The bittersweet reason Pamela Anderson stopped wearing makeup in public

Pamela Anderson recently revealed why she stopped wearing makeup after her makeup artist tragically died of breast cancer.

Pamela Anderson, needless to say, is an icon - and with the hashtag #Pamcore trending, it makes sense that more and more people are made aware of her legacy. One of the things she's most known for is her iconic '90s style, including her thin brows and her often super glam makeup as the main points of interest - but there was a time where Pamela swore off wearing makeup publicly, and for quite the tragic reason.

In a recent interview with Elle to promote her campaign with popular women's clothing store Aritzia, Pamela explained why she went through a spell of not wearing makeup publicly. She said that after her trusty makeup artist, Alexis Vogel, passed away from breast cancer, she stopped wearing makeup altogether.

"She was the best. And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup," she said.

She said that abandoning her usual glam has actually been quite freeing for her. "I did notice that there were all these people doing big makeup looks, and it’s just like me to go against the grain and do the opposite what everyone’s doing," she recalled.

She also said that, as she's gotten older, she feels as though she's grown out of her glam makeup phase, explaining that she sometimes thinks she looks a little "funny".

"I think we all start looking a little funny when we get older. And I’m kind of laughing at myself when I look at the mirror. I go, 'Wow, this is really...what’s happening to me?' It’s a journey," she said.

Overall though, over the years, she's developed a strong sense of confidence - and is fully aware of her icon status. 

"You used to go to photo shoots, and they would show you mood boards," she said, remembering that designers would show her photos of Marilyn Monroe or Brigitte Bardot. Now, she said that designers will show her old pictures of herself, asking her which looks she prefers to recreate. 

She also says that releasing her memoir, Love Pamela, helped her achieve a greater sense of personal confidence. On her past, she recalled, "You’re raising two kids, you’re trying to survive, your heart is broken, you’re trying to fill up your life with people and making mistakes. We’re all just trying to live every day. So, I guess, decades got away from me. And it was nice to come home, full circle. I’m working more than ever, when I thought I was retired!"