You wouldn't be reading this is if you were not interested in model and actress Pamela Anderson, and if you are a fan, you will find a lot to like in this unvarnished autobiography. It is quite a feat to begin without training (or plan) and achieve international icon status, a multimedia personality, and brand name.
She grew up on Vancouver Island, BC, and often retreated to her family home in Ladysmith when career pressures became too great. Attending a Vancouver football game in her teens, she was spotted on the jumbotron, and asked by Labatts beer to be a spokesmodel, catching the attention of Playboy's Hugh Hefner. Working and posing for the magazine (Playboy's Playmate of the month 1990) launched her into the world of celebrity, opening many doors to a beautiful woman. Soon, she was offered record and acting deals, film producer Jon Peters turning her head with gifts of homes, cars and jewellery. Acting on the hit TV series Baywatch made her the highest paid actress on the show, leading to starring roles in films like Barb Wire. Known by then as an international personality, she continued modelling in top Paris fashion shows for the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and acting on her own TV sitcom, always using her platform to promote her fervent cause PETA.
"If the cartoon image of me was what got me through the door, so be it."
She covers her well publicized marriages with Motley Crue rocker Tommy Lee (including the infamous stolen home movie in 1995, edited down to appear as the first celebrity 'sex tape', which someone made hundreds of millions from), and musician Kid Rock - plus three other marriages. This is open and direct, the light illuminating the dark, such as being abused as a child, or raped twice as a teen.
She has made a career blending feminism with femininity, living as a tomboy when away from the media, a bohemian free spirit walking barefoot in the garden, nurturing her two sons as they grew up at their homes in Malibu or Ladysmith. She is a surprisingly heavy reader, moving from Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, to Anais Nin and Henry Miller. This book is filled with her poetry and prose, proudly stating she did not use a ghostwriter to complete the work.
"Nobody agreed with my choices. maybe that's a good sign. I was on no path but my own."
Besides the superficial attraction of being a single name celebrity, it is undeniable she has put in the work, starring as Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway, UK pantomime shows, Dancing With The Stars (and three international spin offs), written four novels, a political spokesperson for friend Julian Assange, a spokesmodel for MAC Cosmetics, has a vegan cloithing line, is an international advocate for LGBT rights and HIV/AIDS awareness, and maintains a 22 year career with Playboy magazine (holding the record for the most magazine covers).
This autobiography truly represents her successes and flaws, an achievement when many do not hold a true voice. I was a casual fan, but admire her accomplishments even more after reading this.
2023 / Hardcover / 240 pages
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