33 "Regular" People Whose Puberty Glow-Ups Have Wilddddd Before-And-After Pictures

Spencer Althouse
·4 min read

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to show us their best puberty glow-ups. Here are the before-and-after transformations.

1."Here's a side-by-side of me at age 11 in 2002 vs. me at 31 in 2022. The picture on the right was taken about a month before I knew I was pregnant with my now 17-month-old son."

Two side-by-side photos of the same woman years apart. Left: wearing a cowboy hat and striped top. Right: wearing a black top, smiling with tattoos visible

2."I’m still a big dork, but here I am in my freshman yearbook photo vs. today."

—sharpwolf447

3."I miss that scarf though."

Two side-by-side photos of the same woman: left, casually dressed with colorful scarf; right, in a sleeveless top, long hair flowing, smiling

4."From the year 2000 to now!"

Two side-by-side photos of the same woman; left is a school photo with glasses and braces, right is a recent image with long wavy hair and a black dress

5."This is me."

Two side-by-side images show a person before and after transformation. The first image is a casual style; the second image is a chic black dress with heels

6."Longbottoming hard."

Side-by-side photos of the same person. On the left, they wear a striped polo and on the right, a plaid shirt, smiling

7."I love 7th-grade me, with her purple beret, granny glasses, and artist-palette-shaped earrings. My 9 and 3-year-olds laughed and pointed at the pic, and my husband...well, he also loveingly laughed and pointed. Life got a lot easier after middle school haha."

Side-by-side images of a young girl in a beret and glasses, and an adult woman with long hair, both smiling

8."I still geek out over a damn parrot, all these years later. Don't think I will ever get over the combo of a blue turtleneck and khaki pants. Man, I miss the early 2000s."

Two side-by-side images of a woman with a parrot on her arm. The left shows her as a child in a sweater, and the right as an adult in a bikini

9."Thank you, puberty."

Two side-by-side photos of a woman: on the left, younger with braces; on the right, posing with curly hair and a hand on her face

10."Here's 2009 vs. 2017. No more mullet, braces off, and better eyebrows. I still cry tears of joy when I get to feed goats, though!"

Two side-by-side photos: Left, a person feeding a goat outdoors. Right, a close-up of a person with styled hair and makeup

11."I still love hats."

Two side-by-side images of a person: on the left, casual clothing; on the right, wearing a graduation cap and gown with a lei

12."Thankful for getting out of the awkward stage."

Side-by-side of a young girl smiling and an adult woman smiling, holding a glass of wine

13."A glow-up INDEED."

Two side-by-side photos of a person: one showing a younger version with spiky hair and a T-shirt, the other with a short haircut and casual shirt

14."We take family pictures every year, so I've got about 16 years' worth of these gems."

Side-by-side photos of a young girl with glasses and braces, and an adult woman smiling while sitting outdoors

15."Me, in all of my seventh-grade glory on the left."

Side-by-side images of a person, first with braces and straight hair, then as an adult with loose waves

16."I used to look like an actual turtle."

Two side-by-side images of the same person: one as a teenager in casual wear and one as an adult with short hair and a beard in a gray shirt

17."From ages 17 to 26."

Two images side-by-side of the same woman. Left: casual attire with white headscarf. Right: dressed up, smiling, wearing a colorful headscarf and necklace

18."No comment."

Two side-by-side photos of the same person, showing a transformation from casual wear to a more polished appearance with styled long hair and a smile

19."The left picture was during my eighth-grade graduation trip, and the right picture was taken during the best day of my life (when I met some baby goats)."

Two side-by-side images showing a young girl in casual wear and the same girl growing up, smiling next to a small goat, holding a water gun

20."There's a 10-year difference in these pics. The glow-up was worth the wait."

Two side-by-side images of the same woman; one with braces, the other in a choker and furry bunny ears headband

21."From sixth grade to age 24. You can't tell, but the worst part of the black-and-white photo is that I was randomly holding a clarinet...?"

Two side-by-side photos: left, a young boy in glasses smiling; right, a grown man in a suit and tie smiling at an event

22."Puberty and the knowledge of hair and makeup go a long way!"

Two women posing for photos. The one on the left wears a polka-dot dress; the right one wears a stylish black dress with lace and glasses, holding a phone

23."The first photo is from eighth grade, and the second is from my 25th birthday. It's amazing what 10 years can do for you!"

Side-by-side comparison: Left shows a young person with braces; right shows the same person older, smiling and dressed stylishly with balloons

24."Ten years older."

Two side-by-side photos of a woman: one as a child in a striped shirt, the other as an adult in a stylish dress, smiling outdoors

25."Me in 2009 vs. me now. Thank god for braces and spray tans."

Two photos side by side showing a person's transformation: Left, smiling casually; Right, wearing a stylish dress with sunglasses on their head

26."I could post my own, but I'd rather show off my better half in these photos. He's so charming and handsome! I nearly peed my pants when I recently found the photo on the left."

Two-photo comparison of a person. Left: young with a bowl haircut, smiling. Right: older with facial hair, wearing a button-up shirt and watch, arms crossed

27."Thank god for puberty."

Two-image comparison of a woman. Left: seated wearing a patterned dress. Right: posing in an off-shoulder dress with purple hair and a flower accessory

28."You'll always catch me sitting."

Two side-by-side photos of a woman: left shows her casually seated; right shows her smiling and dressed in a strapless dress with a floral skirt

29."That red cardigan and those hoop earrings were my absolute go-tos."

Two side-by-side photos of a woman: on the left, casual with glasses; on the right, smiling and dressed elegantly with curled hair

30."I was an uncomfortable nerd! Thank god I found confidence in myself!"

Two photos side by side of the same woman. Left: Casual with a shirt and headphones. Right: Wearing a polka dot dress, smiling with hands in pockets

31."We all had to start somewhere."

Left: Young person outdoors wearing large glasses and a jacket. Right: Adult with long hair, wearing elegant makeup and a sparkling necklace

32."I felt so awful as a teenager. I'm still not the most confident guy ever, but I do feel better today."

Two side-by-side photos of the same person, showing a transformation from childhood to adulthood. The child wears glasses and a red T-shirt

33.And finally: "I had a solid 15-year 'awkward' phase that I didn't truly get out of until my 20s. I used to hate seeing pics from that time, but now I can appreciate how far I've come and love how funny they are. I mean, does it get much better than those bangs, glasses, teeth, and fluffy pillow?!"

Split image of a young girl with glasses and an adult woman smiling, highlighting personal growth over time

Want to show off your own before-and-after glow-up? Feel free to upload your pics and story via the comment box below!

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.

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