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Before popular celebrities graced events such as the Met Gala, Oscars, or Grammys with their designer looks they attended the less coveted "red carpet" event of prom. Yes, stars they're just like us, and the proof is in these gloriously awkward photos of our favorite famous people dressed to impress this celebrated high-school tradition.
On this list, you'll find some pretty staggering transformations from cringy to glamorous, whereas other lucky ducks were fortunate enough to avoid their awkward phase and look as if they haven't aged a day. Scroll down below to find your favorite celebrity's prom photos and don't forget to vote!
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#1
Jeremy Renner
Mary Rose Kent 6 years ago
Especially that skinny little pre-tied bow tie.
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Ryo Bakura 6 years ago
He might be Hawkeye, but that didn't let him see how bad that mullet was.
Prom night is now synonymous with the high-school experience but the first recorded prom in history took place at Amherst College where male students invited female students from Smith College to dine and dance back in 1894. The dance evolved into a high-school tradition in the 1900s and was nationwide by the 1930s.
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#2
Ru Paul
#3
Barack Obama
Slinkman 6 years ago
Back then two dates and later on a heckload of states ;)
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Moriarty2 6 years ago
I'm guessing his date was the girl with the matching light and dark blue dress.
sharron lynn parsons 6 years ago
He had striking good looks then, and still has, I doubt there will ever be a president , that will come close to this great man !!!
One of the traditional etiquettes of prom is for the boy to give the girl a bundle of flowers called a corsage for her wrist or to be pinned to the top of her dress. In the past, the corsage was placed on the hip. The term “corsage” actually means “bodice” which dates back to the 19th century with French origins, so the former positioning makes more sense.
#4
Will Ferrell
Coreen Kerr 6 years ago
Hi Slinkman I totally agree with you plus the tiara looks good on him.
Load More Replies... Ryo Bakura 6 years ago
Will Ferrell - The only person to be elected both King and Queen of Prom in the same year.
#5
Meryl Streep
earringnut 6 years ago
She looks pretty much the same today. For a Hollywood leading lady that is some feat.
Most celebrities had their prom experience before fame, but that was before the trend of doing a celebrity prom was born. In 1963, President Kennedy was not invited but unintentionally crashed the prom of John Burroughs High School. The politician scheduled a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser in the largest room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel but as it turns out, the students had already booked the same room two years prior. JFK gave up the larger room to the students and settled for a slightly smaller one for his event. In an act of goodwill, he stopped by to say hello to the teens accompanied by comedian Jack Benny.
#6
Angelina Jolie
Isabella 6 years ago
She did not had cancer, she has cancer genes, that's why she did double masectomy, to avoid getting cancer. It was her choice to go through this.
Nia Loves Art 6 years ago
It’s just a “choice” inasmuch as wanting to not get cancer is just a “preference.”
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Ryo Bakura 6 years ago
Every person she has ever dated has been punching above their weight. Yes, including Brad.
Tiny Dancer 6 years ago
Are we supposed to be horrified by her prom pic? The only difference with the newer one seems to be a better understanding of how makeup works! And a slightly slimmer nose, of course.
Dem1977 6 years ago
@Juan Alcorta, if you noticed Shiloh has the same lips as well as Vivienne. Her daughters have inherited the best of her natural beauty.
#7
Terry Crews
Full Name 6 years ago
You got it right and he's pissed off that you figured it out, as evidenced above.
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EmAdoresHerKats🇮🇪🇩🇿🇵🇸 1 year ago
He always had a lovely kind face and his dates dress is beautiful.
While the average high-schooler may have to settle for a decked out gymnasium for their annual prom, the wealthier schools (where celebrities attend) might get glitzier options. In 1975, Susan Ford, the daughter of President Gerald Ford, got permission to throw her prom in the White House. The President was away in Europe at the time so the dance was chaperoned by the Secret Service.
#8
Ellen Degeneres
Debrina Blackmoon 6 years ago (edited)
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Display Name 6 years ago
That dress looks like the couch my grandmother had when I was growing up.
#9
Lady Gaga
Aria Whitaker 6 years ago
I read the other day about an entire facebook page that was made to bully her in high school/college...to think she was going through that in this pic is very sad.
James Pointer 6 years ago
When she was in New York University studying in CAP21. She was 17 at the time of joining, one of youngest pupils admitted to the as I'm told prestigious art school. Which most likely caused other students jealousy. The students created a facebook page called "Stefani Germanotta, you will never be famous" where they posted images of her and insulting her. It is upsetting to hear of others pointless cruelty but I'm glad she has managed to shove that in their faces now.
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Tarmin Slingerfinger 6 years ago
Lady Gaga is one of those celebrities that have so many looks I wouldn't have recognized her in either picture without any hint.
