For years, Pamela Anderson has campaigned on behalf of savagely treated animals. The star of “Baywatch” and “Dancing With the Stars” has even posed naked to protest against furs. But Anderson, a longtime vegan, also lobbies companies and politicians on behalf of animals.
You were the face of the campaign “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur.” Would you go naked even in Siberia if it’s good for the cause?
If it meant saving some animals’ skins by showing my own, I’d go naked anywhere, even Siberia.
You’re a famous vegetarian and PETA activist. How many times have you removed your clothes to raise animal rights awareness?
I’ve done a few naked ads to spotlight how fit and sexy you can be without eating meat or wearing animal skins, but I do a lot more PETA work with my clothes on, such as lobbying companies and politicians.
You were actively involved in campaigns against Kentucky Fried Chicken and seal hunting. Are those animals better off now?
My work with PETA resulted in KFC Canada adding a vegan chicken sandwich and convincing them to buy chicken killed in much less violent slaughter methods.
Which animals receive the worst treatment today?
Chickens have it the worst. From the time they are born they are crammed full of food so they get fat quickly, which means their bones can’t support the weight and they get painful, crippling arthritis. They are slaughtered in the most gruesome methods; they have their legs and wings snapped and are scalded alive in de-feathering tanks. We’re working to push the industry to at least switch to a more humane system.
When and why did you become a vegetarian?
My father used to hunt, and I once came upon a deer he shot who was bleeding, hung upside down, and it was so shocking that it got me thinking, if I can’t see a dead animal, why should I eat one?
Is being a vegetarian a plus or a minus in showbiz?
It’s a plus because you have so much more energy and stamina.
What do you usually eat?
Simple foods like veggies, hummus and fruit. I love pasta.
