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People Who Used To Be “Ugly Ducklings” Share Their Transformations, And We Can Barely Recognize Them (New Pics)
Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen published The Ugly Duckling in 1843, and a huge reason why the fairy tale is popular to this day is because of how relatable it is. It's a heartwarming story about personal transformation for the better, revolving around inner beauty just as much as it does around its outer counterpart.
To prove that the Ugly Duckling Syndrome is an intrinsic part of life, people are constantly sharing (check out part I of this list here) their personal before-and-after photos in the uglyduckling subreddit. Viewing these images, it's clear that you never know what time (and puberty, of course) has prepared for you. Even though these late bloomers had to wait a little longer than others to grow into their beautiful people looks fully, the body transformations seem totally worth it. Scroll down to check out their stunning from-ugly-to-pretty images and upvote your favorites!
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Lost 50kg (110lbs) In 18 Months After A Rugby Injury, Started Rowing For My University, Got My Msc In Mathematics
I Don't Even Look Like The Same Person Anymore. 17 To 22
19 To 21
In 25 Months. Found A True Before Pic, Face Gains, Mission Goal Weight In 2018
4 Years Between The Photos. Used To Really Dislike How I Looked But Slowly And Bit By Bit I Started To Treat Myself A Lil Nicer, Didn't Realize The Difference Till I Saw It Like This
11-21. My Dad Used To Call Me Ugly Betty, And I Took It As A Compliment
13 And 30. They Used To Make Fun Of Me For Coding. Now I Get Paid For It
Grew Into My Chin... And My Ears... And Pretty Much My Whole Face (12yo Me Vs. 22yo Me)
12 To 20. I Promise I Was Always A Girl
What 10 Years Of Makeup, Self Esteem, And Effort Can Do To 2 Ugly Twins
Age 15 To 21
They Used To Call Me "Pretty" As A Joke
17-23. No One Calls Me Bieber Anymore
I Think 16 To 21
From Sundaes To Runways. I Grew Up Quite A Bit From 17 To 21
Lost The Weight But Damn I Miss That Hair
That first pic portrays a haircut scientifically designed to get the maximum amount of hair poking into your eyes at any given time.
Today At 25, I've Lost 120 Lbs And Put On Some Muscle!
14 To 23. It’s Been An Awkward Decade For Me
Early 20's To Yesterday At 30
From 18 To 23. Who Knew A Jawline Would Be Hidden Under All Of That
16 To 20. What A Difference 4 Years Make
4th Grade Me & 22 Year Old Me. The Photographer Even Made Me Push My Glasses Up Because I Liked To Wear Them On The Tip Of My Nose
My Friends Transition From 12 Pudge To 22 Year Old Stud (8th Grade - Postcollege)
When You're So Homely You're Kind Of Cute. From 9 To 24
14 To My 19th Birthday. Grew Up A Little Bit
17 To 19 In 6 Seconds
16 To 23. I Was A T-Shirt, Baggy Jeans, And Scowl Face Kind Of Girl. My Mom Saved A Lot Beautiful Clothing For Me
17 To 22. My Hair Doesn't Look Like A Bad Wig Anymore
Twenty Years Later. Still Need The Big Glasses
?-14-18-26
From Headgear Girl With 4 Bangs To Teacher Miss Morgan. To All Former And Current Ducklings: Keep Smiling!
Your teeth are beautiful now because of all that head-gear lol! Sorry you had to put up with that mess!
I'd Like To Think The Past 9 Years Have Been Kind To Me. From 15 To 24
12 To 21. Weight Loss And A Set Of Braces Later, I Am Still An Insecure Person, But I Feel Much More Comfortable In My Body
15, Awkward And Rejected By All My Crushes To 22, Dating The Love Of My Life For 2,5 Years (And Much Happier)
I Guess A Lot Happens In 3 And A Half Years
15 To 21. I Was That One Kid In High School Who Still Had A Roller Backpack
14 To 26. I Was So Proud Of That 'Moustache'
14 To 24
14-24 My Best Friend (Left) And I (Right). Thanks Puberty
15 To 21 My Former Bullies Have Asked Me Out Not Even Realizing We Went To The Same School For Four Years!
In Grade Two, I Looked Like A 40 Year Old Librarian With 6 Cats At Home
3rd Grade - Now
I'm pretty sure we were all a little uglier when we were 8.. This is not an "Ugly Duckling" story. You simply grew up.
My Boyfriend Doesn't Even Look Like The Same Person (16 To 21)
14 To 21 Transformation. Indian Peter Griffin To Überdoüche
12 Vs 19. Never Got Taller, But I Got Contacts And Lost A Bunch Of Weight
doesn't seem like you really needed to lose a bunch of weight...
