by Pamela Anderson seems to have done it all: she starred in major TV shows and movies, was the subject of a documentary, wrote a book, fought for animal rights, and more. But until now, at the age of 56, she has never been the face of a major cosmetics campaign.
“After all these years, I was laughing,” Anderson tells Bazaar of being approached to star in the new campaign for Smashbox. “I said, ‘I wish they’d hire me back in the day, when I couldn’t pay my rent.’ But I wasn’t cool enough back then.”
Of course, we beg to differ. The Baywatch star is an icon in the truest sense, and she has maintained that status for the past twenty years, through the art of renewal. “I mean, my aesthetic is a little different 1708347454,” she admits. “I think I’m not so flashy anymore, but it was kind of fun to wink to the past.”
For Smashbox, Anderson has brought back the ’90s beauty look: thin brows, smokey eyes, and glowing skin. It’s a blueprint that’s been replicated by everyone from Kendall Jenner to Megan Thee Stallion. These days, of course, Anderson is better known for her make-up-free look: she went bare at Paris Fashion Week last fall, and again in images for skincare brand Sonsie, which she found with recently.
But this is Pamela Anderson we’re talking about – not doing what anyone expected. So when she was asked to open the beauty time capsule for Smashbox, she went for it.
“I’ve had a lot of people, a lot of brands come to me about doing some sort of backback. I mean, even Vogue and different designers asked me to do these flashback campaigns,” she says. With Smashbox, everything just fell into place. “I was like, ‘Well, I’m going to take this because it’s one of the things on my list that I always wish I could do,’” she says. “The beauty industry wasn’t looking back at me in the 90s. But now, since the ’90s are popular, I’m just going to take that. I will be happy about it.”
Another selling point was Anderson’s shared history with Smashbox founder Davis Factor, who also photographed the campaign. “Davis was one of the first photographers I shot outside of Playboy. He met my mother at the Roxbury in LA,” she says. “I always have a personal story and why I do things, and it’s hardly about the product. It’s about the relationship.”
Here, Anderson opens up to Bazaar about the nostalgic campaign, her continuing influence on beauty, when she feels most herself, and more.
What did you like about working on the campaign with Smashbox?
“I love the idea of a primer, because it separates you from the make-up. So I’m thinking about how to protect your skin and how to still use make-up as an extension and expression, but not be the most important thing. And that’s what I’ve been doing, peeling back the layers and remembering who I am, but also what I’m not [being] rather than make up and have a good time.
“I like to have fun, and lately I’ve had glitter in my oatmeal, every day. Little by little, I’m doing things that make sense to me, that wouldn’t make sense to everyone else. [The Smashbox team] feels like family. We grew up together. Smashbox was the original makeup brand in the studio. David and his brother, back in the day, I would have loved to have campaigned for them. I always thought they were so cool, and now I can do it. So it’s a full-circle moment.”
I read that you turned down a lot of beauty campaigns because they had nothing to do with you. What was different about Smashbox?
“I’ve had different reasons for not doing things in the past, but a lot of it was about sustainability – asking people if the packaging could be biodegradable, cruelty-free, all these questions I had . People thought I was annoying 30 years ago, and now it’s in fashion. But I love and respect Smashbox because they are doing it all the time. And make-up is fun – like I said, it’s expression. I’m not against making up. I don’t know what I want to be like now. [Editor’s note: Smashbox is a cruelty-free brand, but does not make any claims that its products are biodegradable.]
“I always thought I would recognize myself when I got older, and I do now. So it’s just a funny moment I have. So I’m enjoying it because it will be fleeting. They take people up and they take people down—that’s the industry. So I will enjoy the good times.”
You’ve been wearing make-up in public lately. If and when you wear make-up, what do you go for?
“I don’t know at this point. I think I kind of live in the mystery of it, because makeup has changed. It was much more forgiving back then, when people were shooting you on film, or even when paparazzi [photos were] on film. Now with this new type of digital and HD photography, it’s a different kind of make-up.”
“So I think the safest bet is makeup-free, because once you start putting it on, you get so much information from these cameras. I think primer helps, because it smooths your skin. This is a good product that I’ve tried and love, but I don’t know what’s next. I don’t know what comes after the primer.”
Looking back on your different eras, which beauty look do you like the most?
“Well, I think this is the biggest thing for me. And probably my Baywatch days, although I insisted on wearing eyelashes. They were waterproof!
“I always like to live in character. Maybe that’s why I have so many Halloween costumes – I’ll take that as a compliment. But it’s not just the make-up, it’s how you feel inside and the things you practice, what you’re wearing and who you surround yourself with and the music you’re listening to. I think it’s like performance art. When you walk out the door, it should be fun. And I don’t want to take myself too seriously.”
“That’s why this kind of campaign came at a perfect time, because I thought, ‘I don’t want to say that I’m this natural-beauty guru [by going make-up-free]. I’m just testing.’ And when I wasn’t wearing make-up at Fashion Week, I had to go, ‘Why am I doing this? I mean, the whole glam team, it just seems too much for me. I don’t have much time in Paris, and I want to walk around and look at the architecture. I don’t want to be in a make-up chair for three hours. Will that make more people like me? Is that going to do something better for me? Why am I doing it?’
“Of course, my mother put a lot of emphasis on beauty and being beautiful. She always told me, if you are enough, you are more powerful. Although I was so insecure as a young girl. I’m still putting the pieces together, but I think we need to remember what’s underneath and then have the conversation to make up.”
How does it make you feel to see the likes of Kendall Jenner reinventing your signature ’90s beauty look?
“My kids sometimes send me those things, and we have a bit of a laugh. But at that time, I wasn’t following any trends. I didn’t even feel pretty—I probably felt more insecure and was dressing more for my husband than anyone else at that time.
“I was putting together this mood board for a project the other day, and all these pictures of me were coming up, which I didn’t want to see. They were unwanted. This was just on Pinterest, and I was like, Oh my God, I’m invading myself. And I thought, it’s sad that I guess at that point I didn’t think I was fashionable or beautiful or anything. I just had a good time trying to admire the beach and the babies and the rock stars.
“But the good thing is if you can be your own biggest fan, which I think I’ve learned over time. I think that’s a really strong message. And I don’t mean to be corny, but it’s true. If you don’t rely on other people’s approval, you can have a much more magical life, I think.”
I have to ask: Last year you said you used underwear as a hair tie in your work. Any other surprising beauty tricks up your sleeve?
“That was a big story, by the way. But I used a few bikini bottoms. I think I’m an open book. I don’t have anything else, but I can clarify that it was a bikini bottom.”
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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