The real reason Pamela Anderson's no makeup video has caused a stir

Actress, Broadway star, activist and beauty brand founder, Pamela Anderson, 56, appears to have embraced essayist Mark Twain's idea that "Ageing is mind over matter; if you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

Once again, the world's most recognisable pneumatic blonde bombshell of her generation has caused a minor uproar by having the audacity to present her beautiful, make-up-free middle-aged face to the world. Her skin was positively glowing on Insta Live, and she gave insight into her skincare routine.

Her natural look was mostly incredibly positively received, even if the younger people don't realise that "She looks amazing for her age" is somewhat of a backhanded compliment.

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Of course, there was also backlash. "Come onnnnnnnn, I understand your "liking the no makeup point", but I know you feel BETTER with it on!!!" commented a younger blonde. A middle-aged man with more lines on his face than Central Station named Darren also felt the need to comment, "She looks 85". While an old baldie Kevin piped up, "She looks 10-15 years older than she is. What happened to her??"

What happened? Like you, Kev, she was on the planet when it went around the sun, you doofus, so she got older! With the privilege of getting older comes the ageing process, which happens to us all. Indeed, ageing is challenging as our impossibly gorgeous young selves (not that we realised it then; most of us were full of insecurities) shapeshift and expand into older, admittedly less attractive, hopefully, happier, more secure versions of ourselves.

Yet we live in a society that demands we somehow hold back the gods of time, never age, and stay slim forever. Even with all the help that celebrities have access to, good luck with that! Ageing in the public eye in a youth-obsessed culture must feel impossible. Whether you're Madonna, Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Anison, Courtney Cox, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, or Cher, you're judged whatever you do, which for most celebrities means nips, tucks, and lifts even if they don't openly admit it.

Pamela Anderson's no makeup stance

It's not my business what Pamela has or hasn't had done, but she embraced her natural beauty when she went viral at Paris Fashion Week in October by going make-free. Vogue France famously chronicled it in their 'Getting Ready with Pamela Anderson' Instagram reel, which currently has 13 million views.

Coincidentally or not, Pamela's minimalist aesthetic was perfectly attuned to the brand values of her minimalist skin line Sonsie, which launched in June last year. Her post read, "@sonsieskin turns 1 year old today! 🤍 Our little family is getting bigger and bigger, and I'm so grateful for all of you who have joined us… Together, we are spreading a message of self-care and self-love around the world."

However, Anderson's makeup-free stance means she and Sonsie are as relevant as ever. I won't be following her lead. I prefer more makeup as I age because I am not celebrated beauty Pamela Anderson, who remains still off-the-charts beautiful even with her fresh-faced rawness.

However, I also don't believe Anderson is disingenuous in her ageing positively crusade. Going make-up-free as a middle-aged female celebrity takes real guts.

Maybe after a lifetime of being objectified for her looks, it's sweet relief for Anderson to come to a place where she can hang up her red swimsuit and be done exuding pure sex appeal. Critically, while she might be older, Pamela also appears happier, more confident and at peace in herself, which I'm here to report is one of the benefits of maturity. "Chasing youth is just futile. You'll never get there, so why not just embrace what's going on? And since I've really just walked out the door as me, I feel a relief, just a weight off my shoulders, and I actually like it better," Anderson said in a TikTok interview.

Millennials and Gen Z on dreading ageing

We all could learn something from Pam about accepting what is. Nearly a quarter of Millennials have negative views on ageing, while more than 40% of women aged 25-44 "regularly" worry about the signs of ageing. Poor old Gen Z have even developed a complex, believing they are ageing faster than other generations.

Welcome to life, kids; we are all heading in the same direction. The sooner we normalise ageing, the more we can enjoy being where we are because you've got the rest of your life to get old. As for Anderson, she demonstrates how mid-life can be a transformative time for women.

Living her best life, Anderson is about to star in a movie with Jamie Lee Curtis called The Last Showgirl, about a fifty-something Las Vegas showgirl who has to stop dancing after the show she starred in for thirty years closes.' I'm so proud of our cast and crew, especially Pamela,” said director Gia Coppola. “I can't wait to share her daring and heartfelt performance!"

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I'm sure it will be realer than anything she has done before and I'm all for it.

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