Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen published The Ugly Duckling in 1843, and a huge reason why the fairy tale is famous to this day is that 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 when the duckling turns into a beautiful swan.
Now, no matter how pretty you might’ve been since the day you were born, we all go through that awkward stage in early puberty. The puberty stage when your body proportions might sadly relate to ones of a manatee. Pair it with a haircut enhancing none of your good features, add braces and some questionable fashion choices, and voila – you’ve got yourself something to be ashamed of years later. Luckily, when the body transformation is completed, a beautiful swan, just like from the Ugly Duckling, emerges.
To prove that the Longbottoming Syndrome (named after an actor from the Harry Potter series, Matthew Lewis) is an intrinsic part of life, people are sharing their personal before and after pics. Viewing these amazing photos, it’s clear that you never know what time has prepared for you. Even though these late bloomers had to wait a little longer than others to grow into their looks fully, the results seem totally worth it. Scroll down to check out their stunning before-and-after images!
#1 I Must Say, Being An Ugly Duckling (Both Self-described And By The Perception Of Others) Made Me A Much Better Person Than I Might Have Been Had I Always Been “Pretty”
Image source: SexierThanMeiosis
#2 So Much Can Change In Few Years
Image source: hayabusabjj
#3 Taking The Cake On This One
Image source: assilemcl
#4 My Sister, Before And After
Image source: robrs5
#5 Oh, I So Got This One
Image source: all_the_bacon
#6 Here’s Freshman Year Of College (17) Vs. Now (25)
Image source: Nubington_Bear
#7 Puberty Hits
Image source: genpub
#8 So This Is Me In 8th Grade And This Is Me Now As A Senior
Image source: CalvinGFX
#9 Holy Freckles Batman
Image source: deleted
#10 Freshman 20 And 3 Years Later
Image source: Spiderdan
#11 Before And After
Image source: MybellyYourbacK
#12 The Before Vs. The After. I Feel Like I’ve Improved A Bit
Image source: pottymouthgrl
#13 Me Age 15 And Me Age 21
Image source: solman07
#14 People From High School Usually Recognize Me Just Enough To Ask If I Have A Younger Brother
Image source: brucewaynebtmn
#15 Still Don’t Think I’m Quite Over The Syndrome, But I Do Know I’m Heaps Better
Image source: deleted
#16 My Prepubescent Grandma-esque Appearance Is Still The Butt Of Many Jokes From Friends And Family Today
Image source: carrotsxyum
#17 Me In Grade 9 Vs. This Summer At My Cousin’s Wedding
Image source: For_The_Lazy85
#18 I Went Through A Mega-Awkward Stage
Image source: teaandsmiles
#19 Man, I Was Good Looking
Image source: Vroomvroomnoise
#20 Bowl Cut + No Eyelashes + Lipstick On A 1st Grader
Image source: Horsebalm
#21 Me At 13, And Again At 22
Image source: frogstomp427
#22 Who Would Have Thought That First Guy Would Ever Reproduce
Image source: nair88
#23 Before, Depressed, In The Closet, Overweight And After, Doing My Thing In Chicago
Image source: anewearth
#24 Here’s Me Then; Shy, Socially Awkward, Big Eared And Unlucky With The Ladies And Here’s Me Now; Shy, Socially Awkward, Big Eared And Unlucky With The Ladies
Image source: epro1
#25 Chubby Kid With Afro Vs. After
Image source: deckoturf
#26 I Got This
Image source: macabea
#27 1999, 2005 And Now
#28 I Think I Got Less Creepy Over Time
Image source: LainaOAG
#29 Took About 8 Years Of Not Being A B*tch But I Think Things Turned Out Okay
Image source: JMjustme
#30 How I Looked At The Start Of 2006 And That’s Me At The End Of 2011
Image source: _arctic
#31 Needless To Say, Middle School Was A Rough Time
Image source: gingerduckling
#32 Three Ugly Ducklings Then And Three Full Fledged Geese Now
Image source: Thediepend
#33 Before And After
Image source: Carpe_Dayum
#34 It Took Me Some Time To Finally Become A Man!
