Love, Pamela: A Memoir of Prose, Poetry, and Truth

Anderson’s early success, and particularly her instant rise to fame, was largely due to two major 1980s and 1990s pop culture phenomena: Playboy magazine and the television series Baywatch. Anderson’s photoshoots in Playboy—a centerfold in October 1989, followed by a “Playmate of the Month” profile in February 1990—launched her career. A Canadian model with one beer commercial on her resume, Anderson was completely unknown to mainstream American audiences until her introduction to Playboy’s millions of subscribers. At the time, the magazine was still helmed by founder Hugh Hefner, who plucked Anderson from obscurity and invited her into the Playboy community. Hefner, or “Hef,” as Anderson calls him, was renowned in the 1980s for his role as founder and editor of the magazine, and for his famous mansion where he held parties with celebrity guests and Playboy models. Anderson recalls of the parties, “It was always a good time, and quite innocent for debauchery. Sexy, classic, playful, wildly entertaining, and just plain old-fashioned fun” (92). 

Though Anderson’s experiences with Hefner and Playboy are largely positive, the magazine and its founder share an ambivalent cultural legacy. Founded in 1953, Playboy helped pave the way for greater openness about sex and sexuality in popular culture.