20 Ugly Celeb Childhood Pics They Never Thought You'd See

“An ugly baby is a very nasty object - and the prettiest is frightful… as long as they have their big body and little limbs and that terrible frog-like action.” Now before you start sentencing us to the gallows for making such an appalling statement and calling a being as cherubic, ugly, let us just take a moment to allow this idea to sink in - the proclamation was originally made by Queen Victoria in a letter to her first born The Princess Royal (Vicky). The queen hated kids, childbirth and all that muck - we necessarily don't, we like kids… mostly. They are adorable little bundles of joy, sugary rolls of cuteness… but dare we say, not always? Don't get us wrong here, but some kids are just, well, not so pretty. Now, there's nothing to get all worked-up over this, it is true. And it's not just our regular brats that are less lovely; tinsel town has very many stories that tell otherwise.

Hollywood is filled to the brim with beautiful people - dazzling outfits, flawless hairstyles and the illusion of all things perfect. But, for a world made up of glitz and glamour, you'd be surprised how aesthetically upsetting some of our celebrities were in their earlier years. So, don't lose hope if your sprog doesn't appear too appealing to you - the future might throw you off guard! Here are 20 ugly celeb childhood pics they never thought you'd see.

20 Taylor Swift

When she sings about heartbreak and tears, Tay Tay probably travels back in time to her high school days when she had missing teeth and cornrows - and not to her estranged lover as she'd rather have us think. Taylor Swift wasn't always the stunning superstar that she is now, in fact, she was a below-average girl who seems to have had a little trouble with puberty while growing up. And, this photo is proof enough! In an interview with Elle, Swift couldn't help but admit: “A lot of girls thought I was weird. Actually, the word they like to use was 'annoying'. I'd sit at their lunch table and they'd move to a different one.” She added, “Middle school was what programmed me to be semi-insecure… I didn't fit in.” Well, now we know why!

19 George Clooney

No one is perfect, and this man definitely was far from it - but today he is the living and breathing example of how things get better with time - how there is always a silver lining behind every dark cloud. Today, he has flair; he has charm and he has swagger. But, as a child all George Clooney had was a terrible haircut and large batty glasses. And to think, not many would disagree that even at 56, he is the most attractive man in the world right now. However, The Up In The Air star, who before his recent marriage held an infamous reputation for dating all the beautiful women, had once admitted after an especially rough night that he didn't wake up looking great every morning. “I have my ugly days,” he had said. We wonder if he was thinking about his childhood days!

18 Victoria Beckham

She wasn't always the Posh Spice with that notorious pout and impeccable skin, who we see as the fashion icon today. She was gap-toothed and suffered from horrible acne as a teenager. In her book, The Extra Half Inch, Victoria Bekham wrote, “Teenage acne is definitely not a stroll in the park. I had so many spots, I could barely put a pin between them. It was just awful.” She has even admitted to being bullied as a young girl. “I dreamed of being on stage. But it was a difficult part of my life. I suffered bullying. I did not fit anywhere. I was ambitious, I made a great effort, I respected teachers and rules.” Well, that sure seems to have paid off.

17 Nicole Kidman

It seems the ageless A-lister took a little while to discover hair straighteners - not that we would blame hair straighteners for trying to keep away. Nicole Kidman, today, is one of Hollywood's biggest stars but who'd would have thought this is how she looked while chalking out those silver screen ambitions! How did the Australian actress even manage to control that wilderness disguised as hair? “At 18, my hair was very long,” she told The Sun, “I hated it. I tried to straighten it but it didn't work. I didn't know whether I could become an actress because I was so tall and gangly.” She went on to add, “I wish I had known I would become more confident about my looks.” So, Kidman didn't always feel like the stunner after all!

16 The Rock

“Perfect doesn't exist, but you should kick your ass to reach it… This leads to success” - The Rock. Dwayne Douglas Johnson believes that hard work on yourself is the right way to your dream - and this picture speaks volumes about the hard work that might have gone into the making of The Rock. Before he started as a semi-comedic actor in Hollywood flicks, Johnson had built himself a tough reputation as a wrestler. Even at 45, he is an inspiration to many for his astounding physique. Apart from all-hair to no-hair, a lot seems to have changed along the path to his success as a fitness icon, ever since this photo was taken. To think high-school Rock was all about unibrows and double chins, is still a rather mindboggling theory, had we not known better.

15 Jennifer Garner

There's nerd written all over that little face and the gorgeous actress that Jennifer Garner has grown into, seems to agree. She admits that she wasn't always as sought after when it came to making friends in her younger days. In an interview with The Mirror, Garner said, “I was a real nerd. I wasn't a popular one, I was one of those girls on the edge of the group. I never wore the right clothes and I had a kind of natural geekiness. She also said that she was part of a school band and thinks, “That was a bit of a stigma at the age of 13.” Young Garner sported a choppy haircut for a considerable phase of her life and we can only ponder over how she must have applauded the day she was allowed to have her hair cut by a professional.

