19 Celebs Who Looked So Different In The '90s

Believe it or not, the majority of the '90s were more than 20 years ago. It's a fact that is hard to believe, I know — wasn't it just yesterday that we were all watching Are You Afraid of the Dark? and twirling Skip-Its around our ankles? — but it's true. Therefore, even though we like to think our fave '90s celebs are perpetually, well, '90s celebs — cryogenically frozen in time a la Walt Disney or Austin Powers — with a solid 20 years separating them from their '90s selves, it's not surprising celebs looked totally different in the '90s than they do today. Of course, that was due in part to the ridiculously outrageous fashion of the time (chunky highlights and butterfly clips do a lot to alter your appearance, TBH), but the mere fact of aging two entire decades is what really increases those "Whoa! You looked so different in the '90s" comments.

It's obviously not just celebs who looked crazy different back then — it happens to anyone who was a kid and who is now a twenty-something, anyone who had puberty hit them like a ton of bricks, anyone who is human and simply spent the past 20 years growing older, as people tend to do. But not everyone has their life chronicled in the public eye, and for that, it's time we check out some of the best throwbacks celebs have to offer.

Check out 19 celebs whose '90s selves looked a whole lot different than they do today.

1. Britney Spears

'90s Britney was all about the mocha lipstick and her natural brunette locks (and let's not forget the fuzzy pink scrunchies of those "...Baby One More Time" days). 2016 Britney is blonde and free of those, um, questionable '90s fashions (adios pigtails) — but she'll forever be the same breathy-voiced pop icon.

2. The Spice Girls

Because nothing screamed "Girl Power" *obligatory peace sign* more than with five uniquely different looks for five uniquely different Spice Girls. While Baby had the whole blonde pigtails and lollipop thing down-pat, Scary was rocking the gold twisted buns, Ginger was Jessica Rabbit incarnate, Sporty was all about the tracksuits, and Posh had the option of choosing between "the little Gucci dress" or "the little Gucci dress."

When the Girls all reunited more than a decade later for a reunion tour, they all looked decidedly more polished, put-together, and most of all, not completely bound to their '90s personas.

3. Prince William

Prince William was one of the most eligible bachelor heartthrobs of the '90s, what with that sandy blonde hair, a face ready for teen magazines, and his future as King of England and all. There's no doubt that 2016 William is still a catch, there's just, well, a little less of a hairline. RIP.

4. Lindsay Lohan

The Lindsay Lohan of the '90s was a freckle-faced youngster best known for her dual role in The Parent Trap. 2016 Lindsay is slowly coming back to her roots (literally; she's a redhead again), but had many years in between of looking drastically different than the LL we first fell in love with. I'm just glad that those ashy blonde days are behind her.

5. Mike Myers

'90s Mike Myers will forever be the perfect combination of Austin Powers and Wayne Campbell. 2016 Mike Myers is giving off some Steve Martin vibes:

6. Justin Timberlake

The ramen-haired Justin Timberlake of the '90s eventually cut off that bleach-blonde fro and transformed himself into the JT we all know and love today — but we'll never forget his *NSYNC past. (Or those platinum highlights.)

7. Lucy Hale

Decades before bold brows were in, the would-be Pretty Little Liars star was rockin' them like nobody's business. 2016 Lucy Hale is just as adorable as her childhood selfie, but this time she's a little more polished.

8. Zac Efron

'90s Zac Efron was an awkward middle-schooler who crimped his hair and rocked a gap-toothed grin. Who knew this little guy would grow up to be one of the sexiest and most marketable hunks in Hollywood?

9. Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen

'90s MK&A were a pop culture phenomenon: They made little girls everywhere want to be both a twin and an amateur detective ("we'll solve any crime by dinnertime!") The Olsen twins have since transformed from sweet tots and too-cool teens to award-winning fashionistas who are well-respected in the fashion industry — and couldn't look any dissimilar to the '90s versions of themselves.

10. Drew Barrymore

'90s Drew Barrymore probably tried every look known to man — blonde, redhead, brunette, chopped bob, long, crimped locks — so it's no surprise that the '90s version of the actor looks drastically different than the one we adore today. Still into the bold lip color, TBH.

11. Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet

In 1997, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet took the world by storm, thanks to a little movie known as Titanic. 20 years later, and they're still best friends — just with a little more facial hair (DiCaprio) and a little more blonde (Winslet).

12. Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian is no stranger to sharing those #TBT pics, and her yearbook photo certainly takes the throwback cake. Especially because she could not look any more different than the KK of today. What would 2016 Kardashian think of those eyebrows — or that pose, for that matter? Blasphemous.

13. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

The face is exactly the same, but '90s JGL (that '90s grunge hair though) < 2016 JGL.

14. Shia LaBeouf

The first ep of Even Stevens aired on the Disney Channel in 1999, the year that introduced the public to the magic of Shia LaBeouf. While he's now more known for his, uh, artsy antics, back then he was just a kid under a mop-top of curls with a wicked sense of humor (and some stellar slapstick comedy).

15. Candace Cameron Bure

Real talk: DJ Tanner was the absolute coolest in the '90s, with her sky-high teased curls, feathered bangs, and hilarious retorts (nerd burger = genius). Candace Cameron Bure never lost that cool factor, but she does style her hair with a lot less backcombing and hairspray.

16. Jared Leto

Jared Leto went from long-haired '90s heartthrob to long-haired 2016 heartthrob, only this time with an Academy Award and crazy successful band in tow. Plus a mustache and a beard. Can't forget those.

17. Gwen Stefani

I will just let these photos speak for themselves. Let me just say that Gwen Stefani was a badass then, and she's a badass now.

18. Hanson

While the majority of the public will forever see Hanson as the three tow-haired guys from Oklahoma, the band shed those long locks in favor of shorter, less-blonde-more-brunette 'dos. One thing they kept? Their die-hard fan base and distinct harmonies.

19. Laura Prepon

That '70s Show fans knew Laura Prepon as the delightfully sarcastic, naturally redheaded Donna. But the Laura Prepon of 2016 is the seductive, raven-haired Alex Vause of Litchfield on Orange Is the New Black. Ginger teen to sexy convict: How the years have changed her.

These celebs may no longer look like their '90s selves, but there will forever be a part of them that is still the person who they were in the decade.

Images: Giphy