After tracking children’s progress for years, scientists concluded that appearance was linked to higher test scores in reading and math. Good-looking kids tend to do better than their less-striking classmates.
To learn what happens to them post-graduation, Reddit user TheMightySwede asked people to share where the pretty girls and boys from their school ended up in adulthood.
The stories provide interesting insight into privilege, potential, personal choice, and chance, reminding us that nothing is guaranteed — even if things seem to be going one way, the tide can turn at any time.
#1
She was a real jerk in high school. I remember once she asked me out, then humiliated me in front of her friends when I said yes. Some “you really think I would go out with you” stuff
Then, 12 years later, in another city, I run into her again, she was working at the same homeless person drop in center as I was, she’s so kind and gentle, even with frustrating people, she’s empathetic, she apologized to me and it felt sincere and she never gave me a reason after that to think she wasn’t.
Sometimes people can change. I didn’t fully believe it, but after that second meeting I do.
Image source: _PM_ME_NIPPLES_ONLY_, Getty Images
#2
She’s had like 5 kids in the past 8 years, still smokin hot. Divorced. we haven’t talked since high school, but about six months ago I uploaded a picture of myself to Facebook and she liked it. Guess you could say things are getting pretty serious…
Image source: anon, teksomolika
#3
She became arguably the most famous supermodel in the world and made the cover of Sports Illustrated, twice – Kate Upton.
Image source: Iheardthat3monthsago, Vimeo: PEOPLE – Kate Upton, Stars With No Makeup
#4
I don’t know.
I don’t care.
Image source: Aerron
#5
The one guy that stood out to me in school was not the most popular guy at school but he was always clean looking, had the best trainers, expensive watch/jacket and hair always perfect and he was a nice guy to boot, just came from a well to do family that showed in his appearance. He now has a great job, a gorgeous wife and two beautiful children.
Image source: lil_morbid_girl, Chloe
#6
Next to me as I type this.
Image source: BrahStarJP, Jordan González
#7
10+ years later she is still hot, married a good looking guy, has a couple good looking kids.
Image source: Iridebike, Curated Lifestyle
#8
I was visiting my home town once and I saw him riding a tractor down a main street.
Image source: spuss, Wicker Woodsong
#9
Asked my uncle this…the hottest girl went on to marry NFL superstar Dan Marino and subsequently get cheated on left and right. still married.
Image source: maloner012, Sides Imagery
#10
She went to USC and got an internship working in movies. She get to meet celebrities on a daily basic. I am thinking she is doing really good right now. I wish I talked to her more.
Image source: anon
#11
Popular in my school was any JROTC brat. She was captian of the color guard and recieved the highest ranking in JROTC before she graduated.
Now she’s sleeping soundly beside me, just proposed to her late last year. Pretty funny considering how we never talked in high school.
Image source: anon
#12
She’s an orthopedic surgeon.
Image source: anon, Getty Images
#13
Cancer got her about 10 years ago. She was a very nice person, had a young daughter. It was very sad.
Image source: Coconut-bird, Kateryna Hliznitsova
#14
Hottest girl went on to do an engineering degree at an Ivy League (yup), still hot, still smart, it’s almost unfair.
#15
She’s still incredibly hot.
Image source: Mac4491
#16
Sorry to let you down but movies aren’t true. They are both doing great, both married with great jobs. They partied hard in high school and college. I thinks it’s because they were able to learn how to balance their lives early and take bigger risks. Not to mention, things tend to be easier for attractive people. But they weren’t exactly bad people by any means, just popular and hot. So in conclusion, good for them and their continued awesome lives.
Image source: zeebious
#17
He’s a male model and has been on the cover of Vogue Italia.
Image source: stupidgroupie
#18
He co-owns a restaurant and he lost all his beautiful hair :( But he’s still handsome.
Image source: sonia72quebec
#19
She’s already finished 2 ironman competitions (before 24).
Image source: anon
#20
I saw Mr. Homecoming King at a party four years after. This handsome “drop-your-panties”-kind of guy gained about 50-60 pounds and was an obnoxious drunk…
“TRENT MCNEELY!”.
Image source: Disorientedpossum
#21
This girl i went to high school with name lauren paresekian is married to aaron paul from breaking bad… BLEW MY MIND.
Image source: atomikwedgie
#22
Moved from the Midwest to LA. She has started several different successful businesses and has been on a few different reality tv shows.
Image source: Youdontknowmedawg
#23
Last I heard she moved to Kansas City, Missouri, met some dude, and got married.
Nobody, even her HS friends, know more than that.
Image source: TurbulentTrust1961, Getty Images
#24
Professional scuba diver. Last time I checked (pre-rona) she travelled around the world checking up on the sad decay of coral reefs, which seems like an unspeakably cool job to me. She’s also one of those hyper-in-your-face vegans, half her Facebook profile was posts about how people who eat meat are low-life scum.
