Growing up can be a radically different experience for young people, ranging from complete and utter awkwardness to extreme popularity. And all of this depends on a mix of your genes and your lifestyle.
Luckily, even if you’ve had a hard time liking yourself in your teens and early twenties, you can still end up full of confidence and love for how you look later on in life. And the proof is in the r/uglyduckling subreddit where people post photos of themselves where they’re proud to show the world how much they’ve changed. Upvote the photos that caught your eye as you’re scrolling down. Keep in mind that, despite the name of the community, they’re incredibly friendly and nobody thinks that anyone featured in the photos is ‘ugly.’
In the mood for some more wholesome glow-up photos? Bored Panda’s got you covered! Check out our most recent posts about the ‘Ugly Duckling’ online group right here, here, as well as here. Just remember, dear Pandas, we’re all beautiful in our own unique ways, but sometimes it takes some hard-fought changes in our lives and how we look so that we can love ourselves fully. And at the end of the day, that’s what really matters—that we love ourselves, not what others think of how we look.
#1 Proud Of How Far I’ve Come
Image credits: reddit.com
#2 14 To 22 Grew Into My Face And Stopped Hating Every Aspect Of My Existence !!!
Image credits: reddit.com
#3 17-27 I Decided That I Didn’t Want To Die Young From Drug Overdose So I Cut My Hair And Here We Are 10 Years Later
Image credits: reddit.com
Sometimes, these changes that bring about more confidence happen all by themselves. However, other times, these are results of hard-fought battles where people drastically change how they live because they want to be proud of themselves and to be held in high regard in society. Remember, just because everyone’s beautiful and unique doesn’t change the reality that human beings prefer people who are more attractive.
#4 Left (16 Years Old, Never Kissed A Boy, Genuinely Believed I Would Be A 40 Year Old Virgin), Right (26 Years Old, Much Happier)
Image credits: reddit.com
#5 "When I Loved Pizza & Was Insecure (17)" Versus "Still Love Pizza & Learned To Love Myself (25)"
Image credits: reddit.com
#6 17 Left And 27 Right. People Said I Looked Like Hurley From Lost
Image credits: reddit.com
That’s why the halo effect is a thing: those who are attractive are also perceived to be more capable and, generally, have it easier in life when it comes to new opportunities. It’s an inherent bias that we all have. So it’s only natural that some people can only be confident about how they look once they’ve also impressed their social circle and their community with their changes.
#7 15 vs. 28
Image credits: reddit.com
#8 15 > 22 !
Image credits: reddit.com
#9 People Used To Call Me Cheeks, 10 Years Can Do A Lot!
Image credits: reddit.com
And these changes do require a lot of effort. Not just when it comes to style but also when we think about fitness. We spoke about discipline, movement, and growing to love working out with motivational speaker, comedian, writer, and former US Paralympian, Josh Sundquist.
#10 13 vs. 23 - Let’s Just Say The Last Decade Has Been.. A Wild Ride Lol
Image credits: reddit.com
#11 Then (12): Hasn't Kissed A Boy, But Pretty Good At Violin. Now (24): Still Hasn't Kissed A Boy, Bad At Violin, But Finally Has Some Direction In Life!!
Image credits: reddit.com
#12 14-20, Freed My Eyes And Brows, Lost The Belly, Got A Tan
Image credits: ForcedHibernation
Sundquist told Bored Panda that the best fitness or workout routine is one that you enjoy enough to do every single day. Consistency is vital, so aim for something realistic (even if we all want results right here and now).
#13 15-25
Image credits: reddit.com
#14 14 vs. 36
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#15 15 -> 16 -> 20. Looking Back At Old Pictures Like, No Wonder I Used To Be So Depressed
Image credits: DorieFoxx
“The best fitness or workout routine is the one you enjoy enough to do every day. Personally, my favorite thing is going on long walks. So that's what works for me. But for someone else, it might be swimming or competitive sports or tai chi. Whatever gets you moving,” Josh, who lost his leg when he was a child, said. However, going all-out isn’t advisable either. We need to find the right balance between effort and rest.
