Back in the day, watching Baywatch on Saturday teatimes, I have to admit I was more of a Yasmin Bleeth gal than a Pammy fan.
While all the girls at school wanted to be C.J and all the boys wanted to… well, I don’t think we need to go into detail about what the boys wanted… her appeal kind of passed me by. I didn’t see what was so good about Pamela Anderson… but boy I do now.
Here are my reasons why I think we could all benefit from being a bit more Pamela.
// Reason number one: She’s embraced ageing in the bravest possible way
As we know the world of celebrity is highly misogynistic and still largely controlled by rich men. Women are commodities, there to make studio’s and record labels money. And sex sells right? So it takes huge courage to publicly reject the wish to be considered sexy.
Anderson’s stance as a 57 year old on wearing no makeup is something we’ve rarely seen before, not least from a woman who has spent her entire career being objectified by men. Her decision to reject makeup (and filters and airbrushing) was one nobody would’ve expected from her. Although we can’t exactly say her stance has started a movement (we don’t all have Pamela’s raw materials to work with after all), it has gone a hell of a long way towards promoting inclusivity, embracing the ageing process and aesthetic positivity.
It feels like an act of defiance, after a lifetime under the male gaze; she has taken back control and we can all learn from that. If we teach our daughters to live for themselves rather than for the approval of men, we are teaching them how to be free, independent and self-sufficient. How wonderful is that?
// Reason number two: She’s just pulled off the ultimate reinvention.
There are certain female superstars who are queens of reinvention. I’m thinking first and foremost of Madonna; permanently reinventing herself, surprising her audience, shocking her critics. But it’s not just her Madgesty. Much more than their male counterparts; female celebrities successes are so closely linked to their aesthetic and the public perception of them. It’s why Whitney and Kylie back in the day, and Beyonce, Gaga and Lizzo now, have to continually keep pushing the envelope when it comes to their videos, their social media and their look.
But Anderson has just surpassed all those transformations. She’s reinvented herself as, well, herself. With no armour to hide behind, knowing she’d be judged by an industry which prizes youth, beauty and perfection. That’s bad-ass brave if you ask me.
The reinvention isn’t just about her looks though; she’s barely recognisable as the woman who had her life thrown into years of turmoil due to the leak of a sex-tape with her then-husband. The Netflix documentary which catapulted her back into the limelight last year reveals a calm, quiet, home-body who enjoys life’s simple pleasures; gardening, being around her kids and her parents. A far cry from the woman who was Playboy’s most featured cover girl.
// Reason number 3: She’s a rebel with a cause
She’s a bit of a rebel isn’t she? And that makes her super likeable, from a woman’s perspective. She doesn’t conform to what is expected of her; whether that’s hanging out with Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy, speaking out against Trump; “We must not have a sexual predator in the White House.”, talking publicly about abortion rights off the back of Roe v Wades historical overturning, or taking to the streets countless times to join anti animal cruelty protests. In a business where she might’ve got a lot further in terms of her film career if she’d just, you know, piped down a little… she continues to stand up for her principles.
// Reason number 4: She’s a woman in her late fifties making a career comeback
Us mere mortals are well aware of just how much age discrimination there is in the workplace. Women face unfair bias throughout their working lives but that only increases with age.
To see a woman whose whole career hinged on being an object of sexual attraction for men take the hiatus she has, then find a way back into that industry, on her own terms, is nothing short of incredible.
Her new film ‘The Last Showgirl’ has just wowed audiences and critics alike in film festival season, and there are awards whispers circulating already.
I don’t know about you, but this 43 year old woman feels a glimmer of hope that maybe if Pamela can come back at 57… I’m not quite for the scrap heap yet.
// Reason number 5: She doesn’t pretend she’s got it all together
In recent interviews promoting her upcoming film, Anderson has talked at length about how she’s still, as she heads for 60; trying to find out who she is. She’s unembarassed about being confused about her identity, having spent so long as the caricature version of herself from her playmate days, through to Baywatch, through to the slew of reality TV shows she had to do to stay financially above water.
She’s honest about how long it has taken her to simply like herself, which while heartbreaking, is very relatable. She has talked about having an ‘achy feeling’ in her chest and feeling unfulfilled and unsure.
Us ‘normal’ women might not have been playing the role of worldwide sex symbol our whole adult lives, but we’ve probably been playing the role of someone’s wife, someone’s parent, someone’s carer. Having that moment where you start to question who you are and what you really want is inevitable for all of us. Pamela has shown us that being bold and brave might well pay off.
// Sarah Lawton
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