REVIEW: “Love, Pamela” reveals a different side of Pamela Anderson
The saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” is the epitome of Pamela Anderson’s life. It was easy to read this biography cover-to-cover in one day because it was mesmerizing to read about her incredible journey to stardom. With each page, it felt like listening to a friend bearing their soul, no matter how painful, exciting, or life-changing. Her honesty was touching to read; authenticity is hard to come by with most celebrity biographies. She doesn’t claim to be any one thing because she is much more than a playmate, C.J. from Baywatch, or the sexy vixen she is known for. She’s incredibly passionate about art and writing and includes her analysis’ in her notes. Anderson invokes a ton of emotion in her writing and pulls you in with every intimate thought. Anderson shows that celebrities hurt like the rest of us, except their lives are on full display, a harmless animal plagued by the vultures of antagonistic Hollywood media.
Her book “Love, Pamela” begins with the details of her childhood poverty and chaos on Vancouver Island. She reflects on the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of her female babysitter and how she wished her dead. There was one moment as a child she could not take it anymore and stabbed her abuser with a pencil. The babysitter survived, and again, Pamela wished her dead. The sitter died shortly after that in a car accident, and Pamela blamed herself for wishing it many years later. The sexual abuse continued when she was a preteen, and her friend took her to hang out with men in their 20s. She was left alone with one of them, and he took advantage of her. She was a virgin. These events significantly affected how she viewed herself and would live with her forever.
She writes, “I was sexualized so young that I skipped past the promiscuity phase. I would only mix sex with love”.While reading this, my heart broke for her. A young, innocent child, just swaying against each unfavorable breeze. One could understand why her parents would have trusted the babysitter, but she pushed forward each time it happened to her. Pamela grew up painfully shy and found herself quietly living her life through writing, animals, and the friends she tagged along with.
She poured her thoughts into journals from a young age and still maintains this. Something significant that she wrote in the earlier chapters of her book was this:
“The best advice my parents gave me was no advice. They admitted to knowing nothing of my world, my journey. My dreams, passions, and purpose. They had no way of bailing me out. They listened, they worried with me at times, they loved me the best they could. But it was up to me to find my way through. When I understood that, I was even more free to create my own life. It was a blessing,” said Anderson.
This has one reflect on their childhood and how children believe their parents know everything, but their parents are growing up too. Parents do not know everything and try their best to raise their children. All they can do is love and be there for you when you make a mistake. There should be more grace for parents trying their best to steer you in the right direction, and Pamela made this same realization. Throughout this book, Pamela dives deep into her introspective and her reflections and understands how they have shaped her through each chapter of her life.
Pamela Anderson’s rise to fame was entirely by chance. Her neighbors at the time were beer reps for Labatt’s and invited her to a Canadian football game. As she sat in the stands, the camera panned to her, and her friends made her stand up initially; she felt uncomfortable but then realized the crowd was screaming for her. From that moment, she was known as the “Blue Zone Girl” and began modeling for their ads.
It was the beginning of a whirlwind life adventure. Playboy came across her advertisements as the “Blue Zone Girl” and knew she was exactly whom they wanted. Playboy never called people to audition thousands of girls would make their way through many auditions, and most never land the position. Playboy was iconic for generations, and Pamela couldn’t believe they wanted her. She details the moment she posed for her first image:
“I closed my eyes as if on the edge of a cliff. I was about to fall forward into the abyss and let go of my past, my bullshit, everything that had hurt me…Freedom…
I opened my eyes and FLASH, first photo.”
She was beautiful and perfect.
Pamela continues:
“I had unleashed a wild woman inside me, but the shyness crept in. I was the girl next door, pushing boundaries, naturally coming into her sexual existence. For Playboy, that’s exactly what they wanted. It was authentic. All happening on camera in real-time. Hef called me the DNA of Playboy”.
Baywatch was the next big thing she accomplished, starring as C.J. “Casey Jean,” a bohemian, healer, and animal whisperer. A character entirely based on Pamela. It was an international success, and Anderson was the most wanted female in the world.
While touring the world for Baywatch, Pamela experienced a panic-inducing moment where thousands of people fought to touch her, ripping pieces of her clothes and swarming her like wasps. A frightening moment captured by the news. “Celebrity felt like a strange disease you couldn’t wash off.”
She continued touring for the upcoming season of Baywatch and unknowingly was about to embark on her most intense chapter: Tommy Lee. Their love story continues and includes their infamous but private sex tapes—a purposeful invasion of privacy and a cruel act of revenge. The tapes were used as blackmail by a disgruntled contractor who stole their tapes and exploited them for profit. Pamela and Tommy were and still are victims of this heinous crime. Their case would change the wild west of the internet and the media laws that followed regarding who deserves privacy.
Imagine something so private and intimate being released for the world to see and forever reminding you of such an invasion. Every one knows every inch of your body and your personal love life behind closed doors paraded throughout the vast internet.
Pamela Anderson’s biography was heartfelt and honest. The amount of poise she embodies as a human being after so many obstacles is enlightening. She never gave up on herself and how she deserved to be treated. She remained positive and always strutted forward to her next adventure.
Her book is titled “Love, Pamela,” but after reading this and learning how internally beautiful she is as a person, it makes me want to sign this off with Love, your newest fan.
