It’s easy to look at your favorite celebs and assume that they’ve always been this fabulous. On the other hand, it’s also easy to look at celebs who are always caught up in drama and assume that they’ve been the same way their whole lives. But here’s the truth— fame changes people. You could probably ask any celebrity, and in most cases, they would tell you that their personality has changed somewhat since becoming famous. Many celebs are still quite down to earth, even with millions in the bank, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same person they were before becoming famous.

If you do a little digging, you’ll see that many celebrities have completely transformed since becoming famous. Sometimes they drastically change their style, sometimes they switch career tracks, and sometimes their entire personality seems different after a couple years in the spotlight. It’s actually pretty funny to look back at some celebs’ pasts and see how much they have changed!

So, who has gone through the craziest transformations since achieving fame and success in their industries? You’re about to find out—get ready for a shock! Here are 20 female celebs who did a total 180 when they got famous.

Katy Perry Was A Christian Artist

Katy Perry is famous for singing about dramatic relationships, wild nights out, and crazy parties that last until dawn. When you listen to her music, you may assume that she’s always been a spontaneous, fun loving girl who is up for anything. But her past reveals a very different picture! Did you know that Katy Perry actually used to sing Christian music? Yup, it may seem strange, but it’s the truth. According to MTV News, Katy’s family was very strict when it came to religion, and they did not allow her to listen to pop music, so she only listened to gospel music at home. She revealed that her friends eventually introduced her to other styles of music, but even though she enjoyed different genres, she decided to record a gospel album for her first real project. According to Billboard, the album was not successful, so she decided to pursue pop instead.

Kylie Jenner Looked Like A Regular Teen

If you look at the photo above, it’s honestly tough to believe that Kylie Jenner is the girl on the right. She has changed so much in just a few years. Of course, Kylie didn’t exactly change the moment she became famous—she has been a household name for most of her life simply because she was born into a famous family and basically grew up on a reality TV show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians. But when Kylie began making a name for herself, she drastically changed her appearance. According to Time Magazine, Kylie has been one of the most influential teen idols on the planet for the past couple years. As she made her way into the fashion and beauty industry, she changed up her look. On Keeping Up With the Kardashians, she admitted that she had gotten lip augmentation. According to Entertainment Tonight, this sparked the “Kylie Jenner lip challenge.”

Nicki Minaj Was Fired From Countless Jobs

Today, Nicki Minaj is one of the most famous female rappers around. And she’s not just respected as a female rapper—she’s one of the biggest rappers on earth, period. Clearly, this is a woman who knows how to hustle, and she has made a name for herself over the past decade. But did you know that Nicki did not always want to be a rapper? In fact, for a long period of time, she struggled to figure out which path she really wanted to take in life. According to E! News, Nicki wanted to be an actress after graduating high school, so she began going to auditions and landed some small parts. However, this wasn’t her true passion, and she worked other odd jobs to support herself. Vibe and Billboard have both reported that she was fired from all of these menial jobs because she was rude to customers.

Ariel Winter Escaped Her Troubled Home Life

You probably know Ariel Winter for her role as Alex Dunphy on the hit sitcom, Modern Family. It’s easy to think that Ariel had an easy road to success—she landed a major part on a huge show at a fairly young age. Sounds like a pretty sweet life, right? However, Ariel has not always had it so easy, and she has had to change many aspects of her life since achieving fame—not because she wanted to create a different image, but because she has to protect herself. According to BBC News, Ariel’s home life was very rough from a young age, and her older sister, Shanelle, chose to assume legal guardianship of her because their parents were not fit to be her guardians. In September 2015, Ariel herself announced on Twitter that she was officially emancipated, and People reported that she thanked her fans and her wonderful support system.

Rihanna Was A Chill Island Girl

So, what has changed about Rihanna since she became famous? Well, let’s start with her name! It’s actually fairly common knowledge that Rihanna’s real name is Robyn—after all, she mentioned it on her album Good Girl Gone Bad. Aside from that, she never anticipated being a world-famous singer living the Hollywood life. She was just a regular girl from Barbados who wanted to sing reggae songs, hang out at the beach, and get through school without dealing with too much drama. According to Entertainment Weekly, she was discovered as a teenager by the American producer, Evan Rogers. He could see that she was going to be a big star, and he was totally right—fast forward to today, and you would think she was born to be famous. She’s known for her intense, dramatic vibe, her unwavering confidence, her bold, sleek style, and her cheeky “devil may care” attitude!

