Lifestyle Beauty & Style Pamela Anderson Reveals Embracing a Makeup-Free Lifestyle Has Been a 'Journey' “I think we all start looking a little funny when we get older," the model shared in a new interview with 'Elle' By Ingrid Vasquez Ingrid Vasquez Ingrid Vasquez is a Digital News Writer at PEOPLE. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor in Journalism. Before joining the team, she worked as an Editor at FanSided and provided work in the celebrity and lifestyle space for brands that include Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan, EW, and more. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 17, 2023 11:43PM EDT Photo: Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com/Shutterstock Pamela Anderson is learning how to embrace her natural beauty. The Baywatch alum, 56, said she's begun to stray away from her “wild and uninhibited" '90s style to pursue a makeup-free lifestyle that has been "freeing and fun," in an interview with Elle published on Thursday. Pamela Anderson Recalls Her 'Wild' ’90s Style That Always Included 'Makeup from the Day Before' “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." Anderson expressed that changing her personal brand has been "rebellious," but it's something she said helped her get to "a good place." S. Granitz/WireImage When asked why she chose to switch up her style, she shared with the outlet that she recalls not having her own input on how she looked early on in her career and was "going along with what people were telling me to do." She added that she chose to adopt a makeup-free lifestyle after her makeup artist, Alexis Vogel, died from breast cancer. “She was the best," she said. "And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup.” Pamela Anderson Says 'It's Emotional' to Watch Her Life Story in New Netflix Documentary The model has found comfort in knowing her style evolution has inspired others, she told the outlet. Anderson said she used to see designers use mood boards inspired by Marilyn Monroe or Brigitte Bardo, but now, she's the inspiration. "They show me 10 pictures of me, and they go, ‘Which one do you want to look like now," she added. Courtesy of Aritzia At the start of the year, Anderson reflected on the highs and lows of her career through the documentary Pamela, A love story, and her memoir, Love, Pamela. During the film's premiere, she shared with PEOPLE that the process was emotional. "It's just all these wonderful memories and hard memories too. But I wanted to go back into those feelings and feel those feelings," she said, noting that it was something she used as inspiration. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. "That's how I wrote my book," she said. "I wanted to go through all the chapters of my life and feel those feelings. It was hard. It was very hard."