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Most celebs always look completely flawless every time they hit the red carpet, so it's hard for us to imagine them looking like anything other than total perfection. But believe it or not, some of them didn't grow into their looks until they became famous. In fact, many famous people were big nerds during their formative years. We're talking glasses, braces, the whole nine years.
We'll show you the hilarious throwback photos from singers, actors, actresses, rappers, and comedians. You won't believe your eyes when you see just how geeky they were before they had a team of stylists and designers to whip them into shape. We're pretty sure these celebs would love it if these childhood pictures were burned, never to see the light of day ever again. But thankfully, we got a hold of their embarrassing photos so we could share them with you!
These 20 pictures of celebs who looked like huge nerds before fame will shock you. But you won't be able to deny that they made stunning transformations from geek to chic.
Jennifer Garner Was A Band Geek
Wow, who would've believed us if we revealed that Jennifer Garner was a band geek in her younger years? The 13 Going on 30 star has been into the arts for decades, and since hitting it big in the entertainment world, she has proven to the world that she can still read music and blow with the best of them! The actress filmed a short segment for Vanity Fair to pay homage to her teenage years. The only difference was that she finally nixed those puffy bangs and glasses that completely covered up her natural beauty during her high school days. Perhaps she wasn't the most popular girl in her class, but look at her now!
Scarlett Johansson Was Insecure About Her Looks
Scarlett Johansson made heads turn in The Avengers, but what her fans don't realize is that the New York City native didn't always look like she stepped out from the cover of a fashion magazine. In this throwback photo, the actress looks like she was no older than 15 or 16 years old, and she was definitely going through that dreaded awkward phase. She admitted that she was insecure about her looks during her earlier days and that kids would make fun of her because of her "big lips" and deep voice. Little did they know, the classmate they were teasing was going to turn into one of Hollywood's most desirable bachelorettes!
Demi Moore Was Nerdy-Cute
A lot of us went through stages of our lives where we looked a bit... peculiar (to put it nicely). So, we can't really bash Demi Moore for this old school photo taken during her younger years. The Striptease star, who grew up in Roswell, NM, snapped a photo looking all sorts of nerdy, but she was definitely giving the camera a major dose of cuteness. How could you not love her short 'do, tiny little glasses, and innocent smile? It's hard to believe that the little girl in that picture morphed into the Tinsel Town starlet we all know and love today. But her before and after pictures are proof that anyone can grow up to be a beautiful swan!
Ryan Seacrest Dreaded Going To The Pool
Wowzers. Yes, that's really Ryan Seacrest you're staring at in the before photo. During an interview with Jimmy Kimmel (via AOL), he spoke about how difficult his childhood really was. He always dreaded when Spring Break rolled around because he knew he would have to take off his shirt and put on swim shorts to go to the beach or into the ocean. It was something he dreaded as an overweight kid, so he would always keep his shirt on instead. He has since managed to get his weight under control, the glasses and braces are long gone, and just look at him now! Can you say heartthrob?
Marilyn Manson Looked Way Different As A Kid
Everyone always wonders what Marilyn Manson looks like without a face full of makeup, but we were more curious to see what he looked like when he was just a child. To our surprise, the rocker behind the song "The Beautiful People" looked a lot different as a kid. And by "different," we mean he looked pretty nerdy! Like most kids that age, he was subjected to the torture devices now known as braces, and we're pretty sure he didn't take home the win for "best hair" in his senior class. Despite his geeky appearance though, he managed to work hard to achieve his dream of becoming an international superstar.
Charlize Theron Wore Huge Glasses
Before she was captivating us on the big screen in films such as The Astronaut's Wife, Monster and The Italian Job, Charlize Theron was just your typical kid growing up in South Africa. She didn't have access to the glam squad that helps perfect her red carpet looks today, so the actress kept things rather simple during your younger years. In her school photo, you can still see a glimpse of the woman she is now... if you just ignore the humongous glasses she was forced to wear (and look really closely). Her picture isn't nearly as cringe-worthy as some of the other stars on our list, but it's still considered nerdy nonetheless.
