This Is The Person Pamela Anderson Admires The Most

Actress and Playboy model Pamela Anderson has courted controversy throughout her long career, most notably in 1994 when a sex tape of Anderson and her then-husband Tommy Lee was leaked to the public, a story dramatized in the Hulu series "Pam and Tommy." Somewhat less well-known about Anderson, though, are the numerous social and political causes supported by the star. In 2008, Anderson revealed her most-admired person in a question and answer session with The Guardian. How Anderson responded to the query goes to show Anderson is a far more nuanced and three-dimensional character than her public persona may lead some to believe.

According to Vegan, Anderson cut all animal products from her diet and lifestyle when she was growing up in Canada. Over the years, Anderson has also frequently collaborated with the animal rights organization PETA, and she has taken several highly-publicized stands against what she perceives to be examples of animal abuse, such as the annual Canadian seal slaughter, and many others. Clearly, animal welfare is an important issue for the actress and model, and based on her response to the Guardian questionnaire, she patterns her activism after another glamorous actress, model, and singer who used her high-profile image to further the cause of animal welfare.

Like Anderson some four decades later, French star Brigitte Bardot was a sex symbol in her early career, modeling in the leading fashion magazines of her time, and starring in several feature films such as "And God Created Woman," in 1956, as Britannica reports. In 1987, Bardot also launched the Foundation Brigitte Bardot, an animal rights organization. Controversially she has also come under fire recently for several outspoken criticisms of the Muslim religion, and the influence Muslim immigration has had on French culture, according to Reuters. Similarly, Pamela Anderson has also taken stands on divisive topics, such as the imprisonment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, via Newsweek.

All combined, it's plain to see how a star like Pamela Anderson could take inspiration from the life and work of Brigette Bardot, who at the time of this writing still lives in France. When asked by the Guardian who the person is that she admired the most, Anderson responded, "Brigitte Bardot for defending animals and not caring what people say," (via The Guardian.) In the article, she also mentioned the controversy surrounding her involvement with PETA, and her support of another well-known animal rights activist Stella McCartney, telling The Guardian her most treasured possession is her "Linda McCartney Memorial Award for promoting vegetarianism."