Madonna Was A Straight-A Student

Since the beginning of her career, Madonna has always been known for pushing the boundaries. She wasn’t afraid to try something new and go further than other artists, no matter what anyone thought. After all, she had nothing to lose. According to CNN, Madonna dropped out of college and ran away to New York with little money to her name and no real plan. The rest is history—she worked her way up until she became the world famous pop star that we all know and love today. However, before Madonna entered the music world, she was a bit of a goodie two shoes who tried very hard in school—in fact, according to The Guardian, she was a straight-A student in high school and later received a good scholarship for the University of Michigan. It’s hard to believe that she grew up to be the rebellious music icon known as Madonna.

Farrah Abraham Was A Scared Teen Mom

When Farrah Abraham made her first appearance on the reality TV show, 16 and Pregnant, she was in a tough situation. She was not getting along well with her mother at all, and later on, tragedy struck when the father of her baby, Derek Underwood, died in a car accident. Needless to say, Farrah was seriously struggling. No one really expected her to turn out the way she did after giving birth to her daughter, Sophia, in 2009. Ever since then, it seems like Farrah has been determined to capitalize on her small taste of reality TV fame in order to stay in the spotlight. She tried to release music, but according to The Atlantic, the album did not receive good reviews, so she returned to reality TV, where she first became famous. She has since appeared on shows like Teen Mom, Couples Therapy, Being Farrah, and Celebrity Big Brother.

Heidi Montag Was A Low Maintenance Girl

When Heidi Montag made her first appearance on the reality TV show, The Hills, no one knew how much drama this girl could bring to the table. According to People magazine, Heidi became friends with Lauren Conrad while they were both in college, and she began appearing on episodes of Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. Their friendship landed Heidi a spot on Lauren’s new show The Hills, but the bond they shared began to crumble when Heidi began dating Spencer Pratt. Their couple name, Speidi, will bring back bad memories for any fans of the show because they were always at the center of the conflict. Heidi became increasingly obsessed with her appearance, and she eventually admitted to People magazine that she had undergone ten enhancements in one day. It was fairly obvious—no wonder she looks so different than she did in early episodes of The Hills.

Miley Cyrus Was No Wild Child

Over the past five years or so, Miley Cyrus has taken some serious risks when it comes to her music, her style, her public image, and her overall career. She had a major breakthrough as teen idol Hannah Montana, but eventually, she wanted to rebel against this picture-perfect Disney Star status and go her own way. She became increasingly experimental when it came to her creative pursuits and even her outfits, hair, and makeup. You might think that she was always a wild child deep down, but that’s not really the case. Miley grew up as a pretty happy kid in Tennessee with her family, and according to the Toronto Star, she told her father that she wanted to become an actress when she was very young. She didn’t go through a rebellious phase until her Disney Channel years were done—she had to get it all out of her system.

Demi Lovato Was A Happier Kid

The past few years of Demi Lovato’s life have been a serious roller coaster ride, and this girl has been thrown for a loop more times than we can count. Demi has struggled with substance abuse and disordered eating in the past, but she has been well on the road to recovery for some time now. Was she always a troubled child—or did fame have a serious negative impact on her health? Looking back at her past, it seems to be the latter. When she was young, she became interested in music, and many of her fans know that she actually appeared on the children’s television show Barney & Friends as a child. However, when she finally “made it” in Hollywood, the pressure was on, and eventually, she snapped. According to Daily News, Demi’s father actually blamed Hollywood and the acting industry for her many issues—maybe fame isn’t for everyone.

Lana Del Rey Was A Struggling Waitress

Lana Del Rey has been in the spotlight for a few years now, and ever since she became famous, she has cultivated a certain unforgettable and unique image. She has an air of old-school glamour that no one else in Hollywood can replicate. She is truly one of a kind. But did you know that she was not always the Lana Del Rey we know now? Her real name is Lizzy Grant, and she began releasing music under her real name in 2005. But these demos and albums never really took off. However, she began to rethink her career and revamp her image along with her musical style. According to Vogue, she came up with the name Lana Del Rey because it reminded her of a glamorous seaside setting, and it sounded sophisticated and cultured. Vogue also reported that she chose this name because it matched the sound she wanted to create.

