Pamela Anderson Arrives at the Kering Foundation Caring For Women Dinner in NYC in a Show-Stopping Gown — Photos

Pamela Anderson had plenty of reasons to command attention when she stepped onto the New York City scene Thursday night — but her show-stopping black gown made sure all eyes were on her.

"Well, sometimes it's challenging, and you just have to understand that you're good enough and that you are beautiful," Pamela Anderson once said while reflecting on her approach to beauty.

At the Kering Foundation’s Fifth Annual Caring for Women Dinner in New York City, she appeared to be putting that philosophy into practice — but her glamorous look came with a few details that weren't immediately obvious.

Anderson was among the event's co-hosts as the Kering Foundation gathered guests for its fifth annual Caring for Women Dinner. The evening marked another major appearance for the actress, who has been enjoying a particularly busy period in her career after once believing she was headed toward retirement.

In a 2023 interview with ELLE, Anderson reflected on how much her life and career had changed, saying, "I'm working more than ever, when I thought I was retired!" She also spoke about being underestimated earlier in her career, explaining that she sometimes saw that perception as a kind of secret weapon because it allowed her to surprise people.

The actress has also spent the past few years reconsidering the assumptions people have made about her. Although Anderson became known for playing ditzy characters, she explained that there was considerably more going on beneath that image.

"That was a great expression that Suzanne Somers told me. She used to always say, 'Hi, dumb blonde.' Meanwhile, she's a gazillionaire, doing all these great things." Anderson recalled.

She said she did not remember hearing the word bimbo during that period, but she understood how being underestimated could actually work in her favor. "I always thought it was fun to not have anything to live up to, because you could only surprise people," she said.

Anderson continued, "So it was to my advantage sometimes...and if people didn’t want to look at you as an intelligent person, because you looked a certain way? I think we've grown past that, hopefully."

That attitude feels particularly fitting for the chapter of Anderson’s career she is now in, with the actress repeatedly demonstrating that there is far more to her public persona than the image audiences first associated with her.

Her Makeup-Free Era Meets Full-On Glamour

That reinvention has also extended to the way Anderson approaches beauty. After years of being associated with an elaborate signature makeup look, she stepped away from it following the death of her longtime makeup artist Alexis Vogel, saying, "She was the best. And since then, I just felt, without Alexis, it's just better for me not to wear makeup."

The decision eventually became one of the most recognizable parts of Anderson’s newer public image. Rather than replacing her old beauty routine with another elaborate formula, she chose to appear at events with her natural face, turning a personal decision into something of a beauty statement.

Speaking to TODAY, Anderson explained that the choice was partly about challenging the expectations placed on women in the entertainment industry. "I am much more comfortable in my own skin, but I also am in an industry that really focuses on beauty. And I thought, 'I'm going to challenge beauty,'" she said.

She added, "I think challenging ourselves is what keeps us young and beautiful. And I think, really genuinely, beauty does come from within, and you don’t have to play the game."

Anderson has also described the practical freedom that came with abandoning her daytime makeup routine. During an appearance on TODAY, she said, "I feel so free," while explaining that she now had more time for herself instead of constantly trying to keep pace with beauty expectations.

"Now I'm going to have a little more time for myself than trying to keep up with the Joneses, or chase youth or anything," she said. "I do feel free, and it was a choice. I feel great. I feel good in my own skin." The response surprised even Anderson. She said people began approaching her after seeing her makeup-free appearances and thanking her for making the choice publicly.

"I didn't realize that it was going to resonate with so many people. I had people coming up to me and thanking me," she told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.

She added, "It's just really interesting to see the ripple effect it's had," before emphasizing that the decision was ultimately personal. "But I did it for myself. I did it for myself just to say I'm good enough as I am, and I don't need to chase this impossible dream."

Jamie Lee Curtis was among those who enthusiastically embraced Anderson's new approach. In a social media post, Curtis declared, "THE NATURAL BEAUTY REVOLUTION HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!"

Curtis went on to praise Anderson for appearing during fashion week without makeup, writing, "@pamelaanderson in the middle of fashion week with so many pressures and postures, and and and, this woman showed up and claimed her seat at the table with nothing on her face."

She added, "I am so impressed and floored by this act of courage and rebellion."

Then Came the Show-Stopping Dress at a Glamorous Night Out in New York

The real surprise of the evening, however, was Anderson’s gown. At first glance, it looked like the kind of sleek, sophisticated black dress that needs little more than a confident entrance to make an impression — but there was considerably more to it than met the eye.

She kept the accessories polished and understated, letting the dark silhouette do most of the talking while a hint of sparkle added to the glamour. And when Anderson turned for the cameras, the dress revealed a much bolder side, transforming an already elegant look into something far more unexpected.

