Pamela Anderson is an icon, whether that's with her signature "Pamcore" makeup – all pencil-thin brows, over-lined ‘90s lips and smoky eyes – or without it. That's something that she’s now proved on more than one occasion, by going makeup-free at Paris Fashion Week and more recently at the Fashion Awards, where she accessorised her beautiful white suit with a glowing, makeup-free complexion.
Naturally, the headlines were sparked once again, as Pamela chose to simply exist as she is – with that pulled-through ponytail only adding to the effortless look, in fact. She posted a beautiful picture of her look on her Instagram page – which, thankfully, received mainly positive comments – and spoke to Vogue about her makeup-free ‘era’.
Again, attention was turned to the mass reaction her bare-faced choices have received. “I didn’t really even think anyone would notice,” she said. “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?’”
It's true – why is it such a ‘moment’ when a woman in her 50s chooses not to wear makeup at a high-profile event? It's partly admiration, of course, and so many of us are in awe of Pammy for standing up to beauty standards – but elsewhere, the discourse has been less than positive.
Pamela's now-iconic Paris Fashion Week appearance caused a furore on social media and in the press – and not always a pleasant one. “I'm makeup free at home, so why not for Paris Fashion Week?” she told People in another interview, adding that: “chasing youth is futile” and that: “I don't have to be cool anymore. I can just be me. It's very freeing to be comfortable in your own skin.”
As a beauty editor, I celebrate a natural beauty look and feeling empowered to be comfortable in your own skin. As a feminist, I support the right of women to smash through traditional beauty tropes and just be themselves – whether that means choosing to go bare-faced with just a face full of moisturiser or choosing to create a gorgeous makeup look. All that matters is that it is her choice.
At the time, detractors pointed out Pamela's fine lines. But even comments by pro-agers left me feeling uncomfortable. “It actually takes a lot of work to look this good without makeup”, wrote one, as if only hard work somehow makes it OK for a woman to shun foundation and blusher. Others peddled the usual back-handed compliment that makeup-free Pamela "looks good for her age”.
Even celebrities waded into the argument. In an instagram post, Jamie Lee Curtis said: “THE NATURAL BEAUTY REVOLUTION HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN! @pamelaanderson in the middle of fashion week with so many pressures and postures, and and and, this woman showed up and claimed her seat at the table with nothing on her face.” She concluded: “I am so impressed and floored by this act of courage and rebellion.” Selma Blair added in the comments: “Love this. Beautiful self-assuredness.”
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For the record, I also loved Pamela's makeup-free look. But for me, the problem with this conversation is that we were having it at all. Whether you're a fan of Pamela's makeup-free look or not, it's ultimately still making a judgment about what a woman should and shouldn't look like in public.
I also believe that a woman can show up and claim her seat at the table whether she's wearing makeup or not. By turning Pamela's no makeup look into an act of rebellion, it's potentially othering and demonising those women in their 50s who still love to wear makeup as a form of self-expression. In my book, going makeup-free doesn't automatically mean that you're falling on the feminist sword. And wearing a slick of red lipstick doesn't mean that you've done it for the patriarchy.
When she rocked up in Paris – and again at the Fashion Awards – Pamela Anderson made a choice about her appearance. And until her makeup-free face made the headlines, she was owning that choice. Now she's forced to defend it yet again.
For more from Fiona Embleton, GLAMOUR's Acting Associate Beauty Director, follow her on @fiembleton.
