What We're Getting Wrong About The Whole Pamela Anderson No Makeup Era

Or do women only applaud her now because she's 'less threatening'?

It’s rare to witness a positive pile-on these days but it does happen. Right now, for example, the world is witnessing the resurgence of Pamela Anderson.

The Baywatch pin-up actress suddenly earning the respect of lifestyle and beauty editors everywhere when she did this:

SHE WENT MAKEUP FREE

Wow. Incredible. Brave. Confident. Fearless. Strong. Gutsy. Spirited. Heroic. Bold.

Opinion writers everywhere wet themselves with joy realising that, finally, Anderson was one of them:

Once again, we’re missing the point.

The praise for Anderson stems from the fact that her appearance is now more palatable, more relatable, and—dare I say—less threatening to the average woman. She’s become the "everywoman," someone you don’t have to compete with, the woman who won’t steal your husband or boyfriend.

Is she considered “beautiful” now only because she looks more like us? Are we, once again, viewing Pamela as if her beauty or appearance exists solely to please us?

Let me answer that for you: Yes.

Now ask yourself, why are we so desperate for women to change and conform?

In an Op-Ed entitled ‘Pamela Anderson, beauty standards and the meaning of no makeup’ Russh journalist Emily Algar dances with the idea of Anderson’s normalcy as the driving force behind her renaissance:

My second was the fact that she looked like a real human and not a glossy famous one — she showed off visible lines, blonde lashes, a halo of frizz. Pamela was undeniably beautiful, but she appeared somewhat ‘normal’. 

Cool story … but what was not ‘real’ about her in the first place? Anyway, Algar redeems herself later in the article with this:

Whatever way you slice it, I think that Pamela is beautiful, considered and for the most part, authentic. Being professionally objectified for years and years can't be easy, and to see her the way she is right now feels warm (whether there's a PR agenda there or not). If she inspires other women to stop wearing makeup because they never really wanted to, that's also great. But a bare face isn't always brave. Looking the way you want to look is.

And there it is—the point we're missing amid all the noise.

Looking the way you want is an act of bravery.

It’s not so much the big, bad, "media" telling us how to look, but rather the subtle pressure from those around us, nudging us toward conformity. It’s rarely overt, more like trying to fit square pegs into round holes through countless small signals.

These nudges come as side glances, closed-off conversations, or backhanded comments.

While we encourage our children to embrace their individuality, we remain fixated on women who don’t fit into the flimsy ideals we've chosen to glorify.

God, just think about the way the female figure has changed over the years:

And that’s only to the ‘80s. It’s no better with beauty.