Image source: ConstableBlimeyChips
#25
I think my sister was “popular”? She has a husband and a kid and seems happy.
Image source: ipakookapi
#26
Ours never left our tiny hometown or high school really. Literally went to college 20 minutes away, worked at a local business till she got a job at the high school to relive her glory days. Her wedding was basically a high school reunion.
Image source: Alarming_Weim_6705, Curated Lifestyle
#27
The popular girl in my high school and I were close friends but she actively destroyed girls in high school. Then, about two years after high school she spent a significant about of time and energy finding these girls, apologizing and asking for their friendship.
I don’t know what changed but I can tell you the girls that accepted her apology just say “she was hurting as well”
Hurt people, hurt people.
Image source: areporotastenet
#28
A freakin movie star and billionaire. Yes, you would know the name.
I say in my sad apartment at 2am, cause my life isn’t that cool.
Image source: azorianmilk
#29
Her father embezzled millions of USD$ from the government of Venezuela, they are currently living in the United States having an amazing life with stolen money. Fun fact: She got married with the guy she “used to hate” during high school. The guy made the best investment ever lol.
Image source: soy_chu
#30
She got kicked out of WVU for drinking.
Image source: urdnot_bex
#31
In high school, there was one girl who was (almost) *literally* the girl next door. She lived across the street. She wasn’t hot in the “10/10 would bang” type of way, but I never was that kind of guy. She was ‘hot’ to me because she was just about perfect to me in every way.
We shared neighborhoods, friends, classes, church… She was everywhere in my life. We were friends, and for a while, I even went to her house almost every day to just hang out and* enjoy the outdoors.
Nothing ever happened between us. As much as I wanted there to be a connection, I don’t think she ever felt the same way…
Now, we’re both graduates, currently unemployed, and living only 3 hours away from each other. I called her recently, just out of the blue, to see what she was up to (after four years of college and never seeing her since HS graduation). It turns out we had the same major in college. We almost made plans to go hiking, and she said she’d call me back once she’s talked to some friends about joining us.
She never called back.
And *that’s* the end of my story. No twists. No happy ending. I guess that’s why they call it* a ‘crush.’.
Image source: Rgriffin1991
#32
The hottest girl converted the slacker/party guy who always liked her to Christianity and he got his life together and became an engineer. They married and have a happy family together. (The guy is not me.)
The hottest guy played professional sports after high school, married a Kennedy and now is soaking up the nepotism working towards inheriting his dad’s financial planning firm. (Also not me.).
Image source: anon
#33
If I’m to answer as well then, it’s not really a spectacular story at all. Coincidentally she works at a school. Who would’ve thought?
Image source: TheMightySwede
#34
Guy quit school and now is working at some Indian restaurant to earn money
Girl got weight is engaged with some dude and lost her look.
Image source: TehTrapMaster
#35
Doing pyramid schemes on FB.
Image source: anon, Solen Feyissa
#36
Anybody else go to a massive highschool (3000+ students) who didn’t have a “popular group” because there were just too many of us?
I probably knew about 50 people total and hung out with substantially less. And I considered myself a very social person back then.
Image source: UptownShenanigans
#37
She’s a stay at home farm wife. I know it doesn’t sound like much but, all her life she said she was going to move out west and marry a cowboy and, that’s exactly what she did. She moved out to Montana and married some dude who’s dad owned a ranch. They eventually moved back here (MN) and bought a small farm. She didn’t have a big dream but, she had one and she’s living it.
I don’t keep in touch with many people from high school but I’m like 90% sure that the second most popular girl in my class ended up marrying one of our football coaches. I think he was in his 20s when we were seniors so it’s probably not that big of an age difference but still……
Image source: anon
#38
Had twins right out of high school, spammed everyone trying to get votes so they could be the next Bonds babies (an underwear company), lost the competition by a few votes and was mad for about a year, now sells essential oils.
Image source: manlikerealities, Getty Images
#39
I had to do a shameless fb stalk to find out. She’s a yoga teacher married to a super rich hot guy. Checks out.
Image source: International-Net609
#40
Super Mormon. Super married. Lots of children.
Image source: anon
#41
She’s a grandmother at 40.
Image source: CZJayG
#42
Single mum with white girl dreadlocks living in home town, still friends with the same group on FB where they share live, laugh, love memes.
Image source: upinthecrowsnest
#43
Student body president, she mostly ignored me, and I returned the favour. Last I heard (or cared) she went to a university on the other side of the country, then transferred after one year to another university in a party city before coming back. According to LinkedIn she’s now working as some sort of communications person at the YMCA in the next city over from our home town.
The other popular girl went to university, became a radical activist for a time, and now she’s a therapist.
