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Pam Anderson, 56, Goes Makeup Free at Paris Fashion Week: ‘It’s All About Self-Acceptance’

The ‘Baywatch’ star turned heads, while fellow 50+ stars Helen Mirren and Andie MacDowell hit the runway


spinner image pamela anderson in different outfits at various fashion shows during paris fashion week
Dave Benett/Getty Images; Darren Gerrish/Getty Images for Victoria Beckham; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

Over 50 and can’t leave the house without a full face of makeup? Think again.

Because Pamela Anderson just did exactly that – and not just to the grocery store, but to Paris Fashion Week of all places, where youth, beauty, perfection and glamour have been known to reign supreme.

“There is beauty in self acceptance, imperfection and love,” the 56-year-old actress and animal-rights activist wrote on Instagram along with three images of her looking fresh-faced and makeup free in Paris, where over the past week she attended the fashion shows of heavy-hitters The Row, Isabel Marant, Vivienne Westwood and Victoria Beckham.

It’s in stark contrast to the former Playmate and Baywatch star’s heavily made-up blonde bombshell look of yesteryear, and people are taking notice. “The natural beauty revolution has officially begun,” proclaimed Jamie Lee Curtis in all caps on Instagram. The 64-year-old actress noted that while attendance at fashion week brings “so many pressures and postures,” Anderson “showed up and claimed her seat at the table with nothing on her face. I am so impressed and floored by this act of courage and rebellion.”

Other stars, including 51-year-old actress Selma Blair and former talk show host Chelsea Handler, chimed in on Curtis’ post: “Love this. Beautiful self assuredness,” wrote Blair.

“That’s pretty iconic,” added Handler.

“So gorgeous,” commented Who's the Boss? star Alyssa Milano, 50, while Broadway songstress Kristin Chenoweth, 55, posted a fire emoji, indicating that Anderson, even without makeup, was still hotter than ever. “Brava Pamela,” wrote actress Rosanna Arquette, 64.

So what’s Anderson’s biggest beauty secret? “These days? Don’t do anything,” she told media outlet i-d. “Wake up, whatever is happening is just happening. It’s all about self-acceptance. This is the chapter of my life I’m trying to embrace now.”

Her confident outlook on stepping out au naturel is refreshing to hear, though for many women perhaps easier said than done. Anderson, who is no stranger to the societal pressures on women and aging, shared her new mantra: “Sometimes it’s challenging, and you just have to understand that you’re good enough and that you are beautiful. I like to say the word life-ing instead of aging. Chasing youth is just futile. You’re not gonna get there, so it’s like why not just embrace what’s going on.”

It’s made her getting-ready routine all the more streamlined, too. “Since I just walked out the door this morning, I feel like a relief, like a weight off my shoulders, and I actually like it better. I’m dressing for me now, not for everybody else.”

Clad in a flowing floral-print dress by Beckham, Anderson described her look as “something kind of feminine and whimsical, which is kind of my mood these days.”

spinner image viola davis helen mirren and andie macdowell walk the runway at the le defile l'oreal paris walk your worth fashion show during paris fashion week
(Left to right) Viola Davis, Helen Mirren and Andie MacDowell walk the runway during Paris Fashion Week at the Eiffel Tower on Oct. 1, 2023 in Paris.
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images; Aitor Rosas Sune/WWD via Getty Images; Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

And she was in good company in the City of Light, where fellow 50-plus stars Helen Mirren, 78, Viola Davis, 58, and gray-haired beauty Andie MacDowell, 65, made their mark on the runway. The actresses, all L’Oréal spokespeople, walked in the sixth annual “Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris – Walk Your Worth” show on Sunday on the esplanade of the Eiffel Tower, proving that age is, as the saying goes, just a number.

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