Pamela Anderson is synonymous with bleached blonde hair, a curvaceous figure and heavy, dramatic eye makeup.
It was a signature look she hung on to for some two decades, but she hasn’t always stuck to the one aesthetic.
In the lead up to her 50th birthday in 2017, she broke away from her style to opt for softer hair, makeup, and clothing, which was something fans hadn’t seen since she first appeared on our screens way back in the early ’90s.
Although, it appears it was only a blimp in her beauty timeline because fast forward to the early 2020s, she’s back to her famous bombshell look.
Now fans are getting an even more intimate look inside Pamela’s life in the new movie Pam & Tommy starring Lily James and Sebastian Stan.
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1991: Recently after moving to LA a fresh-faced Pamela Anderson got her big TV break, starring as Tim Allen’s tool girl Lisa on his fictional TV show “Tool Time” which was part of the real TV show Home Improvement. Although she’d had a couple of guest spots on shows such as Married with Children prior to this, it was this role that saw Pammie in our lounge room regularly for more than two years.
1993: However it was her following role as Casey Jean “C.J.” Parker that would see her become a household name. Welcome to the Baywatch years, a five-year era (from 1992-1997) where Pammie became instantly recognisable all thanks to a red one-piece and a plastic flotation device. With her striking blue eyes and long blonde hair, she really was the ultimate beach babe.
1994: Pammie quickly became a fan favourite and with Baywatch internationally syndicated, fans all over the world knew her name and just couldn’t get enough. As such producers were quick to capitalise on her fame and started offering her film roles, her first of which was Raw Justice.
1996: Pamela met and wed Tommy Lee, drummer of band Mötley Crüe, early 1995 after knowing him for a mere four days. It was a rocky relationship that would last just three years, during which time they would welcome two sons – Brandon and Dylan. However these happier moments were marred by that infamous stolen sex tape, allegations of drug abuse and domestic violence. It was also during this tumultuous time that Pam would get her iconic barbed wire arm tattoo, something she’d later regret and remove.
1997: The couple eventually divorced in 1998 and soon after Tommy went to jail for four months for assault. During this era, Pam’s hair went from beach babe to Barbie doll, and her kohl-lined eyes rounded out her new signature style.
1999: After coming out such a dark place and her Baywatch days behind her, Pamela was ready to do good in the world. She decided to use her fame to shine a light and become involved with PETA, a charity which champions animals rights – something the vegan strongly believed in. However she wasn’t ready to turn over a wholesome leaf entirely, this same year she starred on her ninth Playboy cover, an honour she would eventually have 13 times.
2007: Pammie focused on her charity work with this organisation in the early 2000s. In 2003 she even stripped nude for PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” ad campaign. She also reprised her role as C.J. in the 2003 TV movie Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding and dated musician Kid Rock during this period. While she had a lot going on, one thing ultimately stayed the same – Pammie’s Barbie doll meets grunge signature look.
2008: Here in Australia it seemed as though Pam had all but vanished, with her focus on charity leading to less TV and film work, at least none that we really saw Down Under. But that all changed when she popped on a little reality show called Big Brother where, for three very odd days, she lived as a housemate in a Queensland theme park. The hair was blonder, her roots more teased, and her eyebrows still just a thin as they were in the 90s. It was the Pamela Anderson we all knew and loved.
2014: New year, new ‘do. For the first time Pamela chopped her hair into a pixie cut (and possibly let the blonde extensions have a rest). The fake lashes were still there, as were the kohl-lined eyes. On explaining why she decided to switch up her look, Pamela told Ellen while appearing on her show: “I just thought my hair had had a life and I kind of wanted to put that behind me and start fresh.”
2015: The pixie cut turned into a short bob complete with fringe a year later to the point where she was almost unrecognisable. The fake lashes were left in the makeup drawer and the eye shadow considerably toned down… well, for Pamela.
2017: With a looming 50th birthday Pamela was looking more polished than ever. The long hair was back but she’s ditched the peroxide in favour of much softer, more flattering honey tones. Her makeup is the real hero this year though, with not a black eyeliner stoke or fake lash in sight. When she made her 2017 red carpet debut at the Best Gala Awards it was like a whole new Pamela…
While some speculate she’s had plastic surgery such as filler, her appearance at the Monte Carlo TV Festival and World (pictured here) proved it’s really just great styling more than anything.
Pamela Anderson
2020: Pam has kept low key on Instagram throughout the pandemic, but when she posts a rare picture that isn’t a throwback, she looks as flawless as ever, rocking her long blonde hair and thin eyebrows.
Pamela Anderson
Lily’s transformation into Pam has wowed us since her first pictures dropped. Special-effects makeup designer Jason Collins told Vogue to achieve the Baywatch stars’ ample cleavage that they had to take “an impression of Lily’s torso” to sculpt the breast and create a breast appliance for Lilly to wear.
Pamela Anderson
Lily also worked closely with the prosthetics team to achieve those thin eyebrows.
Jason told Vogue, “By blending the prosthetic above the eyelids, we were able to cover Lily’s beautiful thick brows and place finely laced tie eyebrows that replicated the look of the early- to mid-’90s tweezed arch brow.”
However, it wasn’t just brows that needed some altering; they also transformed Lily’s teeth!
“We were able to match Pam’s teeth to a tee, and this helped to push Lily’s upper and lower lips out slightly, providing the full and voluptuous lips Pam has,” he explained.