It's hard to understate the impact Pamela Anderson had on pop culture in the '90s.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the legendary model and actor's career took off after she landed
what were essentially simultaneous gigs for Labatt beer ads and Playboy magazine. But it
wasn't until she co-starred in a 1991 episode of the sitcom "Home Improvement" that she got her
big break. Anderson then became a household name and an instant sex symbol after she was cast in a
not-so-little NBC show called "Baywatch" alongside David Hasselhoff in 1992. In a 2018 interview,
Anderson went on to recall her time on the action series, quote, "the best job in the world."
"Oh my God, Mitch, I'm sorry, I was just so surprised to see
you standing there." "Not as surprised as I was!"
The popular series followed the lives of lifeguards in Malibu,
California who were often better known for their sculpted bods, bronzed skin,
and red swimsuits than their dramatic rescues. According to The Huffington Post, at its peak,
"Baywatch" was the "most-watched TV show in the world" with a weekly audience of
1.1 billion people in 148 countries. Therefore, it's perhaps not surprising that viewers were so
fixated on Anderson — its female lead — that they forked out big bucks to imitate her iconic look.
As Dr. Mark Berman explained in a 2001 piece for ABC News, people were paying tons of money to,
quote, "look exactly like" Anderson. It might even be fair to argue Anderson inadvertently
set off the trend of fans going under the knife to look like their favorite celebs.
But Anderson, who has been candid about her own plastic surgery in the past,
eventually came to dislike certain decisions she made in augmenting her body.
Pamela Anderson running down the beach in her red Speedo swimsuit
isn't considered iconic for nothing. The blonde bombshell reportedly revolutionized the cosmetic
surgery industry during the '90s thanks to just how many people wanted to imitate her look.
Reflecting on the past 10 years, cosmetic surgeon Dr. Mark Berman told ABC News in 2001
that Anderson became a, quote, "reference point" for breast augmentation procedures.
Dr. Leonard Grossman, another plastic surgeon speaking with ABC News,
said that patients even used photos of Anderson in consultations for various procedures.
For Grossman, the influence of Anderson on the cosmetic surgery industry was all positive.
He told ABC News the industry was, quote,
"blessed" with the success of "Baywatch," which took the business to new heights.
For Berman, "Baywatch" was like, quote, "an hour-long plastic surgery commercial."
Whether or not Anderson was the direct result, according to the American Society for Aesthetic
Plastic Surgery, cosmetic procedures in the U.S. clocked in at 4.6 million in 1999.
The society also noted that the following year, breast augmentation procedures rose by 51%,
and were up by 500% since 1992.
Despite epitomizing beauty ideals back then,
Anderson herself made the decision to remove her own breast implants in 1999. Speaking with
"Entertainment Tonight" about the procedure, the "Barb Wire" star said that she, quote,
"just didn't feel" that it was a look that suited her anymore.
Pamela Anderson said her reasoning behind removing her breast implants was that she wanted her
body back to the way it was more than anything. Opening up about going under the knife yet again,
Anderson told "Entertainment Tonight" in 1999 that while the removal was
not done for medical purposes, it couldn't have come at a better time.
Anderson also admitted that after having her two sons with ex-husband Tommy Lee,
she was nostalgic about her former curves. Since the late '90s and early 2000s,
Anderson's looks have shifted to align with her apparent preference for a more natural appearance.
The 54-year-old has toned down the bleach in her hair and heavy makeup for a fresher look. In 2016,
she told W Magazine that she's actually come to enjoy the aging process, and added:
"I know it sounds like a cliché, but happiness has a lot to do with beauty."
It's also worth noting that Anderson's decision to temper her look and depart
from her '90s heyday didn't stop her from having a cameo in the 2017 "Baywatch" movie,
even if she didn't slip back into that iconic red bathing suit.
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