Written by Oscar Holland, CNN
Showcasing the good, the bad, and the ugly, Look of the Week is a regular series dedicated to unboxing the most talked-about outfits of the last seven days. Pamela Anderson made her name in red. In fact, the swimwear she and her Baywatch co-stars wore in the ’90s is so iconic that Pantone has since officially dubbed the shade Baywatch Red. So perhaps there wasn’t a better color for the 55-year-old star to wear to the premiere of Netflix’s new documentary about her life, Pamela, a Love Story. Anderson, who channeled her breakout character CJ Parker, arrived at the streaming giant’s Tudum Theater in Los Angeles wearing a scoop-neck dress by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan. The form-fitting dress might not have been exactly the hue Pantone immortalized in celebration of the series’ 30th anniversary in 2019, but it nonetheless evoked images of Parker posing – often in slow motion – in a one-piece swimsuit on the sunny LA beaches patrolled the show for five seasons. 
Pamela Anderson wore her signature color to the premiere of Netflix’s Pamela, a Love Story. Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Social media users seemed to appreciate the throwback. In response to an Instagram post from Khan’s eponymous label, Victoria’s Secret model Tika Camaj described Anderson’s debut performance as an “iconic moment.”
Anderson’s stylist Rebecca Ramsey, meanwhile, wrote on Instagram after the premiere: “She invented red.” The beaded dress, part of Khan’s Resort 2023 collection, retails for just under $6,000 – more expensive than the original, “Baywatch” swimsuit worn by the show, which sold (along with a buoy and autographed photo) for $4,920 at a California auction in 2014. Anderson completed the look with drop earrings and a pair of red satin sandals designed by someone with a similarly strong claim to the color red: Christian Louboutin. 
Anderson is best known for playing lifeguard and volleyball coach CJ Parker on the 1990s hit series Baywatch. Photo credit: IMDB
The actor was joined at Monday’s event by their sons Dylan and Brandon Lee, the latter of whom co-produced the Netflix documentary. Speaking to Access Hollywood on the pink carpet, Anderson said her kids have kept her updated on her enduring status as a style icon, decades after she emerged as the archetypal blonde bombshell.
“[My sons]would say, ‘People love the whole ’90s look and people[wear red bathing suits as]Halloween costumes,'” Anderson said. “And I’d be like, ‘No, that’s crazy! It’s fun, it’s really nice, it’s flattering. It feels like we’ve come full circle. We just had a good time back then. It never was curated experience.”
Now streaming on Netflix, Pamela, a Love Story chronicles Anderson’s struggles with her ubiquitous sex symbol status, as well as her tumultuous relationship with Tommy Lee and their infamous stolen sextape. The documentary, which will be released alongside a new memoir, sees Anderson attempting, as she puts it, “to take control of the narrative for the first time.”