Image source: SharkyTendencies
#44
My highschool had too many students for there to be a singular “popular girl”. There are however two girls that stick out in my memory. One, let’s call her Sarah, she’s a bank manager now, good for her. The other, let’s call her Karen, is a mother of 3 to 3 separate men, and complains on Facebook about welfare checks and child support from the deadbeat dads, one of whom was in jail at some point.
Image source: Playingpokerwithgod
#45
Don’t know. I haven’t spoken to anyone from my high school since the day I graduated. It’s fantastic.
Image source: anon
#46
Hopefully super successful on Broadway or something.
My high school was small, but it wasn’t super cliquey, and the “popular” kids sort of…deserved it? When I think of the power couple of my grade, they were both incredibly chill people who were nice to everyone. They were popular because of their talent in sports and drama, and they were both crazy smart. I was more the oddball girl who enjoyed backstage theater and hanging with the anime-obsessed kids, but while I wouldn’t have called the popular girl my friend, she and I got along great when we shared classes or after school activities.
Anyway, I hope she’s living the life she wanted. I don’t keep up with almost anyone from high school and haven’t been to any reunions. My 20th reunion is coming up, maybe I’ll go to that. But I’m not big on looking back to the past, my present and future are too much fun.
Image source: I_DRINK_ANARCHY
#47
I went to a wonderful school that had all very wonderful people. She’s currently a doctor, running for miss New York, and is still in her relationship with her first boyfriend from high school. She’s doing very well for herself and is quite happy.
Image source: anon
#48
I’m doing pretty great, thanks!
Image source: DiffidentDissident, senivpetro
#49
Yeah, like she’d be facebook friends with me.
Image source: norris528e
#50
Hottest girl got significantly less hot, gained weight, got married immediately after graduating college. Don’t know of any career path, I think she’s just kinda along for the ride with her husband.
The guy is just kinda existing. Partying, has his parents paying rent for him, etc.
Image source: Hexodus
#51
Pregnant.
Image source: anon
#52
Well there were two very hot chicks. One got married right away to the hottest guy, who ended up in prison. They eventually divorced and she just remarried another loser. The other chick got unbelievably fat.
Image source: turbie
#53
I just typed in one of the hottest guys from middle school on facebook and he now dating the hottest girl from my middle school..they dated back then and have since rekindled whatever feelings they once had as 12 year olds. Kind of weird, but they seem happy.
Image source: _Helena
#54
It took me a minute to think about who were the hottest people I went to school with, and then laughed at myself because the guy from the year above me, who was probably considered the hottest guy in school until he graduated, is my brother-in-law. He even had his own “hot guy” trading card back in the day (seriously, they sold them in actual stores). Still reasonably attractive if I actually think about it (I don’t because he’s like my brother), but 15 years older, slowly balding, and has a little booze belly. He works for the cable company, has two beautiful kids, and plays kickball on a local team. Just a guy.
Image source: aveganliterary
#55
I actually had a conversation of sorts with him the other day. We never so much as had a conversation through out high school since we hung out with different groups. He got my number from I don’t know where and text me. Again, never have spoken to each other before. Within four messages, he said who it was texting, that he heard I was newly single, and sent me a peen pic….and then a video.
Seriously, this isn’t how dating works these days, is it?
Image source: borderbox
#56
She is now rich cuz she’s the main girl on Vampire Diaries.
Image source: youngli0n
#57
I’m not sure how you’d determine hottest so I’ll go with senior prom king and queen.
This is based entirely on seeing them at the twenty year reunion.
Prom queen. House wife with three children. In great shape, has aged really well. Was nice in high school but seemed rather reserved at the reunion. I got the feeling she expected everyone else to have aged as little as she has and was a bit shocked and revolted by her old classmates.
Prom king. Total opposite of the prom queen. Overweight, didn’t look very healthy, sad looking comb over. Personality didn’t change much, he was loud and obnoxious in high school and was the same at the reunion. The only difference was he was loud and obnoxious about politics instead of which girl he was screwing on the side. Works as a supervisor for the county waste treatment plant.
Biggest surprise though wasn’t the “hot” people, it was the science superstar. We had one classmate who won tons of scholarships, had a special commendation from NASA for some project he did in his spare time, and most every academic award the school handed out. From what I could gather from others, he washed out in college, finally getting a two year degree from the local community college after a decade. After losing his scholarship, he moved back home to live with his parent where he still lives. Does geek squad type work for a local computer store. To me this was the most shocking change of anyone from my high school. I expected him to be a Bill Gates or at least Bill Joy type.
Image source: killerbuddhist
#58
I’m “friends” with most of my HS class on Facebook. To be completely honest most of the people that would have been considered attractive back in the day are now overweight, with kids, and approx half are divorced.
Image source: Varnigma
#59
Living a happy life from what I can tell tbh.
Image source: Negative-Two8341
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