#16 Dyed My Hair, Opened My Eyes, Got Eyebrows... (13y/O-21y/O)
Image credits: reddit.com
#17 F 8 To 22. One Bad Haircut Had Turned Me Into Young Anakin Skywalker
Image credits: reddit.com
#18 15/17 vs. 21 (About To Turn 22)
Image credits: No-Situation849
“I'm a recovering overachiever. I mean, I went to the Paralympics. That doesn't happen without an (un)healthy amount of discipline and delayed gratification. But I don't think that discipline versus moderation is a binary choice. I think those are different gears. It's useful to be able to shift into a high-intensity gear when that serves your workout goals (or, like any kind of goal). But it might even more important to be capable of shifting down to a relaxed posture in everyday life when that sort of intensity isn't necessary. For me personally, the latter gear is more difficult. For someone else, it could be the opposite.”
#19 [30] [f] Really Feeling The Glow Up
Image credits: SparkleTits7
#20 14, 16 And 18. Down 100lbs And A Cardio Fiend
Image credits: Vincent-the-great
#21 6th Grade And 21
Image credits: reddit.com
As the 118k-member strong ‘Ugly Duckling’ community puts it, the online group is meant for “all you guys and gals out there who turned into butterflies.” In other words, it’s a subreddit that’s meant to celebrate positive, wholesome changes in people’s lives.
#22 27 To 37. Getting Older Isn't So Bad
Image credits: reddit.com
#23 Used To Be Obese, Depressed, And Bullied. Thankful Of Where I Am Now. 15. 20. 26
Image credits: BaconThatBurger
#24 10 Years Can Change A Lot! (13-23) To Be Fair, I Had A Really Bad Haircut Phase
Image credits: reddit.com
So don’t be fooled by the word ‘ugly’ in the subreddit’s name: nobody’s suggesting that any of these people are ‘ugly.’ It’s just that, like we mentioned up above, some folks have a hard time loving themselves as they are, so they make changes to their lifestyle, appearance, diet, and fitness to find their true selves.
#25 2015-2021
Image credits: Iljari
#26 14 To 20 Bc Ppl Said My Resting Face Was Angry
Image credits: reddit.com
#27 13 - 18
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#28 Sweeping The Leg Since 1995. Age (8?) To 25 - Glad It All Worked Out, But I Never Did Get That Black Belt
Image credits: reddit.com
#29 At 14 vs. 29. Got Braces And Contacts, Figured Out Makeup, And Found My Girly Side
Image credits: reddit.com
#30 Years Through Out
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What did you think of this list, dear Readers? Are you planning on joining the r/uglyduckling community to keep an eye out for their latest posts? Which do you think is more important for making us look fit, our genes or our environments and lifestyles or a combination of both? Have you had to deal with any awkwardness while growing up? Drop us a line or two with your thoughts and feelings in the comment section.
#31 Same Picture, 2 Years A Part
Image credits: reddit.com
#32 Thicc To Less Thicc. Weird How A Year And A Few Months Can Change Your Life
Image credits: reddit.com
#33 11 To 21, I Was Misgendered As A Boy A Lot As A Kid
Image credits: reddit.com
#34 12-30
Image credits: Coderbro17
#35 13-22 Never Had Self Confidence As A Teenager, Now I'm Posting A Selfie On The Internet!
Image credits: reddit.com
#36 15-18. Puberty And A Wardrobe Change Make A World Of Difference! And Ditching Those Glasses
Image credits: KinthamasIX
#37 16 Yo/25 Yo
Image credits: ChickenLegends
#38 Haracter Development: 12-22
Image credits: araicallate
#39 I Think I Belong Here 10--->29
Image credits: reddit.com
#40 18 vs. 24 And About 100lb Difference
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#41 From About 7yo, To 15, To 24! Had Some Highs And Lows Between It All But Finally Working Things Out!
Image credits: reddit.com
#42 M, 17 To 21. I Still Have Braces On That Really Helped With The Facial Structure
Image credits: pupithekitty
#43 17 To 27
Image credits: reddit.com
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