, forgiveness isn’t about erasing history, but about redemption: a cleansing that allows a person to step forward no longer bound by who they once were.
Anderson has spoken candidly about her mistakes and struggles, yet her new chapter embodies grace, renewal, and the reclaiming of dignity, which is very much like the believer who, after confessing and repenting, is restored to a new life in Christ.
Her story shows how a person can be fully known, flaws and all, and still be met with compassion, transformation, and a fresh start free from judgement. And that is a truly beautiful thing to behold.
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