Roo Bookaroo 6 years ago
She never was a natural great beauty. She created, invented her own looks with ingenuity and putting the accent on her costumes. There she showed natural design ability. Her looks are a series of designs continually and artistically recreated
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Mary Rose Kent 6 years ago
I was hoping someone else was also having this problem.
Load More Replies...One can only imagine the amount of money celebrity teens are dishing out for prom but even for the average American, the costs can be outrageous. When you add up the tickets, dress cost, tux rental, limos, and other common prom expenses, parents have paid an average of around $900 for their high-schoolers to attend these events. In 2013, the average peaked at $1,139 - those are some red carpet numbers.
#10
Sandra Bullock
Slinkman 6 years ago
' Welcome to Bullock such a perfect town' - sorry always get that in my head when i hear or read her name ;)
Janice Boettcher 1 year ago
Huh!! In the 50's we decorated the hi school gym, got a local band to play music, used grandpa's special car, (no limo back then). The biggest cost was the price of the prom dress.... I'm sure we had just as much fun t hen as they do now at a much lower price tag...
#11
Jimmy Fallon
Shireen 6 years ago
OMG!!! This cracked me up and now I can't stop looking at her! 😂😂😂
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#12
Jennifer Aniston
Ana Marte 6 years ago
I still think she looked eons better as a brunette than a blonde. Less cookie cutter typical.
#13
Jessica Alba
Ami Brown 1 year ago
Way out of his league, lol. And she looks like she's wearing a French Maid costume. She's beautiful no matter what she's wearing.
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Crouching_Penn_Hidden_Teller@yahoo.com 6 years ago
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#14
Matthew Mcconaughey
Logan Scaggs 6 years ago
Young Matthew Mcconaughey is someone whom I'd be crushing on back then.... He was hawtttt
#15
Bruce Willis
Andres Tejeda 6 years ago
Is it just e or does he kind of look like Zac Efron in his older pic?
Anna Einstein 6 years ago
scrolled through the comments to see if someone else had the same impression :D
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#16
Brad Pitt
Alusair Alustriel 6 years ago
I like him more as an older guy than a teen. Same happens with Harrison Ford, he looks bext from his 30-ties up for me :D
Trevor Hartley 6 years ago
At least she can say "I once went to the prom with Brad Pitt" which has to give serious brownie points.
Debrina Blackmoon 6 years ago
little does he know he will be killing raging zombies in the 21st century
#17
Robin Wright
Rebecca Joan 6 years ago
Um...she was 19 when it came out, pretty sure she was done with high school before The Princess Bride. She was acting on Santa Barbara while still in high school though.
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Genevieve Gates 6 years ago
It's like she got ALL the good looks. It's not fair, hand some of em out
#18
Taylor Swift
Ryo Bakura 6 years ago
Her current boyfriend seems to be a step up from the others, especially this douche.
#19
Reese Witherspoon
boredpandana 6 years ago
On the left one she looks like Julia Louis-Dreyfus plus some lipstick
Diana Chinery 6 years ago
I admire this woman for all she stands for, her beauty is one and her tenacity in standing up for women in the industry
Display Name 6 years ago
"When I dress up like a frigid b***h, I'd try not to look so constipated".
#20
George Clooney
Ryo Bakura 6 years ago (edited)
"Someday, I'm gonna be famous, and then I'll provide the barks for a cartoon dog, and my life will be complete. Marry a hot lawyer? That might come second to the cartoon dog."
Pam Greene 6 years ago
You've obviously been taking lessons in being a know it all jackarse
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#21
Rihanna
Laura Zaini 6 years ago
I'm not sure this is really her prom... I mean, could it be that she took maybe a fan to his prom? I'm saying this because her haircut looks like the one of the umbrella era and she was already famous and older than the normal prom age
Not No one 6 years ago
Wasn't rihanna the celebrity that attended a guys prom when she was a celebrity? Something like a long time ago on mtv or vh1?
Mona Khadra 6 years ago
I doubt she went to her real prom. She was famous at like 16.
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Saulo Frota 6 years ago
I'm pretty sure no one believes him when he tells people he was Rihanna's prom date
Alex Craig 6 years ago
What's with the miserable look on the guys face? Like you said Valentina Lattante, no one is supposed to look so fantastic in high school ha ha But this is Rihanna we're talking about.
#22
Michelle Obama
Genevieve Gates 6 years ago
My sister had this wicker chair! Actually I think everyone back then had this chair
earringnut 6 years ago
... but actually he's a figure head and she calls the shots.
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#23
Beyoncé
Full Name 6 years ago
My thought exactly. I bet she dumped him because he stole the spotlight on the dance floor.
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#24
Scarlett Johansson
LunarEssence 6 years ago
Well when your name is Scarlett you gotta be red hot.
