Pamela Anderson Shares Touching Reason She Stopped Wearing Her Signature Makeup

Pamela Anderson is retiring her signature makeup look. Dubbed “Pamcore” by social media, the pencil-thin eyebrows and smoky eyeliner that defined an era are being put to rest by the ’90s icon herself. In an interview with Elle published on Aug. 17, Anderson explained the decision and how it feels to step out with a fresh face after all these years.

“I just went along with what people were telling me what to do,” she said of the “wild and uninhibited” aesthetic she had in the beginning of her career. Over time, Anderson grew more playful with her look by, for example, elevating a previous night’s makeup with glitter that would then never come off. Things changed, however, when her makeup artist Alexis Vogel died from breast cancer in 2019. “She was the best,” Anderson said. “And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup.”

Interestingly enough, wearing less makeup feels as defiant: Anderson said the experience has been “freeing, and fun, and a little rebellious too,” just in a different way. “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,” Anderson said. To her point, while many celebrities like Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez have joined Anderson by forgoing makeup here and there, dramatic trends like glossy eyeshadow and crystal eyeliner continue to dominate the beauty space, making totally natural makeup a statement in and of itself.

Now – despite the continued hype surrounding her legendary looks – Anderson is happy embracing more of her natural beauty. “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,” she said. But ultimately, it’s been a joyful transition. “I feel rooted for. I feel good. I’m in a good place.”

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