Pamela Anderson Says Memoir Has Helped Her Image, Strangers Apologizing on Streets

Now, she's reclaiming her story and changing the narrative with her new memoir Love, Pamela and documentary Pamela, A Love Story. These projects came on the heels of the highly-publicized Hulu mini-series Pam & Tommy starring Lily James, Sebastian Stan and Seth Rogen.

While the project attempted to paint a more sympathetic picture of Anderson through her tumultuous marriage to the Mötley Crüe drummer, and the theft and release of their infamous sex tape, Anderson was not a fan. So, she decided to tell her own story.

All of this renewed publicity, filtered through a very different lens than the sexist angles employed in the '90s, has had a hugely positive impact on Anderson's life and career. She told Elle in a new interview that she's "working more than ever, when I thought I was retired!"

She even said that she's started receiving support and positivity in random encounters on the streets, which is a far cry from some of the things she endured when the story was fresh.

"I get a lot of people walking up to me on the street, saying, 'I had no idea who you were, and I'm sorry for all the ways I thought about you before, because I like you now,'" she shared. "I'm just like, 'What did you think of me before?'"

While she's appreciative of these more positive interactions, the Barb Wire star admitted that she hadn't really been paying attention to what the public has thought of her for years, now.

"You don't really think about it in the moment," she told Elle. "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," she continued. "It was nice to come home, full circle."

The Playboy beauty also opened up about transitioning from her "wild and uninhibited" style to a "freeing and fun" makeup-free approach these days. In fact, she finds she's enjoying allowing herself to age naturally.

"I think we all start looking a little funny when we get older," she said. "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."

For years, Anderson said that others were telling her how she should wear her makeup and what her style should be. After her makeup artist Alexis Vogel passed away in 2019 from breast cancer, she decided to take control of her look, and ultimately ditched the makeup look altogether.

The move is working, too, as Anderson is being hailed for her fashion sense and style. "When I was younger, I never thought that I would be in any campaigns, especially really recognizable ones," she said of her recent work. "I always felt like I was an outsider, a little bit rebellious. So I'm laughing to myself, going, 'Wow, I feel really in the zone and accepted by my peers lately.'"

As for her approach to natural aging and makeup-free looks, Anderson believes she's making a "powerful statement." She said, "That's my look. And I feel like that is a power statement because I'm accepting myself a lot more these days, and it feels great."