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Dragos Valentin Radulescu 6 years ago
The Eurasian genes are more prominent in her when she was younger.
#25
Ashton Kutcher
Coreen Kerr 6 years ago
Doesn't matter what picture you post of him I still think he's an a*s!
Jason Rogers 6 years ago
I don't get why some of these photos are black and white. He's 5 years younger than me and I guarantee you that picture was not black and white originally... unless he had some really edgy friends back then...
#26
Natalie Portman
TheNerdyOne 6 years ago
Her look on her face in the left pic is how I always arrive to school! My thoughts: “oh god, another day of frightening social awkwardness
#27
Amy Poehler
Free Scotland 6 years ago (edited)
Could you have picked a more unflattering photo? She’s not a bad looking gal. Her taste in men is very questionable though (Creepy Joe Biden)
#28
Blake Lively
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 6 years ago
the entire nose shape is the same it's just the sides are more defined. probably just contour.
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Crouching_Penn_Hidden_Teller@yahoo.com 6 years ago
I don't know who she is either
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#29
Courteney Cox
Rabbit Carrot 6 years ago
She was such a natural beauty. She’s ruined herself with that awful plastic surgery.
Display Name 6 years ago
Her dress is a bit casual for prom. She looks like one of the chaperoning teachers.
#30
Shane Dawson
Michka Shoitan 6 years ago
He is the biggest Youtuber and he is famous for changing the Youtube platform with his docu-series and won creator of the year at The Streamys last year and NO, he DID NOT molest his cat, that was a JOKE he made on a podcast.
Nastassia McDaniel 6 years ago
I love Shane! And he should be proud of how far he has come after all he went thru. Ignore the stupidity as always. Ppl in here bitching STILL about a cat joke ...stfu. Yup I’m white doesn’t have anything to do with the fact I CANT TAKE A JOKE ABS YOU CANNOT.
Michaella Jane 5 years ago
omg i looooovveee him <3 and his date is a lesbian, her dad paid him to go with denny's
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What do you think ?
Hans 6 years ago
This series as as US american as it gets. The importance of proms is striking...
Crouching_Penn_Hidden_Teller@yahoo.com 6 years ago
I'm American and I didn't go to my senior prom.
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Jace 6 years ago
What a stupid title. There’s nothing awkward about most of the images I looked at here. I got sick of seeing photos of perfectly fine looking young people, while under the article’s supposed theme of them being “awkward”. If you’re going to come up with a theme, stick to the damned thing. This is a problem with many of these lists.
Kenny Kulbiski 6 years ago
As usual I've never heard of at least half of these people. I'm beginning to think maybe I'm the only non celebrity left in America. Which would, of course, make me a ..........celebrity .
Lillukka79 6 years ago
Bored panda doesn't know what Awkward means. Maby 5 of these were slightly awkward.
Mary Hunt Peret 6 years ago
The photos of those who became celebrities later in life are far more interesting than those who already had a measure of fame/money when they were teenagers.
K New 6 years ago
Yes! One of my favorite sayings is that "you're not ugly; you're just poor." Lmao
Load More Replies... Sheila Weila 6 years ago
They left out Keith Urban. Look it up yourself. You'll discover the wonders of dentistry and plastic surgery.
Pauliina Painilainen 6 years ago
I don't understand why the bit must be titled "awkward". That is just fishing for toxic and abusive comments, which I unfortunately did see.
Hans 6 years ago
This series as as US american as it gets. The importance of proms is striking...
Crouching_Penn_Hidden_Teller@yahoo.com 6 years ago
I'm American and I didn't go to my senior prom.
Load More Replies... Jace 6 years ago
What a stupid title. There’s nothing awkward about most of the images I looked at here. I got sick of seeing photos of perfectly fine looking young people, while under the article’s supposed theme of them being “awkward”. If you’re going to come up with a theme, stick to the damned thing. This is a problem with many of these lists.
Kenny Kulbiski 6 years ago
As usual I've never heard of at least half of these people. I'm beginning to think maybe I'm the only non celebrity left in America. Which would, of course, make me a ..........celebrity .
Lillukka79 6 years ago
Bored panda doesn't know what Awkward means. Maby 5 of these were slightly awkward.
Mary Hunt Peret 6 years ago
The photos of those who became celebrities later in life are far more interesting than those who already had a measure of fame/money when they were teenagers.
K New 6 years ago
Yes! One of my favorite sayings is that "you're not ugly; you're just poor." Lmao
Load More Replies... Sheila Weila 6 years ago
They left out Keith Urban. Look it up yourself. You'll discover the wonders of dentistry and plastic surgery.
Pauliina Painilainen 6 years ago
I don't understand why the bit must be titled "awkward". That is just fishing for toxic and abusive comments, which I unfortunately did see.
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