"Lily James, the actress that plays Pamela, has been very vocal about the respect and admiration she has for ex-Baywatch actress Anderson"Angela N/ Flickr

I was hesitant about watching Disney+’s new show Pam & Tommy, which they’re selling with the oh-so-catchy tag-line ‘based on a true scandal’. If you set aside the fact that streaming services will now exploit literally anything for money, it’s surprising to see the dramatisation of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s leaked sex tape lined up alongside Disney children’s classics such as Beauty and The Beast and Frozen. But I guess the ‘+’ in Disney+ must stand for ‘plus sex-tape’, because this children’s film company has just gotten X-rated.

“It is a show that puts the viewers’ pleasure first, at the expense of Pamela Anderson’s privacy”

In the end, my morals were vastly overruled by the multiple teaser-trailers that bombarded my Facebook and Instagram. I’m sure you’ve seen them. They feature an eye-bogglingly busty bleach-blonde (prosthetics) Lily James as Pamela, and a nipple-pierced, tattooed leopard-print thong clad Sebastian Stan (again, a very interesting use of prosthetics here). Quite frankly, who wouldn’t want to watch the series after seeing that? After also seeing multiple articles on actress Lily James’s unbelievable ‘Pamification’, I couldn’t help my curiosity. I am only human and so, naturally intrigued, I caved, sat down, and watched.

Pam & Tommy is a great watch. For anyone who doesn’t already know, it tells the story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s leaked sex-tape in the 90’s. The show also stars Seth Rogan and is engaging, amusing and moving. However, just like the original sex tape, it is a show that puts the viewers’ pleasure first, at the expense of Pamela Anderson’s privacy.

Lily James, the actress that plays Pamela, has been very vocal about the respect and admiration she has for ex-Baywatch actress Anderson. Ironic, considering Pamela Anderson, when approached by Disney, made it clear that she did not want to be involved in the show at all. This sex tape shook the world when it was leaked without Lee and Anderson’s consent in 1995. It seems downright malicious, then, for Disney+ to profit off the pain and trauma these real people — Anderson especially — suffered as a result of having their private sex tape publicly leaked. What this dramatisation invites the viewer to do more than anything, is look up and watch the original tape — and thus exploit these non-consenting individuals all over again.

In an interview with Thrillist, James was prompted by the following statement: “Pamela has been very upfront about not watching the show and not wanting to engage […] because it was such a traumatic time for her”. But James emphatically replied that she “wish[es that Pamela] had been involved” but that she also “felt really confident” she “was surrounded by people who were focused on telling the story honestly […] with total empathy”. This, I think, is where James’s, and the Pam & Tommy production team’s feminism, seems to fall short.

The show itself features a popularly discussed moment with a talking prosthetic penis. It’s phallic, it’s graphic, it’s huge, and it’s ridiculous. This itself seems to make a complete joke of Pamela and Tommy’s trauma at the hands of this sex-tape.


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In one of the earlier episodes, Lily James as Pamela says to Stan’s Tommy Lee: “I feel violated, don’t you?” This blatant awareness proves that the team behind Pam & Tommy aren’t blind to the fact that they are re-surfacing something that heavily traumatised and violated the real Pamela Anderson all over again. It shows instead that they simply don’t care: as long as Disney+ keeps playing them that top dollar, they’ll exploit Pamela Anderson’s privacy without her consent as many times as they can — with pleasure.

“Goddam.. this is so private” Rogan’s character remarks when he first watches the tape in the show, and he is right. It should’ve stayed private to begin with, and Pamela’s privacy should be respected now, not splashed all over Disney+’s website for profit.