Pamela Anderson admits she stepped away from Hollywood to ditch ‘cartoon character’ Playboy image: ‘I’m not that person anymore’

Pamela Anderson has described her Playboy image as a ‘cartoon character.’

The 57-year-old model — who recently shared the heartwarming story behind her forthcoming cookbook — opened up about stepping back from Hollywood and away from her sex symbol status to Better Homes and Gardens magazine on Wednesday.

She has adopted more of a makeup free lifestyle in recent years, admitting that shifting to her natural look was a conscious decision.

Reflecting on going bare-faced she said ‘That was the beginning of me letting go of the image I had always had of myself.

‘What is this cartoon character that I’d created? OK, that was fun. But I’m not that person anymore,’ she said. 

She was 22 when she first posed on the cover of Playboy in 1989

The Baywatch star was also keen to challenge the idea of beauty and ‘this mask we put on’.

She insisted she ‘didn’t think anyone would even notice’ her ditching makeup, but the world has shown her a new way of viewing herself.

Pamela added: ‘As soon as I took the mask off, the whole world opened up.’

The blonde beauty then shared the relatable reason how skipping the lipstick changed her perspective on beauty. 

‘It just happened to be this silly thing of being at Paris Fashion Week and me saying, “I’m not going to sit in a makeup chair for three hours. I’m going to the Louvre,”‘ she quipped.

‘Then I thought, “Who am I competing with?” I was appreciating it as this girl who lives on Vancouver Island that got plopped into these glamorous clothes.

‘And I felt like this little freckle-faced kid with a big, beautiful Vivienne Westwood hat on,’ she added.

Now, Pamela is glad to have moved away from the ‘pneumatic kind of image’ people have of her.

She explained to the outlet: ‘As much as I threw every dinner party and cooked all those meals for family and my kids, it wasn’t what was seen publicly. But I also played into the image that was created around me.’

Reflecting on going bare-faced she said ‘That was the beginning of me letting go of the image I had always had of myself’

‘What is this cartoon character that I’d created? OK, that was fun. But I’m not that person anymore,’ she said; seen in 1992

Pamela added: ‘As soon as I took the mask off, the whole world opened up’; seen in 2024

‘I also played into the image that was created around me,’ she admitted; seen in 2024

The activist said gratefully: ‘I’m glad I did all that, but I’m really glad I’m where I am now. I think the most important part is, I made it through all of it. And now it’s such a relief that I get to be myself and enjoy this time,’ she finished. 

Pamela is currently gearing up for the release of her cookbook I Love You: Recipes from the Heart, which follows her buzzy memoir Love, Pamela.

The book is slated to drop on October 15 and will include recipes to 80 unique dishes.