A superstar who refuses to wear blush, mascara or foundation in the middle of Fashion Week and the world goes into panic. We are ecstatic, we applaud, we marvel… why so much fuss? “Let’s just say that refusing makeup at such a posh event is not very expected. Pamela Anderson surprised people by opting for naturalness, even though the stars invited to Fashion Week are generally accompanied by teams of professionals to take care of their beauty,” says Jennifer Padjemi, whose latest book is titled Selfie – How Capitalism Controls Our Bodies (Ed. Stock).
New post-covid codes
If we obviously appreciate seeing a Pamela Anderson confident in herself and happy to embrace her imperfections, we can’t help but say to ourselves that, despite everything, not wearing makeup is not an event in itself. “Note that more and more people do not wear makeup on a daily basis. It even became much more common after the pandemic.” In 2023, people seem to have opted for less artifice and more comfort or are allowing themselves to be lazy. As the French author and journalist explains to us: if makeup is no longer a must, we now focus much more on skincare, or cosmetic treatments.
“The chance to be able to afford this luxury”
Yes, except that, spoiler alert: “Pamela has the means to afford the most expensive products and the best facialists, without forgetting that she also has the time and money to eat well and eat ultra-premium meals. -healthy dishes prepared by chefs or even doing sports with a private coach… Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to afford this luxury,” specifies Jennifer Padjemi before adding that the actress ticks all the standard boxes Western beauty salons. “If she had been fat, black with frizzy hair or simply full of acne, the speech would have been completely different.” Therefore, we can also ask ourselves the question: And if Pamela were 30 years younger, would her position have caused as much discussion?
“Pamela Anderson can afford the most expensive products and the best facialists.”
The limits of body positivity
Before her, other celebrities had already opted for natural looks. We can cite Sophie Fontanel, who wanted to embrace her white hair or Ariana Grande who decided to stop injections. So much the better if their very body positive choices now make them happier. However, for the essayist, we will only achieve freedom, true freedom, when we have normalized the fact of being natural, without expecting a calibrated result and above all without making a big deal out of it.
The problem with the body positive movement is that we are content with little buzzes that do good here and there, without tackling what is really wrong in society in terms of injunctions. . Result: we quickly witness a blown effect which falls. “It is not enough to show up without makeup on the red carpet, or to broadcast an ad with a plus size model and an inspiring phrase, to stem the problem. We must question fatphobia, ableism and even colorism and do it collectively.”
Especially since accepting yourself can take many years. No, we don’t all have to follow Pamela Anderson’s example. We do what we want and what makes us feel good.