Pamela Anderson & That Iconic Red Swimsuit

In Retrospect with Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett

09/29/23 • 40 min

When lifeguard CJ Parker, played by Pamela Anderson, ran in slow-mo down a sandy California beach in her iconic cherry red swimsuit — you know the one, low in the front, hiiiiiigh on the sides — she didn’t just turn “Baywatch” into the number-one TV show in America, she became the enduring symbol of 90s sexuality. In this episode, Jess and Susie trace that swimsuit’s surprising history — and its ripple effects.

Guests:

Pamela Anderson, actor, activist and author
Susan Douglas, professor of media studies at the University of Michigan and author of “Enlightened Sexism”

FOR MORE:

Pamela Anderson Doesn’t Need Your Redemption. She’s Just Fine. (NY Times)
How Baywatch Went from Early Belly Flop to the Big Screen (NY Times)
Pamela: A Love Story (Netflix)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Explicit content warning

09/29/23 • 40 min

In Retrospect with Susie Banikarim and Jessica Bennett - Pamela Anderson & That Iconic Red Swimsuit

Transcript

Speaker 100:00:00.479

In the mid nineteen nineties, when Pamela Anderson was at the height of her fame, she sat down for an interview with Taksha host Regis Philbin. He was the co host of Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and Pamas there to promote Baywatch, which was rated number one in the world at that time. Regis was asking her about the sudden and wild popularity of that show, where she played CJ. Parker, a veteran lifeguard patrols the beaches of southern Californi

Featured in these lists

The best podcasts about the Intersection of Pop Culture, Identity, and Social Change

Curated by Andreea Coscai

Generate a badge

Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode

Select type & size

Copy