Pamela Anderson’s Met Gala Appearance Made Me Surprisingly Emotional

For Anderson’s Met Gala debut, she wore a stunning cream-colored Oscar de la Renta gown with an asymmetrical neckline highlighted with glittering Pandora jewels. And her Noel Stewart feather headpiece, styled by Orlando Pita, was just as ethereal as her dress—the perfect accent.

This isn’t the first fashion event the 56-year-old superstar has been to in recent months—she made headlines when she chose to attend Paris Fashion Week without a stitch of makeup—and has generally been enjoying a return to the spotlight with a turn as Roxie Hart in Chicago and a Netflix documentary telling her story on her own terms. But the combination of her long overdue recognition combined with the Met Gala’s theme of reawakened beauties deepened the meaning behind having Anderson as a guest at fashion’s biggest night of the year.

There is no denying that Pamela Anderson is a fashion icon, whether you liked her bold and sexy fashion choices of the ‘90s and early aughts or not. It means a lot to me, as a millennial who grew up watching famous young women like Anderson—and Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton and countless others—be torn apart by the media for her choices (and many things beyond her control), to see her finally getting her moment. As another editor noted, “I’m just so happy for her to be BACK in the spotlight!”

Anderson’s recognition as an icon has been a long time in the making, much like the various delicate and beautiful designs featured in the Met’s “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” exhibit. I can’t wait to see what more she does now that the Baywatch beauty is back and better than ever, but this particular appearance will forever stand out as one for the books—a true Cinderella moment.