Image source: swizzlebeatz
#35 Myself At The Wonderful, And Never Awkward, Age Of 15. And Here’s Me 6 Years Later At 21 Years Old. Perhaps It Wasn’t “Ugly Duckling,” As Much As It Was “Kind Of Overweight Duckling.”
Image source: BT278
#36 I Don’t Think I’m Anything Special Now But The Before Picture Cracks Me Up
Image source: jbjr3
#37 25 Years Of Transformation…dear Teens, You’re Fine Just As You Are!
#38 Here’s Me At About 14 And Here I Am A Few Months Ago
Image source: kresnick
#39 Ugly As F*ck Duckling Vs. Now
Image source: TheRoyalRedditbaum
#40 Middle School Vs. Now
Image source: saranwrapper
#41 First Pic (fat One) Grade 9. Second Is First Year University
Image source: deleted
#42 I Really Can’t Explain The Quote. I Had A Profound Admiration For Antionio Banderas
Image source: mokeskin34
#43 I Was Always The “Ugly” Friend And Never Had Guys Like Me Until Years After High School. I Had Cystic Acne Since Age 13 And Was Bullied Immensely In High School
Image source: jeannaxoxo
#44 5 Years Ago Vs 6 Months Ago…
#45 Before And After
Image source: deejay_1
#46 A Sad Insecure Girl Into A Happy Less Insecure Woman
#47 The First Pic Is Me In The Swimsuit, Playing Some Game At Summer Camp, WEARING MY HEADGEAR. Goddamn I Was Devoted To Wearing That Shit 20 Hours A Day. Major Loser. Then, After Some Awkward, Fat, Lesbian, Weird-hair Phases, We Arrive At The Second Picture
Image source: deleted
#48 I Cringe At My Before Picture. What A Handful Of Years Can Do
Image source: jesh_wa415
#49 So This Is Before In High School And This Is Me Now
Image source: ref_21
#50 3rd Grade Vs. Senior Year
Image source: Lilyrose1024
#51 I’m Still Really Awkward And Make Idiotic Faces In Most Of My Pictures But At Least I Have Boobs Now
Image source: cmplsvovereverything
#52 My Own Transformation – From Fat Bastard To Marathon Runner In Just 4 Years…
#53 I Had A Rough Childhood
Image source: witchgem
#54 2008/2016
#55 I Had To Wear Headgear At Night/braces/other Dental Things Because My Teeth Were So Bad, And I’m Pretty Sure I Had A Moustache At The Time The First Picture Was Taken
Image source: lucy071
#56 13 Yo Vs 28 Yo
#57 Before When I Was 12, Nowadays At 22
Image source: DevinJet
#58 Just A Few Years Apart
Image source: bandnerd96
#59 One On The Left Vs. Now
Image source: sweetanomaly
#60 Then And Now
Image source: gretchee
#61 Then And Now
Image source: Catsonfire
#62 Me 3 Years Ago Vs Now.
#63 Why Do Parents Give Bowl Haircuts On Girls?!
#64 Before And After
Image source: Leelz4Realz
#65 Me About 3 To 23 , My Mom Calls Me The Ugly Duckling That Turned To Swan (not Sure If I’m A Swan Or A Sheep)
#66 12 Vs. 22 Years Old. Still A Proud School Nerd.
#67 From 🐷 To 🦄
#68 Here’s A Timeline Of My Ugly Duckling-ness
Image source: deleted
#69 So Embarrassed….
Image source: krebstar9000
#70 14yo Vs 24yo
#71 About 10 Years Apart
#72 13 Years Old And Now, 24 Years Old. I Had Horrible Acne And Chubby Cheeks, Glad To See Them Gone. Also, Thumbs Up For Makeup!!!
#73 Start Of 2009 (15) Vs. End Of 2016 (22)!
#74 Left: Taken A Few Months Ago, Age 26! Right: When I Was 17…
#75 2009 Vs 2015
#76 (left) Me When I Was A Sassy And Pudgey 10 Year Old And (right) Me Now At 24…less Pudgey…sometimes Still Sassy. Haha.