One Pose Revealed Another Side

Anderson later stepped in front of the event’s branded backdrop, giving photographers a closer look at the gown’s sleek, figure-skimming silhouette. From this angle, it appeared effortlessly polished, with the sparkling clutch adding a touch of glamour—but another turn would reveal why the dress was more interesting than it first seemed.

She held the clutch across her midsection as she posed confidently for the cameras, allowing the dress’s clean lines to take center stage. It was an elegant, almost understated moment—until the next photo offered a very different view of the same gown.

The Backless Detail Steals the Moment

Anderson then turned slightly away from the cameras, smiling over her shoulder as the gown took on a completely different feel from this unexpected angle. Her softly waved blonde hair and sparkling clutch kept the moment effortlessly glamorous, but there was one detail the previous photos had carefully kept out of view.

And that final turn changed everything. What looked sleek and sophisticated from the front suddenly revealed a much bolder side, with Anderson appearing every bit as comfortable with the dramatic detail as she was with the gown's more polished silhouette.

Fans Were Quick to Notice

The reaction online was just as enthusiastic, with fans focusing on Anderson's glamorous appearance. One commenter described her simply as "Glamorous." Another fan praised Anderson even more emphatically, writing, "Gorgeous Pammy. She outshines everyone." A third commenter summed up their reaction in one word, saying, "Beautiful."

The comments echo the broader response Anderson has received as she has reshaped her public image. Her decision to stop wearing makeup has become less about rejecting glamour altogether and more about deciding for herself when and how she wants to embrace it.

In an interview shared through i-D, Anderson described her biggest beauty secret these days as "Don't do anything." She explained, "Wake up; whatever is happening is just happening. It's all about self-acceptance. This is the chapter of my life I'm trying to embrace now."

Anderson even offered her own alternative to the language commonly used to describe getting older. "I like to say the word life-ing instead of aging; chasing youth is just futile."

The actress added, "I feel like a relief, just a weight off my shoulders — and I actually like it better. I'm dressing for me now, not for everybody else."

At the Kering Foundation dinner, that sentiment seemed particularly visible. She was not trying to recreate the look that made her famous decades ago; instead, she appeared to be having fun with a more sophisticated version of glamour on her own terms.

A Busy New Chapter for Pamela

Anderson’s glamorous night in New York also comes during an especially eventful stretch. Just days earlier, she was honored with amfAR's Award of Courage at the organization's Venice Gala, where she delivered a deeply personal speech about her past hepatitis C diagnosis and the fears she carried while raising her young children.

According to Variety, Anderson recalled being told in the late 1990s that the illness was essentially a death sentence and that she might have only around 10 years to live. "It was a death sentence. That's what my doctor told me — that I probably had around 10 years to live," she recalled in her speech.

She explained why the diagnosis affected her so profoundly at the time, saying, "I'm sure that colored and corrupted my decisions. It was not fear of death, but fear of what might happen to my young children. It turned my life inside out."

Fortunately, treatment eventually changed that outlook. Anderson said that by 2015 she was "hep C free," although she recalled that paying for treatment had come at an enormous financial cost.

The experience nevertheless left emotional scars, and Anderson spoke openly about the shame and guilt she associated with her diagnosis. "But my experience of shame and guilt was also an unconscious journey. It stays with me; it haunts me," she said.

She connected those feelings to other painful experiences in her life, adding, "And just like the sexual abuse that I endured as a child, it felt like it was carved into my forehead: Damaged goods. And I presented myself as such."

Yet Anderson has increasingly described her work as a way of reclaiming her story. Her recent career resurgence has included daring roles in The Last Showgirl, The Naked Gun, Rosebush Pruning, and Place to Be, the latter premiering at the Venice Film Festival.

As she put it in her amfAR speech, "My truth has come through my work, finding ways to express myself through the arts." She continued, "It gave me the ammunition I needed, a fertile life to use and play in."

Anderson ended that reflection with a declaration that neatly captures the confidence she brought to New York. "I'm not a victim, I'm a victor. I am strong and capable, more now than I could ever dream of … I'm not the damsel in distress, no matter how easy that role is to play."

Her Family Is Entering New Chapters, Too

Away from the red carpet, Anderson has also watched her sons enter major new stages of their lives. Her older son, Brandon Thomas Lee, recently became engaged to Katarina Demetriades after proposing during a trip to Indonesia on August 29, with the couple planning to marry in late 2027, as reported by PEOPLE.

Lee and Demetriades grew up in Los Angeles and had been friends for years before beginning their relationship in 2025. They now live in New York, and Lee has continued building his own career as a producer and entrepreneur, including producing the Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story about his mother and executive producing The Last Showgirl, which starred Anderson.

Her younger son, Dylan Jagger Lee, has meanwhile already taken that step, marrying Paula Bruss in Saint-Tropez. According to Vogue, the couple planned a relaxed wedding weekend designed to feel more like a vacation, with celebrations at favorite restaurants and the ceremony taking place at a private villa in Les Parcs.