![I'M NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM I'M NOT WHO YOU THINK I AM](https://cdn.magzter.com/1359122596/1676530135/articles/uGM3LN4Q-1676620999187/IM-NOT-WHO-YOU-THINK-I-AM.jpg)
FOR most of her life, by most of the world, Pamela Anderson has been judged. Barely 22 when she first appeared on the cover of Playboy, she became a global household name in 1992 by sprinting in slow motion across the California sand in a red bathing suit.
The Baywatch star’s whirlwind wedding to Mötley Crüe rock star Tommy Lee three years later, on a Mexican beach just four days after they started dating, secured her notoriety as the iconic blonde bombshell wild child of her time.
She wore a white bikini; her maid of honour was a stranger she’d met at a nightclub the night before; she didn’t even know her new husband’s surname.
When the newlyweds’ safe was stolen from their home less than a year later, and a sex tape spliced together from private home videos was sold – first to Penthouse and then to the planet via the internet – many assumed it was a trashy publicity stunt contrived by the couple.
They tried to sue, but lawyers told Pamela she had no right to privacy after posing for Playboy. Slut-shamed by the tabloids, hounded by paparazzi, her marriage began to unravel and when Tommy attacked her in 1998 while she was holding their newborn second son, she left him. He was sentenced to six months in jail; they divorced, they re- conciled, they split again.
Twenty-five years, five more marriages and multiple Playboy covers and reality TV shows later, I opened her memoir – Love, Pamela – expecting the breathless vacuity of a pinup. I wasn’t the only one.
“People were, like, ‘There’s no way you could write a book’. Even my kids were saying, ‘Mom, you have to be able to write something that people are going to understand’.”
This story is from the 23 February 2023 edition of YOU South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the 23 February 2023 edition of YOU South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![ONE OF A KIND ONE OF A KIND](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/Ly6I1d9K_1739590184597/ONE-OF-A-KIND.jpg)
ONE OF A KIND
She survived a violent stepfather and being raped by a bandmate as well as rampant showbiz sexism. Now as singer Cyndi Lauper heads off on her farewell tour aged 71, she just wants to have fun
![TRUE TO HIS ROOTS TRUE TO HIS ROOTS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/pPhfD6rGR1739601705909/TRUE-TO-HIS-ROOTS.jpg)
TRUE TO HIS ROOTS
Rap icon Kendrick Lamar's recent Grammy haul has cemented his status as the king of hip-hop
![RYAN'S ON A ROLLI RYAN'S ON A ROLLI](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/zQx3B8Bas1739589357799/RYANS-ON-A-ROLLI.jpg)
RYAN'S ON A ROLLI
Ryan Rickelton has taken the cricket scene by storm, announcing himself as a force to be reckoned with
![PARALYMPICS, HERE I COME! PARALYMPICS, HERE I COME!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/vURGbAyKA1739589690582/PARALYMPICS-HERE-I-COME.jpg)
PARALYMPICS, HERE I COME!
He lost his left leg as a baby, but these days Nicklaas is a star on the athletics field and he's got big dreams
![KEKE'S KICKING IT! KEKE'S KICKING IT!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/SLVg9uFp81739589005096/KEKES-KICKING-IT.jpg)
KEKE'S KICKING IT!
From child star to Hollywood powerhouse - Keke Palmer shines as an actress, podcast host and film producer
![NEXT CHAPTER LOADING NEXT CHAPTER LOADING](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/neUd0xXj_1739588445786/NEXT-CHAPTER-LOADING.jpg)
NEXT CHAPTER LOADING
Werner Wessels, the creative force behind many Miss SA winners, is stepping away from pageants to embrace new opportunities
![BABY SHAME GAME BABY SHAME GAME](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/Hap82bMeJ1739578929260/BABY-SHAME-GAME.jpg)
BABY SHAME GAME
Lily Collins got a lot more than she bargained for when she announced she'd become a mom via a surrogate
![BRIDGET'S BACK! BRIDGET'S BACK!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/ZCB2NIKcn1739577388955/BRIDGETS-BACK.jpg)
BRIDGET'S BACK!
Renée Zellweger returns for the fourth and possibly final outing of Helen Fielding's ditsy cult heroine, a role she has relished from day one
![I CAN BREATHE AGAIN' I CAN BREATHE AGAIN'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/Seiv5Z5k01739577780955/I-CAN-BREATHE-AGAIN.jpg)
I CAN BREATHE AGAIN'
After months of legal hell, two aneurysms and brain surgery, Alison Botha is relieved that her attackers are back behind bars and she can focus on getting better
![SA IN TRUMP'S SIGHTS SA IN TRUMP'S SIGHTS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/ELjBe4OTh1739578302252/SA-IN-TRUMPS-SIGHTS.jpg)
SA IN TRUMP'S SIGHTS
With Elon Musk whispering in his ear the US president has unleashed his wrath on South Africa. But how worried should we be?