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“It’s Self-Acceptance”: Pamela Anderson On Her New Minimalist, Make-Up Free Era At The Fashion Awards
Most Hollywood stars have a squad of stylists, make-up artists and hairdressers to get them red-carpet ready ahead of a big event. Not so for Pamela Anderson, who has officially entered a new, minimalist era. “I’m just keeping it simple,” the actor tells Vogue from her hotel room ahead of the Fashion Awards in London on Monday night. “I have no glam team or anything here.”
Of course, Anderson made waves at Paris Fashion Week this autumn by going make-up free – a choice that shouldn’t necessarily be headline news, but was incredibly refreshing, nonetheless, given the rigid beauty standards that women in the public eye are often held to (indeed, she received praise from Jamie Lee Curtis for her “act of courage and rebellion”.)
Was the 56-year-old surprised by the reaction? “I didn’t really even think anyone would notice,” she replies. “I was doing it more for me than anything. I was just like, ‘Why am I putting so much effort into this? Why am I in a make-up chair for three hours?”
Anderson went bare-faced again for the Fashion Awards, where she presented Michaela Coel with the Pandora Leader For Change Award. While one might assume that the star’s glowing complexion might be a result of a lengthy beauty regime, she’s pretty relaxed about her skincare, too. “I’m not really a regimented person; it’s a couple of products,” she says. “I have my facewash in the shower; I have to put [my products] in different places, I’m not going to sit in front of the sink and do some kind of ritual.”
On the fashion front, Anderson again went for a pared-back approach, opting for a white knitted top and tailored trousers by Victoria Beckham, which she paired with an oversized jacket on the red carpet. As for the finishing touches, the actor added lab-grown diamonds by Pandora, after becoming an ambassador for the jewellery brand earlier this year. “It’s the perfect alliance [with their] sustainability [efforts] and all the great things they’re doing,” she says. “I like the idea of accessible jewellery for everybody.”
Her minimalist red carpet get-up is a million miles from the eclectic fashion looks she was known for back in the day, from the risqué black latex corset she wore to Cannes Film Festival in 1995 to the pink fluffy hat she wore to the MTV Video Music Awards in 1999. “There’s a few red-carpet moments that ended up as Halloween costumes – and I’m just going to take that as a compliment,” Anderson laughs.
But it’s clear that the actor is now entering a new era, and feeling more confident in her own skin than ever. “I think it’s a self-acceptance time of my life; just peeling back the layers – it’s almost like a fresh slate,” she says. “I thought I was retired, but it hasn’t ended up that way. This is a whole new chapter.”