After she became the Playboy Playmate of the Month back in February 1990, Pamela Anderson rose to prominence as a sex symbol. Whether she played a minor role as the original “Tool Time Girl” in the cast of Home Improvement or sported a red bathing suit in the Baywatch cast, the Canadian native was a pop culture bombshell of the decade. But now that the actress is 58 years old, Anderson no longer wants to be thought of as a “sex symbol” and wishes to move away from that title.
The sex symbol status comes with a lot of expectations. Like Jessica Alba previously said about her early experiences with that title, being typecast for pleasing “fanboys” with your body can prevent audiences from seeing the intellect and soul of a person. Pamela Anderson would likely agree with that, as she said on How to Fail with Elizabeth Day how she felt about being seen as a “sex symbol” at the height of her career:
I don't like being a sex symbol. I mean, I think it's not very sexy. I think we all aspire to be sexy in our relationships, but sexy for the world is — I don't know, it brought a lot of attention I didn't like. I hate to say that because I'm not complaining, but I do feel that is a slippery slope where you are presenting yourself to the world like this and you get this attention back that can be even scary at times.
I can understand how “scary” that is. It proves that not every person with a sex symbol status feels comfortable with it. Being on a popular TV show like Baywatch, where she would do infamous slow-motion running scenes in a sexy bathing suit, is intense. Once studios catch on to the sex appeal an actress has, roles based on body type can come into play more than playing a developed character.
Now that Pamela Anderson is moving on to a new chapter in her late 50s, she's owning her look. The Scary Movie 3 actor got real about publicly going makeup-free and why it was important to her:
Me not wearing makeup and me being at this age, coming into this part of my career, I felt it was important for me, in my personal life, to be more natural. I want to challenge myself and become and to present myself in different ways, because women are many things. We're not just the wild animal between the sheets.
That’s very empowering of Pamela Anderson to show the world her natural look after years of her career being defined by glamour and makeup. Based on her Netflix documentary, Pamela, A Love Story, and her memoir, Love, Pamela, it looks like the animal rights activist wants to be her true, authentic self with the power to control the narrative. If she wants to do that by telling her own story and showing the beauty of aging, all the more power to her!
Pamela Anderson may not currently be the “sex symbol” that she started out as in her career, but the former Dancing with the Stars contestant continued to say that her fans today don’t have a problem with that:
I mean, I get people coming up to me on the street, at the grocery store, on the plane, and really loving this choice that I've made. So I feel like it is resonating, and it's something I want to explore deeper too, even for myself, because I'm a rebel. I'm always challenging things. I'm always doing the opposite of what people tell me to do. I don’t know, I just have that in me, and so I want to work with people who have the same concerns.
Doing the opposite of people’s expectations is always fun, isn’t it? It’s very inspirational of Pamela Anderson to use this next phase of her life to be in control of her career and public image.
The V.I.P. actress wowed critics and audiences with The Last Showgirl (which is streaming on your Hulu subscription), exploring the harsh realities that can come with aging in the entertainment industry. That led to a career resurgence for Anderson, like joining the remake of The Naked Gun, starring with Elle Fanning in Rosebush Pruning, and filming Place to Be. We’ll be seeing Pamela Anderson like we’ve never seen her before, and I think that’s how the star would like it to be.
Now, everyone needs to remember not to call Pamela Anderson a “sex symbol.” She’s got a talent and a mind that go far beyond her beautiful appearance. The Golden Globe nominee made sure to say in her podcast appearance that while she had no regrets for her past experiences, she's happy to be where she is now. I personally can’t wait to see where Anderson’s career goes from here. Get ready to see her in the 2025 movie release of The Naked Gun in theaters on August 1st.
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