14 Charlize Theron

While most people wouldn't believe that Charlize Theron was ever an ugly duckling, the frizzy hair speaks otherwise. There was also a time during her growing up years when she sported gigantic nerdy glasses. In an interview with People the Mad Max: Fury Road star revealed, “I wore really nerdy glasses because I was blind as could be and the boys didn't like (me),” adding, “I didn't have any boyfriends, but lots of crushes.” The South African-born actress also admitted going to great and “crazy” lengths to draw attention from those she hero-worshipped in school, especially the popular girls. “I wasn't in the popular crowd. There was a really popular girl in school and I was obsessed with her. I mean you would go to jail for that stuff today. I was in tears one day because I couldn't sit next to her,” Theron said.

13 Winona Ryder

That's Winona Ryder in her junior-high yearbook back in 1985. Now, that's what we call one ghost of a chance! And Ryder happens to be on the same page. “You can see why people thought I was a boy. At the time, I was obsessed with Bugsy Malone but also very into the Clash and the Replacements. I believe my friend cut my hair, and I remember reading somewhere that if you mixed beer and egg whites and put in in your hair, you could get it spiky like that. Of course, I could never get any beer because I was 12,” she told Allure. The Edward Scissorhands star has reportedly faced much adversities regarding her unusual looks. She told Interview magazine about her experience with a certain casting director, who said, “Listen kid. You shouldn't be an actress. You are not pretty enough.”

12 Jimmy Fallon

“Thank you, people who say 'Wow, you're really photogenic,' for not saying what you really mean: 'Wow, you're really ugly in person.'” - that's Jimmy Fallon for you, always quick on his feet and charming as ever. The man sure has a way with his words, but with his high-school looks? We aren't too sure, especially after this photo started doing the rounds. What's with the hair Jimmy? And, even if we do ignore the whiskery moustache as another cruel onslaught of puberty, can we ever get over that T-shirt? Then again, the man hardly ever runs out of answers, as he has said time and again, “People have disliked me. You know, in high school, I wasn't the most popular kid. I wasn't the nerdiest kid. I was kind of in the middle.” We get it!

11 Demi Lovato

The American singer, songwriter and actress wasn't always this poised and stunning - to put it politely, Demi Lovato was somewhat awkward as a child and she definitely wasn't one of the best-looking kids. But the transition has been nothing short of amazing. Lovato managed to capture the limelight in 2008 with her performance in the Disney Channel television film Camp Rock, even though she had made her debut as a child star in Barney and friends. She then went on to sign a recording contract with Hollywood records and there has been no looking back. She has been long topping the charts for the last couple of years with songs like Skyscraper and Heart Attack. The musician is also strongly inclined towards tackling social evils, being a tough advocate for both LGBT rights and mental health issues.

10 Brad Pitt

He is known for his great acting skills, charismatic presence and of course his unbelievable good looks. But, looking at this picture, nobody in their wildest dreams would have imagined that this guy would grow up to be Brad Pitt, one of the most handsome men in the world today. Even the woman-magnet Pitt may not have harboured such larger than life expectations as a kid back then, especially with the strict Christian upbringing he had. Who would have known that this bowl-cut would get him so far? It surely didn't get him any attention back then. And to think the now-chiselled cheekbones and the ever-so-hot rugged scruff were once those chubby cheeks, is just way too far-fetched. It is surprising how with age this man becomes all the more handsome and stunning!

9 Beyonce

While it might be impossible to picture Queen B as anything less than incredible, she too seems to have suffered an ugly period. The glam queen, who dribbles splendour from head to toe, admitted that she was not only an awkward kid but also had many insecurities. With those bunny teeth and uncooperative hair, we sure understand. “Of course I've had an ugly period,” the singer told Glamour. “When I was around 10 or 11, my mother gave me this really ugly haircut.” The Sorry singer revealed that she refused to wear her hair in anything other than a bun for almost her entire first year of middle school because she was afraid that the other girls would chop off her locks. She also admitted to being a chubby kid whose ears “were bigger than her head.”

8 Megan Fox

There's just one name for smoking hot beauty and that's Megan Fox. She is what the male fantasy looks like - a complete knockout and the last person to strike anyone as ugly. However, Fox has a different story to tell. As does this photo of the awkward child with messed-up teeth and in desperate need of a dentist. It seems, The Transformers star too happens to be a part of the 'ugly, unpopular outcast' squad. In an interview with Miami Magazine, Fox described her teenage self as “abrasive” and “obnoxious” and how she was often picked on and ostracized. She said, “I was never the pretty girl.” She also revealed that she was quite the loner during her growing up days because her interests were never quite mainstream.