#77 Thankfully I Grew Out Of My Awkward Teen Years!
#78 Left:bullied Relentlessly, Single, No Eyelashes, Bad Hair, Aweful Arm Acne, Slightly On The Chubby Side, Flat Chested, Homeschooled. Right: Happy With Life, Independent, And Wearing Some Makeup (amazinhat That’ll Do For Ya)
#79 I’m Still As Nerdy As I Looked In 4th Grade! Just Grew Into My Look 😉
#80 This Is Still An Exercise In Confidence For Me. Proud Of How Far I’ve Come Already.
#81 Such A Charmer
#82 Not The Best Quality, But I Grew Up In An Age Before These Newfangled Digital Cameras And Don’t Have A Scanner Anymore
Image source: hihelloneighboroonie
#83 Thirty Years Later…
#84 Oh God’…
#85 86 And 06
#86 Me At 10 Vs 41. High School Was Rough. Hang In There
#87 From Early Teens To 21. I’m Glad It Was Just A Phase!
#88 7th Grade On The Bottom Left, Sophmore Year Of High School On The Top Left.. And Now!
#89 13 And 33
#90 I’m Still Sassy.
#91 I Don’t Know How The Hell I Had Friends Back Then.
#92 Before And After The Class Clown Grew Up!
#93 Literally 2 Years
#94 About 4 Years Ago Vs Today, Went From Ugly Duckling To Just A Duckling
#95 17 Vs 28! But Still The Same In Heart…
#96 Me At 14 And 29
#97 I Finally Grew Into My Nose And Chin 😉
#98 Me At Age 9-10 Vs Me Now
#99 Age 16 And Age 29
#100 I Actually Think During Puberty Was My Worst Time
Image source: ExceedsImagination
#101 I Was Bullied Up Until Very Recently. Definitely A Sufferer Of Ugly Ducklings Syndrome!
#102 Me At 16 And 22.
#103 2005 Vs 2016
#104 There Is Hope! 18 Vs 23
#105 Me At 14 And Again At 20. I Think Its An Acheivment
#106 Me In 2010 And Me Now. (this Is What I Call A Transformation, Right? :d)
#107 Before 15 And After :) About 23 Puberty Thank You
#108 Looking Like I Belonged In Hogwarts To Wishing I Had Have Gone To Hogwarts!
#109 My Brother Before 14 And After 18
#110 14 Vs. 29. I Still Feel Like The Same Person. Yet I Feel Completely Different At The Same Time.
#111 Me, 2 Years Ago, Awkward And Unacceptable For Public Viewing Vs Me 2 Weeks Ago
#112 Then Vs Now
#113 It’s Been A Long Road.
#114 When I Was In Middle School With My Blue Eyeshadow Vs. Now With Pink Bleached Hair
#115 1998/2016
#116 At 8, Little Round Glasses, Very Shy Little Girl And Now Still Shy But Upgraded The Glasses
#117 Robert Borkowski (me)
#118 Past Vs Present
#119 From Picked On To Hit On
#120 Puberty Well Played. #norwegians
#121 3 Years Later, Boys Who Made Fun Of Me At High School, Want To Flirt Whith Me.
#122 Me At 7 Years Old Vs Me Now.
#123 Middle School To 24
#124 8 Years Changed Me Quite A Bit. Thankfully
#125 Me Age 15 And Age 26
#126 First Day Of College (17) Vs Now (24)
#127 23 Years Difference…
#128 My Husband Before And After He Met His Orthodontist Runner Wife.
#129 6th Grade Short-hair, Giant Glasses, Beanpole Woes… Forward To Age 36. Thank God For Time.
#130 Me As The “brother” Of The Family At Age 10. Glad I Finally Grew Into My Hair And Teeth 20 Years Later.
#131 At My 18 I Was A Proud To Be A Fighter, Today I Feel Like I Can Be A Fighter And A Woman …
#132 Me At 15 With Acne, Braces, And No Confidence Vs Me Now In The Air Force And With A Gf.
