Pamela Anderson's Style Transformation Has Been A Sight To See

From the very beginning of her career, Pamela Anderson was a sex symbol. It really kicked off when she was chosen as Playboy's Playmate of the month in February 1990. This led to TV roles, most notably in "Baywatch," which amplified her sex symbol status. It was something that she lived up to for decades, always rocking skintight clothing, crop tops, and cleavage on display — although she would have her implants removed in 1999.

But over the years, Anderson's sensual fashion sense slowly began to change, especially as her sons got older and were more aware of who their mother was in the public eye. "Being a working mom and being in this entertainment world and having your mom be sexualized in some way — I didn't realize how difficult it was," Anderson said in an interview with Mikey Madison for Variety in December 2024. "So I'm not ashamed of my life. I'm not ashamed of the choices that I made, even though maybe in hindsight I would've done things differently. But you need life experience to know that you would've done that differently."

These days, some would argue that Anderson is one of the biggest glow-downs in celebrity fashion history. But we disagree. Long gone are the skin-tight dresses, low-cut tops, and heavy makeup. Instead, what we're witnessing now is Pamela Anderson 2.0 — someone who's confident and natural, and it's a gorgeous transformation to behold.

At the height of her "Baywatch" success in 1995, Pamela Anderson married Tommy Lee, drummer of Mötley Crüe, a heavy metal band that peaked in the 1980s. During this time, Anderson dressed the part of a rockstar's wife, wearing barely-there outfits that left little to the imagination, and these days would be considered a bit gauche, mostly because the mid-1990s were horrible for fashion. Anderson was also never spotted without makeup, especially heavy eye makeup, and her platinum locks were always big and bouncy. Again, we can thank the mid-1990s and a little something called Aqua Net. The marriage was short-lived, lasting only three years, mostly due to their highly toxic behavior.

By the time 2000 rolled around, Pamela Anderson was the star of a series called "VIP," playing Valley Irons, a bodyguard who also does some detective work. The premise was clearly a bit of a stretch, but Anderson couldn't shake the sex symbol status that was attributed to her, so these were the only types of roles coming her way.

When it came to Anderson's style during that time, like many, she brought the '90s into the early 2000s. Her hair was still big, and she was still dressing as if every day was a party at the Playboy Mansion. However, slowly but surely, she started to lean into the Y2K fashion trends of the time that included low-rise bottoms, chokers, and crop tops.

Around 2010, there was a shift in Pamela Anderson's look. In public appearances, she opted for a more laid-back approach or, if the event called for it, tasteful gowns that were far more in line with timeless sophistication than Anderson's wardrobe had been before. Even in casual settings, as opposed to skin-tight, rockstar clothing, she embraced relaxed garments that allowed her to breathe. While she still donned the heavy makeup and big hair, things had been turned down a few notches.

In 2015, Pamela Anderson attended "The Gunman" premiere and shocked fans with her haircut. Her signature long, platinum waves that she had rocked for so long were gone, and in their place was a bob paired with curtain bangs. Not only was her hair a big step in an un-Pamela Anderson-like direction, but her makeup, too, had been softened and was far less heavy around the eyes. For the event, she wore a stunning gold lame dress with a thigh-high slit and deep plunging neckline. Although no one could have predicted what was to come regarding her transformation, it was still obvious that Anderson was evolving away from the sex kitten look that had once defined her.

When you hit the red carpet without any makeup, people are always perplexed. When you're Pamela Anderson and hit the red carpet without any makeup and wear things that no one would have anticipated, people start to make judgments and wonder if you've lost your mind. 

"That was the beginning of me letting go of the image I had always had of myself," Anderson told Better Homes & Gardens in August 2024. "'What is this cartoon character that I'd created? OK, that was fun. But I'm not that person anymore.' It was a dance I was doing that I was only partly aware of. And looking back, I can see why I did it ... It's different now."

For the Met Gala in 2025, Pamela arrived in a gorgeous full-length gown by Tory Burch. Although she did have a touch of makeup on her face, the real talk of the town was her shockingly short bob and baby bangs. Compared to the person Pamela Anderson was in the 1990s, this look was (and is) a full-180, proving that she has come into her own in her style transformation.

"I feel like this is one of the great things about being my age and where I'm at in my life is that I'm not craving that attention," Anderson told Vanity Fair in May 2024. "I'm not craving that scene ... I've had an interesting, messy life. I've learned that I'm okay just the way I am and I'll present myself the way I want to, not under any pressure, and I don't worry if everybody's going to like it."