Pamela Anderson says people ‘never liked her’ before she stopped wearing makeup

They love Pam without all the glam.

Pamela Anderson opened up to Better Homes & Gardens about her new cookbook and quiet life on Vancouver Island — and she also revealed that she’s gained some new fans after ditching makeup in 2023.

“I have people stop me on the street now and say, ‘You know, I never liked you before, but I do now.’ And then I think, ‘Hmm, I know there’s a compliment in there somewhere,’” the “Baywatch” alum, 57, told the mag.

Anderson — who covers Better Homes & Gardens’ September 2024 Stylemaker issue — said that she initially “didn’t think anyone would even notice” when she opted to go makeup-free for Paris Fashion Week in 2023.

“It just happened to be this silly thing,” the Sonsie Beauty co-owner said, explaining she didn’t want “to sit in a makeup chair for three hours” at the time.

“I was appreciating it as this girl who lives on Vancouver Island that got plopped into these glamorous clothes,” she said of her designer looks, adding, “I felt like this little freckle-faced kid with a big, beautiful Vivienne Westwood hat on.”

The “Love, Pamela” author — who is releasing a cookbook, “I Love You,” in October — said she was never “striving for perfection” when it came to her looks.

“But somewhere along the way, I started thinking that I want to challenge the idea of beauty and this mask we put on,” the “Barb Wire” star continued. “As soon as I took the mask off, the whole world opened up.”

And while her fresh-faced fashion week moment went viral, Anderson said that going without makeup went a lot deeper.

“That was the beginning of me letting go of the image I had always had of myself,” she said, musing,
What is this cartoon character that I’d created? OK, that was fun. But I’m not that person anymore.”

Instead of the teased hair and heavy makeup she was known for in the ’90s, Anderson is more into easy-breezy outfits like overalls and cotton dresses these days as she cooks and gardens in her Canadian home.

“All the kids were always at our house. I cooked for everybody, pots of spaghetti for the neighborhood, and so my kids have always seen that part of me,” she said of her sons, Dylan Jagger Lee, 26, and Brandon Thomas Lee, 28, who are co-owners of her skincare brand.

The proud mom said it “hurt” her kids that “those other things are the only things people think of their mom.”

“Yes, she’s been in Playboy. Yes, she’s done all these things, but we know who she is. It’s different now,” she mused.

It seems like her droves of new fans agree.