#133 Pictures On The Right Are From My Sister Xd Luckily I Grew Up To Be Slightly Better Looking. Stil Chubby Like Before By Definatly Not As Awkward.
#134 Lets Just Say A Perm Was Not A Good Look.
#135 Senior Year @ Almost 200lbs, To Now @24 And 140lbs. I Feel Loads Better. Totally Blossomed Late…
#136 25 Years Later & I Still Have My 6th Grade Id. It Lives On My Fridge As A Reminder To Laugh
#137 The 90’s Weren’t My Best Time…
#138 5 Years Difference(went To Gym, Got Braces, Grow My Hair, [ Btw Still Have Glasses])
#139 Sometimes Ending A Bad Relationship Is The Answer
#140 I Think I Have Improved…
#141 I Was The Nerdy Band Kid That Spent Her Summers At Church Camp
#142 Back In My – It’s Not A Phase Mom, It’s Who I Am! -days, Tho I Dont Regret The Bullying And Stuff Cause It Made Me Grow Stronger And Love My Self
#143 Eighth Grade And Nearly 25, Thank You Puberty ❤
#144 Year 11 And Now 42. It Took Me 30 Years To Feel Like A Woman.
#145 90’s Butterfly Clips 🤗
#146 12 Vs. 27
#147 Then (age: 17 Years) Vs. Now (age: 23 Years)
#148 Who Allowed Me To Wear That Sweater?
#149 Me Young With Bad Hair Cuts And No Style And Me Now.
#150 10 Years Old And Now. I Had To Be The Funny One For So Many Years. Too Short, Skinny, Ugly, And Thanks To My (now Dead, Dear God) Grandma With The Worst Haircut For A Little Girl. Kids Are Mean To Each Other Anyway.
#151 Ugly Duckling No More!
#152 Age 14, 16, 23, 27 And Now At 29. I Went From An Awkward Duck To Comfortable In My Own Skin.
#153 Skinny, Long Limbed Brace Face. I Didn’t Gain Confidence Until After High School.
#154 And Then One Of The 33 Million Gods Said, ‘let Puberty Hit Her Like A Truck.’
#155 I Was Definitely An Ugly Duckling, It Took Me 19 Years To Get Over That Phase
#156 Black Magic, People.
#157 From 15 To 25, A Decade Of Awkwardness
#158 High School Vs. Now
#159 Discovered My Natural Beauty…and Contacts!
#160 5 Yrs Old And Now At 22 Yrs Old
#161 Me At 10 Or 12….and Me Now! Boom Y’all!
#162 Still Fat But At Least My Hairs On Point!
#163 A Curious Case Of Benjamin Button? Xdd
#164 2013 / 2016
#165 My Son Then And Now. He Will Be 18 This Month
#166 Used To Think I Looked S**it Hot, Will Probably Think The Same In A Couple Years
#167 Me At 13 And 200 Pounds, And Me At 22, 105 Pounds
#168 Some Day I Noted That I Could Be Pretty…
#169 Only 2 Years!
#170 1986 Vs 2016
#171 We Weren’t All Gems In High School.
#172 15 And 25. Amazing What 10 Years Can Do
#173 95-2012
#174 This Is Me In 2006 Vs 2016.
#175 Me When I Was 8 Yrs Old Vs. Me At 16 Years Old
#176 15 Vs 25. It’s All About The Brows
#177 On The Left, I’m 28. On The Right, 44 (was Taken Last Month)
#178 Up Until Around 16ish I Was The One On The Left The Left
#179 My Beautiful Wife Pam And 13 And A Few Years Ago At 40. Had To Ask Permission To Post The Pic From Decades Ago But Had To Share :)
#180 6th Grade Vs 24
#181 This Picture Haunted Me! My Mom Got Me A Premium Bc I Had Thick, Unruly Hair And Thought It’d Be Easy To Take Care Of. My Self Image Is Better Today But That Curly Haired, Buck Toothed Girl Is Still A Part Of Me.
