Scarlett Johansson praises Pamela Anderson’s choice to go makeup-free

‘It’s powerful for women to see other women rejecting standard beauty norms’

Scarlett Johansson has praised Pamela Anderson for going makeup-free and rejecting “beauty norms” during Paris Fashion Week.

In an interview with Popsugar, Johansson lauded the Baywatch star's decision to go barefaced during one of fashion’s most important events of the year.

The Academy Award, 38, nominee told the outlet: “I think it is definitely different to see somebody that’s in the public eye, a woman in the public eye, go to a fashion show or big event with no makeup on. It’s just very different from what we’re used to.”

“It’s a powerful message for women to see that, whether they follow suit or whatever the effect is, in the zeitgeist. It’s powerful for women to see other women rejecting standard beauty norms,” she continued.

It wasn’t just Johansson who sang Anderson’s praises in Hollywood. Jamie Lee Curtis posted a lengthy mesage on Instagram in support of Anderson’s choosing an understated look instead of her famous glam.

“THE NATURAL BEAUTY REVOLUTION HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!” the Knives Out actor wrote on 1 October. “With so many pressures and postures … this woman showed up and claimed her seat at the table with nothing on her face. I am so impressed and floored by this act of courage and rebellion.”

Anderson recently explained to Vogue France about her decision to forego makeup, saying it felt like “freedom” and “like a relief”.

“I didn’t come to Paris Fashion Week and think ‘I’m not going to wear any makeup,’” she told the outlet. “Something just came over me and I was dressing in these beautiful clothes and I thought: ‘I don’t want to compete with the clothes.’ I’m not trying to be the prettiest girl in the room.”

In another interview with Elle, the Baywatch star said that since the death of her makeup artist Alexis Vogel - who passed away from breast cancer in 2019 - her perspective on makeup has shifted. Without Vogel, Anderson said she believed there was no point in wearing makeup anymore.

“She was the best,” Anderson said of Vogel. “And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it’s just better for me not to wear makeup.”

With makeup trends having gone maximalist in recent years, and elaborate eye looks inspired by HBO’s Euphoria reigning over social media, Anderson says her decision to eliminate makeup altogether is typical of her.

“I did notice that there were all these people doing big makeup looks,” the former model reflected. “And it’s just like me to go against the grain and do the opposite of what everyone’s doing.”

Anderson added that her new minimalist aesthetic feels “freeing, and fun, and a little rebellious too,” especially in light of the societal pressure on women to look a certain way as they age.

“I think we all start looking a little funny when we get older,” the actress noted. “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.”