Rashida Jones Had Bling On Her Teeth
Growing up as the daughter of music mogul Quincy Jones meant that Rashida Jones was already living in the lap of luxury during her younger years. That's why it was a pleasant surprise to see the I Love You, Man and Parks and Recreation actress didn't look like your typical spoiled Beverly Hills kid in her childhood picture. Before she learned the benefits of a blow-dryer or a flat iron, the star rocked frizzy hair along with some sparkly braces that gave her mouth some major bling. We're not going to even get into her outfit, but let's just say it's pretty clear that she still has a thing for white clothing even today.
Here's Amber Rose Before The Blonde Hair
Amber Rose catapulted herself into superstardom after gaining recognition as Kanye West's girlfriend. Their relationship didn't last, but she went on to marry another Hip-Hop artist, Wiz Khalifa, before divorcing him and embarking on a romance with rapper 21 Savage. Long before she was rubbing elbows with Hollywood's elite, she was showing off her nerdy side in Philadelphia, PA. Although she rocks a blonde buzzcut today, the public figure sported a chin-length, dark brown 'do during her school days. As for the USA Olympics ring shirt she was wearing, we're sure today's Amber wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole. This beauty is a fan of designer merchandise only!
Kristen Stewart Looking Sweet, Innocent, And Geeky
When Kristen Stewart became a household name after portraying the character of Bella Swan in the Twilight series, the world suddenly became fascinated by her. Everyone wanted to know more about who she was and know about her upbringing. To our astonishment, the raven-haired beauty wasn't always a vision of perfection. In one of the photos from her past, you can barely even recognize that it's her, but the lips and smile are a dead giveaway. She wore her hair really short, but one thing that hasn't changed is the actress' lack of makeup. Even as a kid, she was a fan of rocking her bare face with full confidence. For that, we say props!
Adam Levine Before Maroon 5
As a California kid, Adam Levine was raised in Los Angeles, a city that's fixated on perfection. Although he is now one of the many handsome men in the entertainment industry, the younger version of himself was more adorable in a geeky way. The Maroon 5 frontman still kept his hair short on the sides and long on top, but the smooth suave swagger that he has today hadn't fully come into play. If we were to judge him just by his childhood photo, then there's no way we'd predict that he would one day become a member of an award-winning band. But life has a funny of way of surprising us sometimes.
Kelly Osbourne Was A Private School Geek
As the daughter of a musician, many people expect Kelly Osbourne to look like a mini version of a rock star in her school photos. But perhaps she wasn't allowed to fully express her individuality through wild clothing and accessories because she was stuck wearing a private school uniform during her youth. The TV personality wore glasses during her younger days, and judging by the groggy look on her face, we're going to guess that she had been up the night prior, attending band rehearsal with her dad or having a slumber party with fellow rich kids. Now that she has matured into an adult, Osbourne has been able to ditch her nerdy past, and we have to admit that we're loving her glow up!
Taylor Swift Loved Rocking Her Braids
Either Taylor Swift had just gotten back from a family vacation to Jamaica or the singer was trying to give her best impression of Beyoncé circa 1999. Either way, we knew we had to add her to our list the second we saw this picture. Knowing what we know about the singer today, we're going to guess she was a bit headstrong during her childhood years, as well as a total fashionista. We wouldn't be surprised if other children in her class begged their parents for a similar hairstyle once they saw Swift walk through the door! These days, she keeps her hair nice and sleek, but we wouldn't be mad if she reverted back to her old style every now and then!
George Clooney Went From Dweeb To Sultry
Hollywood's most eligible bachelor, George Clooney, finally took himself off the market after years of making every woman in the world swoon with his charming good looks. But we wonder how everyone would feel if they saw pictures of the hunky actor from his childhood. Would they change their mind about labeling him a s*xpot? Who knows? But, it doesn't change the fact that Clooney had it pretty rough as a kid. Check out his bowl haircut and those glasses. We get it, The Beatles were huge when he was a child, so he was probably trying to give his best Ringo Starr impression... and failed. We forgive him though.