10 To 26
Crippling Tomboy Stage 12 To 20
I Always Knew Deep Down I Was A Blonde (12 Vs 15 Vs 20)
19 To 26. Lost Weight, Figured Out A Hairstyle I Liked
I Didn’t Do Anything Special, But I’m Not Ugly Anymore
11 To 25 - It's Always The Hair (Standard Asian Bowl Cut)
7ish To 25, That Hair Cut Is A Crime Against Humanity
Puberty Is So Kind
Why do people compare themselves to their 12 or 13 year old selves??? Weird back-in-time bodyshaming.
I think it's the progression into adulthood. No one is body shaming anybody.
Load More Replies...Puberty is such a wonderful thing, isn't it? Most of the overweight children suddenly put on that spurt that soon propels them into adulthood. I remember watching my friends and neighborhood kids change before my eyes, and always leave me in the dust. I did not enter puberty until almost, and I was so happy to join my friends. But you know what? The later one enters puberty the longer they maintain their youthfulness. And at 73 it is nice to have others tell me, "You don't look a day over 55". http://class1967.citadelalumni.org/K/Kelly_JL/Kelly_JL.html
Sadly, no one creates a post for how they look at 22 vs at 42 or 62 after life has happened. Enjoy your looks while they last, people. It's fun to be attractive but doesn't determine your worth as a human.
"There's more to life than being really really ridiculously good looking" - Derek Zoolander.
Load More Replies...WHAAAAT!!! People grow up and are no longer awkward, underdeveloped children!!!! You don't say!!!!!!
Sure some lost weight and grew into their ears/noses/chins/etc. But how much of this difference comes to confidence and a better camera angle? Bodies change through puberty, but what makes the difference is how we learn to live in our bodies and treat ourselves well.
While some of these are just genuine portraits of people growing into themselves, the bulk of these seem to be a PSA on the dangers of narcissism and self-indulgence. As human beings, we should be proud when we make changes that result in better health and better overall appearance. But the real goal should be to become better people. Half the people in these photos are doing purposeful sad-face just to look "sexy". If that's what your life is post-transformation -- one prolonged pose for adulation -- then it's no stretch to say your life had more value when you were ugly. I'm not exactly breaking new ground here, but appearance is fleeting. So if it's not a stepping stone for you to live a fuller, better, and more happy life, you're wasting it. IJS
If you don't want to look your best, by all means, quit bathing if that's what it takes to make you happy. ... Looks MATTER. No one is going to pay attention to a word you say if you don't take care of yourself. I'm not even talking about glamour, here, just looking YOUR best, whatever that is.
Load More Replies...The power of change - I think here we have examples of pretty good looking people transforming themselves from the outside. What we don't see is a positive internal journey for most...that everyone can go through. Finding that exercise regimen, or some activity that boosts their self confidence.
So many of the girls in these pics went from happy looking kids & teens to plastic skin ,selfie taking duck lipped narcissists
If they were ugly before, they would never become this beautiful later! Truth is everyone looks weird when they hit the teenage years. When a modern adult, too consumed in consumerism, obsessed with self-image looks at these photos they see "ugly". When we were kids we didn't care or notice much.
Unfortunately for me, wouldn't be able to post this. I was an ugly duckling back in the day, and still an ugly duckling at 25 - 1 month
Not to lessen their transformations, It's not that difficult for people to become a bit more attractive. Lose a few pounds....or put on a couple, dress nicely, slap on some makeup. It's much more impressive when people makes themselves attractive on the inside. Real beauty is what you find when you get past the fluff of appearance. Yeah, that all kinds of corny but it sounded good in my head :)
Everybody looks a little awkward when they’re like 10 years old. It’s weird and unhealthy to compare your adult selves to your child photos.
I went from being teased as an ugly duckling (but looking back I wasn't), to being a swan, to back to being an ugly (adult)duckling. I feel like ugly kids grow up to be beautiful people, and beautiful kids grow up to be meh. That's me. (Though if the meds hadn't gained me weight, it might not be so bad👎)
Everyone seemed to overlook boobs; girls growing them and boys losing them.
Wish I could add mine to this post! I was never actually ugly, but definitely awkward. No makeup, hair always in ponytail, straight across bangs, lanky, braces....now I'm completely different (although I'm still thin, lol I guess just now in a less awkward way). I even now have one side of my head shaved in a side cut! Bad a*s, yet classy.
13 is just an awkward age. Most of these people are not ugly at all, just on their way to becoming!
well, most of these "ugly" people were just fat. I don't think they look better, they just learnt how to loose some of their uniqueness and personality and learnt to blend with the crowd by following current fashions. You are ugly if you are not like all the others, no matter in which way you are different.
Well, puberty isn't kind to anyone, and everyone probably felt insecure about their appearance. How sad that we don't figure that out until much, much later.
I almost feel that these pictures, and others like them, should be shown to kids who are being bullied because of their appearance. And yes, I absolutely agree that looks aren't important, but to pretend they don't have a significant impact on middle school and high school-aged kids is being naively obtuse. At that age they think their looks will never change; that they'll look like that forever. These pictures could help them think otherwise.
the first picture - aww so cuteeee | the second picture - wow I'm impressed! | no one on this list is ugly....
There needs to be a picture of Gerard Way or Brendon Urie here.