#182 Freshman On The Left, Senior On The Right
#183 @ 14 On The Left And Then @ 20 On The Right. Ugly Duckling For Sure!
#184 12 Vs. 18
#185 14 To 30……puberty Hit Me Haaaaarrrd. So Glad I Grew Up.
#186 Me In 4th Grade V.s Me Now. I Think I’ve Improved A Bit
#187 I’m Still As Nerdy As I Looked In 4th Grade! Just Grew Into My Look 😉
#188 Fifth Grade Was Not Kind. Neither Was Anyone Else Who Didn’t Tell Me How Rediculous I Looked.
#189 Sun-in Is The Devil. I Thought Granny Fashion Would Catch. It Did Not. Ages 38/13
#190 15 (fake Cruise Tattoo) Vs 19 (real Tattoos)
#191 Me The Summer After 8th Grade (2007) Vs Now
#192 Back When I Was 12 Vs. Now At 23
#193 90’s Butterfly Hair Clips! 🤗
#194 18 – 27
#195 Fourth Grade To Forty
#196 L: My Frail, Weird 16 Year-old Self/ R: My Still-weird 28 Year-old Self :p
#197 13 Years And A Nosepin Later…
#198 I Was Always Bullied For Having A Big Nose, Getting Called Little Miss Piggy. Then Growing Up In A Foreign Country, Que Awkward Emo Phase, And Where I Was An Outsider. I Think I Have Be Grown Into My Nose And Now Own That S**t!
#199 Needless To Say That I Was A Style Icone Back In 2010, But I Think I Got Better By Time
#200 12 Was Rough, 23 Is Better (:
#201 Me When I Was 7 Vs Now, When I’m 23
#202 26 Years In Between…
#203 Thank Goodness For Braces, Contact Lenses And Flat Irons. Ages 15, 25 And 39.
#204 I Was A Slightly Awkward Nerdy Little Kid. Still Awkward And Still Nerdy I’ve Just Learned To Embrace It.
#205 From 9 Years Old 14 Soon To Be 15 👧🏼 Just Imagine What Can Happen Once I Make It Through Puberty… Watch Out World 👩🏻🎤 Amazing What Can Happen When You Set Your Mind To It.
#206 I Still Don’t Think I Look Good But I Feel Like I’ve Changed A Lot
#207 10 Th Grade Vs. 25 Years Old
#208 I’ve Changed Both In My Weight And Style. The One Image Is Me Around 8 Yrs Old The Bottom One Is From College The Middle Is From 2012 And The Large One Is From Today.
#209 Age 17 Age 25
#210 I Know I’m Still Ugly But I Guess Its A Little Increase (1 1/2 Years)
#211 Me In 1987 And Me In 2016 Holding An Artwork. Yes I Am Naturally Blond Now :)
#212 It Seems I Got A Little Older…
Image source: raelabreu
#213 11th Birthday And Now 26
#214 My Senior Year Of High School To My Birthdday Last Month!!!
#215 Some People Have A Couple Awkward Yrs. Mine Last 18!! Haha
#216 Is That Even The Same Person? One Heck Of A Transformation Tuesday
#217 Ohh Childhood…
#218 High School Was Very Odd For Me.
#219 Before-after
#220 I Grew Into My Nose And Chin 😉
#221 I Grew Into My Nose And Chin :)
#222 18 Years Old Vs Now, 27 Years Old.
#223 Me At 15 And Me At 31 Definitely Like A Good Bottle Of Whiskey And Got Better With Age
#224 1984 Vs 2016. I Like Both. 😜
#225 I Make Road Cone Orange Look Good!!
#226 Before (14) And After (24)
#227 Luckily Something Happened ^-^
#228 Get Ready For 19 Age
#229 Get Ready For 19 Age
#230 Seriously, I Did Have Rough Teen Years. Photos Of Me As 14 Yo And 24 Yo
#231 What Changed Is Probably My Hairstyle
#232 Then: Awkward, Insecure 10 Year Old. To Now: Still Awkward, Not As Insecure 19 Year Old.
