Pamela, a Love Story: 9 revelations about Pamela Anderson's life from the Netflix documentary

Pamela Anderson was among the most talked-about celebrities of the 1990s. A worldwide phenomenon, everything she did made headlines — from her Playboy photoshoots and her stint on Baywatch to her relationships (most famously with Mötley Crüe rocker Tommy Lee), her leaked sex tape, and, of course, her breasts.

The documentary that was released today on Netflix gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Pamela’s life as the actor walks us through the many different phases of her often troubled life through home videos and personal diary entries in which she has carefully documented her entire life. 

Some things in the documentary stand out, mostly because they are little-known facts about Pamela Anderson. Here are nine of them:

Pamela was from an abusive household
Pamela’s father was much like the bad boys that she went on to date. He was an alcoholic who abused his mother. Her parents married young and had a tumultuous relationship. Despite that, Pamela’s mother chose to remain with her father, and the two are still married and happy together.

A tomboy
In stark contrast to the sex symbol that she eventually went on to become, Pamela was a tomboy when she was in school. When she first started developing breasts, she was unaware of what was happening and thought that she had cancer.

She was molested by her nanny
When she was a young girl, Pamela was molested by her nanny. To protect her younger brother from her, Pamela tried attacking her nanny and wished that she was dead. When her nanny died in a car accident, Pamela felt responsible and carried the burden for many years.

Raped at age 12
Pamela was raped by a 25-year-old man at a friend’s house when she was just 12 years old. She thought that it was her fault and didn't tell anyone about it.

Journaling her life
Pamela carefully documented everything that happened in her life through diary entries and home videos. She has a way with words and had deep insights into her life even as a young girl.

She hated her body
Because of her troubled childhood, Pamela was painfully shy as a young girl and even hated her body.

Playboy gave her power over her sexuality
Her first Playboy shoot helped Pamela break free of her shyness, and she finally felt like she took back the power of her sexuality.

Always gravitated towards animals
Pamela’s association with PETA was a natural move as she always gravitated towards animals, feeling that she trusts animals more than people. 

She was in debt for most of her life
Given her fame, everyone assumed that Pamela was always wealthy, but her son reveals that Pamela was, in fact, in debt for most of her life.