BEFORE YOU WERE HOT

Gemma: Cranky Face

"I was extremely sick and forced to sit for a family photo (hence me looking so unimpressed). Despite my older sister pinching me to try and get me to smile, I managed to maintain my dead-pan face. I am often told how much I look like the little boy from the sixth sense in this photograph. I blame this on two things. Firstly, my expression. Secondly, the bowl cuts that my mother used to give me. My hair was extremely thin and would not easily... so my mother would actually place a bowl on top of my head and cut around it. It still haunts me to this day." -Gemma

After the jump: Gemma today...

Jessica: "Geeky Turtleneck"

"It's okay if you think I was a boy; lots of people did. A fond memory of mine is a lady at a toy store telling me it was 'cool' for boys to like to play with Barbies while browsing with my Mother. At age 11, the day before picture day, it was my bright idea to ask my (then beauty school student) mother to cut my hair to look like Halle Berry. If I was 10 years older, had my ears peirced and wore makeup it may have worked.

"This is my awkward photo, the only one that is still around, stolen from my mother and hidden in a box in my storage under the stairs. When I saw this website I HAD to dig it out. It is hard to see past my haircut, my geeky turtleneck, my strawberry birthmark under my right eye (which thankfully went away) and if you could see closely, my faint uni-brow. However, today I am a 21-year-old wife and new mother with long luscious hair. Gone is my awkward scrawny body, replaced with some curves (a few unwanted, but hey, I'm not complaining) It DOES get better, but for all you young people out there- it is impossible for an 11 year old to look like Halle Berry! Learn from my mistake."

After the jump: Jessica today...

Carolyn and Jess: Homemade Haircuts

 "This photo was taken when I was six years old, and my older sister Jess was 12. She's in the lovely ugly floral sweater that hipsters kill for now. The picture was taken on our father's first day as a House Representative in Montpelier, Vermont. I love my homemade haircut and the too big dress, and the way my mother is 'holding me back.'" --Carolyn

After the jump: Jess and Carolyn today...

Erica: "My Spock Moment"

"I hope you don't mind a small collage of 'before' pics, because my whole childhood in Atlanta was pretty freaking awkward. As you can see, I had not one, not two, but at least THREE times in my childhood when I donned a mushroom haircut, and not by choice I might add, although I have since forgiven my mother for consistently using me as a practice mannequin for her haircutting techniques. I like to think fondly of the middle one as my Spock moment, even if I had no idea of Spock's existence at that point in my life. As you can see, I was pretty fond of colors and prints, since this was the 90s, although that pink wool sweater is pretty unforgiveable, not to mention those velcro strap shoes, since I'm pretty sure I should have been able to tie my shoes at that point. So I may still be a little awkward, but at least my mother's hair-cut-practicing days are over." --Erica

After the jump: Erica today...

Heather: "Mom Picked Out My Clothes"

"I was 12-ish when this photo was taken on a school trip. My bangs were growing out, which is always an awkward phase. I have some visual problems, one of which is that my pupils work backwards (when exposed to light they open up instead of close) and I'm colorblind. Due to these conditions I wore dark glasses all the time, even indoors (which I don't do anymore) and my mother picked out all of my clothes, which given her lack of style amounted to t-shirts, jeans, and tennis shoes every day. Among other things, I was often mistaken from a boy from age 5-15." --Heather

After the jump: Heather today...