#233 Georgous
#234 Top Left: Freshman Year. Other Three: 2016.
#235 My Ugly Duckling Face
#236 Before 180 Kg, After 110 Kg
#237 Ohh Childhood…
#238 From 1974 To 2017 The Evolution Of Mad Mar
#239 9-year-old Me And 27-year-old Me… Still Struggling With Adult Acne But Feeling Much Better About Myself
#240 25 Years Later & I Still Have My 6th Grade Id – It Lives On My Fridge As A Reminder To Not Take Life So Seriously.
#241 My Ugly Duckling Photo From 6th Grade And Me Now (dont Judge To Soon)
#242 My Ugly Duckling Photo From 6th Grade And Me Now (dont Judge To Soon)
#243 When You Quit Drinking And Smoking
#244 15 Jahrs Ago And Now… In Past I Hate My Redhead, Now I Love It !
#245 Its Just A Illusion. My Birthday. Before And After.
#246 I Think The Nose Has Gotten Bigger, Yeah? Me When I Was 10 To The Left And At 24 On The Right
#247 10 Years Old On Left And 28 Years Old On Right
#248 A Timeline From 2011 To 2014 To 2015 Until 2016
#249 The Changes Are Too Drastic That The Bullies Don’t Recodnize Me Anymore.
#250 4th Grade Vs. Last Year. I Would Get Questions If I Was Actually A Boy.
#251 Puberty Hit Me Like A Truck
#252 Puberty Hit Me Hard
#253 Age 14 (then) And Age 30 Today (the Bullying Was Non Stop For All Of High School)
#254 When I Was 7. Then When I Am 27
#255 7th Grade Vs Junior Year Of College
#256 Thank God For Change!
#257 From Ugly Duckling, To Georgous
#258 I’m A Lot Older Than Some Of The People In This Article, But Still Feel I Clean Up All Right.
#259 Dark Hair For When I Was 14. No I Am 21 With Curls
#260 21 With Curls
#261 2009 To 2017…let’s Just Say, High School Was A Hard Time…
#262 My Story Is A Little Different Than The Rest. In The First Picture, A “girl” Going Through The Motions. (taken In 08, I Was 19 At The Time) And The Second…a Married Man, Father Of 4, Who Finally Knows What Was Wrong All Those Years Ago.
#263 Me At Age 26, Six Years After Being Close To 200 Lbs.
#264 At 20yrs And Now 49yrs.
#265 Age. 16 Vs 21
#266 2011 To 2015. Kind Of Amazing What Hair, Makeup, And 50 Pounds Will Do For A Person😂
#267 From 8th Grade To A Junior In College.. Eyebrows Are Very Important
#268 I Changed. But For The Better? I’ll Let You Decide
#269 There Was A Lot Of Orthodontic Work Done
#270 From Socially Awkard Skater Chick, To Socially Awkward Normal Cute Human Being
#271 Ugly Duckling.
#272 Ugly Duckling After
#273 Thank-you Braces, Contacts, Make Up And Hair Dye. Lol
#274 Alakazam!!
#275 At Age 12 And Age 22 ❤️
#276 1996 Vs. 2015 : Thank Ye Gods For Lasik
#277 10 Year Difference!
#278 Me At 15 Yrs Old And Me Now At 44
#279 From An Overweighted Girl To An Handsome Transguy :)
#280 2011 Me Vs 2016 Me 🤔
#281 I Didn’t Like The Way I Looked, And With In A Year At The Gym And Eating Healthily And Properly I Noticed A Change, And That’s Why I Stick At It To This Day!
#282 2001
#283 Me About 2 Years Ago, Awkward And Unacceptable For Public Viewing Vs Me Now
#284 Gotta Say I’ve Come A Long Way. 8th Grade Vs 20 Y/o
#285 10 Years Old To 18 Years Old
Image source: reddit.com
#286 After
#287 Childhood
#288 Awkward ….
Did you like this article? Follow us on Google News
Follow Us