7 Jennifer Lopez

Towering out of her Hispanic roots, Jennifer Lopez is the only woman to have been voted twice as the Sexiest Woman in The World. But, when little Jenny told her parents about her dream of becoming a movie star, they were shocked. Now, who wouldn't be, especially when you have awful bangs and uneven braids to back your claims? Jlo looked very average and meek as a child - nothing remotely close to the insanely stylish diva that she is today. No wonder her Puerto Rican parents didn't believe that their second daughter could carve out a career in showbiz. They tried to talk her out of it and told her that it was a “really stupid” idea and that “no Latinos did that.” But “Jenny from the block” didn't back down and proved to the world how wrong they all were.

6 Rashida Jones

Daughter of Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton, Rashida Jones wasn't always as drop-dead-gorgeous. Her awkward years came complete with braces, gristly hair and enormously chubby cheeks. And the African American beauty also had a tough time dealing with people's perspectives regarding her ethnicity during her early years. To quote Rashida, she has often been faced with opinions like “but you look so white,” and “you are not black.” In an interview with Glamour magazine, she said, “I want to say: 'Do you know how hurtful that is to somebody who identifies so strongly with half of who she is?'” Even today Rashida comes across such outrageous categorizations. “When I audition for white roles, I'm told I'm 'too exotic'. When I go up for black roles, I'm told I'm 'too light'” she said, adding, “I've lost jobs, looking the way I do.”

5 Tom Cruise

Puberty had perhaps saved up on some additional malice especially for this one. After seeing this picture, we certainly understand how difficult it must have been for Tom to cruise through boyhood into manhood. As a kid, Tom Cruise didn't exactly look like a million bucks. The American actor and filmmaker may have three Academy Award nominations and three Golden Globe wins today, but back then he didn't have the prettiest bridgework; neither did his face know the concept of eyebrows. But then again, you can always place your trust in dental surgery and cosmetics to endow you with all that and much more than what genes could ever do for you! Though there have been multiple controversies over the actor's transformation; on whether or not he actually went under the knife to look how he does, we have absolutely no complains about the outcome.

4 Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson is the paradigm of puberty served right. Few would have expected this ambiguous, uncertain-looking teen to blossom into one of the most beautiful women ruling Hollywood today. There are rumours of her having undergone rhinoplasty particularly after her somewhat large nose started appearing more streamlined and acute, and after she literally went from girl-next-door to dazzling diva overnight. However, the Lost In Translation star vehemently rubbished such claims in 2007 and threatened legal action over American magazine US Weekly for suggesting the possibility. She said in a statement: “I have always been straightforward with the press regarding my body image and I am very concerned that my fans (and perhaps even my employers) will feel misled. Thus, I feel compelled to take immediate legal action against US Weekly.”

3 Kate Hudson

As the daughter of the gorgeous Goldie Hawn and charming Bill Hudson, Kate Hudson as a child was far from being the innate diva that she has turned out to be. The now-stunning star, however, admitted to Vanity Fair that it took her a lot to become who she is today. And, this photo sure sums up the ordeal she might have had to go through. “When I hit puberty, I started trying to figure out who I was and trying to come to terms with my feminine power,” she said, adding, “Then you look at your mother, who's got this incredible figure. You're standing there with little bee stings on your chest, saying, 'Well, what about me? Am I pretty? Am I going to have a nice figure?'” The struggle is real, peeps!

2 Ashton Kutcher

Now that's one heck of a constipated child! Not many would have expected this dazed and confused looking kid to grow into a heartthrob named Ashton Kutcher in the near future. While his looks did get off to a slow start, it did not stop Kutcher from charming his way into thousands of hearts once he hit the silver screen with That 70's Show. He was a student at the University of Iowa when he was first approached by a model scout and was soon enrolled to enter the Fresh Faces of Iowa modelling competition. However, his portfolio days weren't as smooth as one might expect. Recalling his experiences, Kutcher said, “It's an industry of the mere superficiality of looks. I would get to a casting call and we all sort of looked the same. And I could never figure out why he got the job and I didn't.”

1 Ryan Seacrest

He is pretty much the smoothest guy around. Television host, fun personality and a very handsome man - Ryan Seacrest today is the exemplary all-American host with a megawatt smile. Could you have ever presumed that this man was a chubby kid with glasses and braces? This photo is proof that he wasn't always as dapper and dashing! However, Seacrest doesn't shy away from talking about his geekier days. On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the man was honest enough to accept that he wasn't always as hot. Not to mention, this confession came right after he earned a spot in People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive “Geeky to Gorgeous” category. Even with such a twitchy start in the looks department, Seacrest seems to have made up for the lost time rather well!