Emma Watson's Nerdy Past
We've all seen pictures of Emma Watson when she was just a kid. In fact, she was only 11 years old when the first Harry Potter film debuted. We would like to chalk up her goofy bangs to her staying in character as Hermione Granger, but we're starting to believe that Watson was styling her hair like that long before the role of her dreams came along. But enough about her nerdy past, and take a look at the actress now! The bushy eyebrow-length bangs and tousled hair from her tween years have been replaced with sleek and perfectly-coifed hairstyles and gorgeous designer dresses to replace her magical Hermione Hogwarts uniform.
Tina Fey Was Always Quirky
Tina Fey has been making us laugh for years, and we have no doubt that she was just as funny when she was a student in high school. The comedienne and actress has shared pictures from her youth, and we have to say that not much has changed with regards to her looks. But she has since updated her hair, and her thick eyebrows are (thankfully) now a thing of the past. Sure, she's also a lot more polished these days, but it is clear that she still has the same youthful yet quirky appearance that she displayed in her class photo that you see above. Tina Fey is still considered a classic beauty (and will likely always be), even if her school picture is all things geeky!
Jake Gyllenhaal Finally Ditched The Glasses
Jake Gyllenhaal sort of looks like Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone, doesn't he? The Southpaw and Donnie Darko star has come a long way since the days he was sporting a flat-top and a pair of rather thick glasses. We hate to assume he was teased in high school just because of his nerdy looks, but we wouldn't be surprised if he was shoved into a locker or two. Gyllenhaal has certainly grown into his (good) looks now. He tossed the bifocals, and he now gets his hair professionally styled. His nerd days are finally long gone, and we're sure he's glad that photos like the one on the left are nothing more than a distant memory now.
Eminem Had It Rough
Considering what we all know about Eminem's childhood and upbringing, we can't help but feel a pang of sadness when we see this picture from his early years. The rapper had it rough, with an absentee father and a mother who was addicted to drugs. Growing up poor meant he didn't have access to the best clothes, and he definitely wasn't getting his haircut in the ritzy side of town every two weeks. So, we have to cut him some slack on his childhood picture. Besides, it doesn't even matter what he looked like then because look at him now! He's considered a veteran in the rap community, has sold millions of albums, and is the proud owner of 15 Grammy awards.
Eva Longoria Was A Drum Major
Jennifer Garner isn't the only band geek on our list. Eva Longoria was also in her school marching band, and we have the picture to prove it! The Desperate Housewives star was the Drum Major at Miller High School, and it looked like she took her role very seriously, judging by the intent look on her face.
If you ignore the bushy curly hair and her unsightly band jacket, not much has changed about Longoria. We're not sure how she has managed to look so young so many years later, and we're convinced that she probably still gets carded whenever she hits up a bar.
Goldie Hawn Grew Into Her Looks
Okay, we had to do a double take because we still can't believe the picture on the left is an old photo of Goldie Hawn. In our opinion, it doesn't look like her... at all! After all these years, Hawn is still considered a blonde bombshell in the industry, but we certainly can't say the same about her younger days. She had yet to grow into her features, so she's giving off some nerdy vibes in the before photo. The Overboard actress has since matured into a stunning woman who's still at the top of her game and giving younger actresses in the industry a run for their money! Not to mention, good looks definitely do run in the family (daughter Kate Hudson is a beauty).
Margot Robbie Wanted To Be Harry Potter
We wouldn't be surprised if Margot Robbie wishes that this picture would fade away into obscurity. Not only is she reading a Harry Potter book, but she's sporting some funky eye wear too. The actress later admitted that she lied about her vision when she was a kid so she could get glasses just like the main character! "I went to the optometrist and was like, 'No, I can't see that. Oh, my eyes hurt!'" she told Jimmy Kimmel. "My mom's like, 'Do you really need glasses?' and I was like, 'Yes I do!'"
She's probably the only celeb we know that wanted to be a nerd, and for that reason alone, she earned the top spot on our list. Take a bow, Robbie!
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