There needs to be some Gerard Way or Brendon Urie pictures here.
Why do people compare themselves to their 12 or 13 year old selves??? Weird back-in-time bodyshaming.
I think it's the progression into adulthood. No one is body shaming anybody.
Load More Replies...Puberty is such a wonderful thing, isn't it? Most of the overweight children suddenly put on that spurt that soon propels them into adulthood. I remember watching my friends and neighborhood kids change before my eyes, and always leave me in the dust. I did not enter puberty until almost, and I was so happy to join my friends. But you know what? The later one enters puberty the longer they maintain their youthfulness. And at 73 it is nice to have others tell me, "You don't look a day over 55". http://class1967.citadelalumni.org/K/Kelly_JL/Kelly_JL.html
Sadly, no one creates a post for how they look at 22 vs at 42 or 62 after life has happened. Enjoy your looks while they last, people. It's fun to be attractive but doesn't determine your worth as a human.
"There's more to life than being really really ridiculously good looking" - Derek Zoolander.
Load More Replies...WHAAAAT!!! People grow up and are no longer awkward, underdeveloped children!!!! You don't say!!!!!!
Sure some lost weight and grew into their ears/noses/chins/etc. But how much of this difference comes to confidence and a better camera angle? Bodies change through puberty, but what makes the difference is how we learn to live in our bodies and treat ourselves well.
While some of these are just genuine portraits of people growing into themselves, the bulk of these seem to be a PSA on the dangers of narcissism and self-indulgence. As human beings, we should be proud when we make changes that result in better health and better overall appearance. But the real goal should be to become better people. Half the people in these photos are doing purposeful sad-face just to look "sexy". If that's what your life is post-transformation -- one prolonged pose for adulation -- then it's no stretch to say your life had more value when you were ugly. I'm not exactly breaking new ground here, but appearance is fleeting. So if it's not a stepping stone for you to live a fuller, better, and more happy life, you're wasting it. IJS
If you don't want to look your best, by all means, quit bathing if that's what it takes to make you happy. ... Looks MATTER. No one is going to pay attention to a word you say if you don't take care of yourself. I'm not even talking about glamour, here, just looking YOUR best, whatever that is.
Load More Replies...The power of change - I think here we have examples of pretty good looking people transforming themselves from the outside. What we don't see is a positive internal journey for most...that everyone can go through. Finding that exercise regimen, or some activity that boosts their self confidence.
So many of the girls in these pics went from happy looking kids & teens to plastic skin ,selfie taking duck lipped narcissists
If they were ugly before, they would never become this beautiful later! Truth is everyone looks weird when they hit the teenage years. When a modern adult, too consumed in consumerism, obsessed with self-image looks at these photos they see "ugly". When we were kids we didn't care or notice much.
Unfortunately for me, wouldn't be able to post this. I was an ugly duckling back in the day, and still an ugly duckling at 25 - 1 month
Not to lessen their transformations, It's not that difficult for people to become a bit more attractive. Lose a few pounds....or put on a couple, dress nicely, slap on some makeup. It's much more impressive when people makes themselves attractive on the inside. Real beauty is what you find when you get past the fluff of appearance. Yeah, that all kinds of corny but it sounded good in my head :)
Everybody looks a little awkward when they’re like 10 years old. It’s weird and unhealthy to compare your adult selves to your child photos.
I went from being teased as an ugly duckling (but looking back I wasn't), to being a swan, to back to being an ugly (adult)duckling. I feel like ugly kids grow up to be beautiful people, and beautiful kids grow up to be meh. That's me. (Though if the meds hadn't gained me weight, it might not be so bad👎)
Everyone seemed to overlook boobs; girls growing them and boys losing them.
Wish I could add mine to this post! I was never actually ugly, but definitely awkward. No makeup, hair always in ponytail, straight across bangs, lanky, braces....now I'm completely different (although I'm still thin, lol I guess just now in a less awkward way). I even now have one side of my head shaved in a side cut! Bad a*s, yet classy.
13 is just an awkward age. Most of these people are not ugly at all, just on their way to becoming!
well, most of these "ugly" people were just fat. I don't think they look better, they just learnt how to loose some of their uniqueness and personality and learnt to blend with the crowd by following current fashions. You are ugly if you are not like all the others, no matter in which way you are different.
Well, puberty isn't kind to anyone, and everyone probably felt insecure about their appearance. How sad that we don't figure that out until much, much later.
I almost feel that these pictures, and others like them, should be shown to kids who are being bullied because of their appearance. And yes, I absolutely agree that looks aren't important, but to pretend they don't have a significant impact on middle school and high school-aged kids is being naively obtuse. At that age they think their looks will never change; that they'll look like that forever. These pictures could help them think otherwise.
the first picture - aww so cuteeee | the second picture - wow I'm impressed! | no one on this list is ugly....
There needs to be a picture of Gerard Way or Brendon Urie here.
There needs to be some Gerard Way or Brendon Urie pictures here.