Ariana Grande Was An Unknown Theater Actress

Today, you know Ariana Grande as a sassy pop diva with trendsetting style, but she never knew that she had a future as a pop star. In fact, she began her career as a relatively unknown Broadway actress. Pretty crazy to think about, right? Especially now that she’s playing sold-out stadium tours all over the world for millions of devoted fans. According to The New York Times, Ariana kicked off her acting career in the musical, 13, in which she played a cheerleader. But Ariana knew from a young age that she wanted to go down a different path, although she had no idea whether or not her dreams could really come true. According to Billboard, Ariana told her managers at the age of 14 that she wanted to make an R&B album, and they basically laughed in her face. Looks like she knew herself better than they did!

Taylor Swift Wasn’t A Humble Country Girl

Taylor Swift has transformed herself in major ways several times throughout her career, but we’re going to throw it way back to her breakthrough singles and explore her past before she made it into the spotlight. Everyone knows that Taylor Swift first became famous as a country artist—she does not record country tracks anymore, but this is the genre that made her famous. However, even some of her biggest fans might be surprised to learn that she was not actually a born and raised country girl! According to Esquire, Taylor actually grew up in Pennsylvania, and the only reason she moved to Nashville was so that she could begin working with country music producers. The whole country image was really just that—an image. She did truly love country music though, as you can see in her earlier work, but she has since moved on from this particular genre.

Gwen Stefani Went From Normal Teen To Alternative Rockstar

Like some of the other celebs on this list, Gwen Stefani crafted a certain distinct image for herself that really helped her to stand out when her career was taking off. If you’re going to take a lesson from these celebs, remember this: sometimes, your style and brand can take you further than just talent alone! Anyway, let’s get back to Gwen and her big transformation at the start of her music career. As you probably know, Gwen rose to fame as a member of the alternative rock band, No Doubt. According to Rolling Stone, Gwen didn’t want to fit in with the crowd of female grunge rockers of the '90s. She began experimenting with her own style, and she basically became a fashion chameleon. One day she would be wearing Princess Leia buns, the next she would step out with a bindi, and later she became obsessed with Japanese fashion.

Lady Gaga Wanted To Be A Broadway Star

It seems like Lady Gaga is changing her style and image all of the time! Lady Gaga has ALWAYS been known for her unique sense of fashion, her boundary-pushing performances, and her tendency to experiment with downright strange outfits on the red carpet. Was Lady Gaga always so eclectic? Sort of—according to Rolling Stone, Gaga says she always felt like a bit of an outcast because she didn’t mind standing out. But growing up, she had no ambitions of becoming a mega pop star. She actually had her sights set on Broadway. According to Entertainment Weekly, she studied acting for many years, and although she was unsuccessful as a theater actress, she did land a small role in a Sopranos episode. Later in her career, she did get to dip her toes into the acting world when she took on a role in the TV series, American Horror Story.

Cher Lloyd Lived In A Caravan

When Cher Lloyd made it big on to the TV show The X Factor, she shocked everyone with her serious talents. As a teenager who was quickly becoming world famous with her singing skills, it seemed like she was living a pretty glamorous life. Sure, there was something about her that seemed a little different from the typical wannabe pop star. Maybe it was because Cher definitely did not come from a privileged background. In fact, according to Mirror, Cher actually spent her younger years traveling around Wales with her family in a caravan. Cher is from a Romani (a.k.a. “gypsy”) family and many Romani families do not have permanent homes. Now Daily reported that before becoming a pop star, she was bullied by her classmates because of her background. Well, they probably regretted taunting her when they saw her showing off her pipes on The X Factor. Never judge a book by its cover.

Kelly Osbourne Wasn’t Always A Style Icon

Kelly Osbourne is known for her quirky sense of style and funky hair colors, but she didn’t go into the entertainment industry with any real intention of becoming a style icon. As the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, she spent a little time in the spotlight, but she didn’t really begin to make a name for herself until her family earned their own reality TV show, The Osbournes. According to Rolling Stone, fans and critics alike instantly took a liking to Kelly. She became known as a master of sarcasm, and she had a great sense of humor that had all eyes on her whenever the cameras were rolling. Kelly went from a sarcastic teen from a famous dysfunctional family to fashion critic on the TV show, The Fashion Police. She became known for her funny commentary, her own unique sense of style, and her ever-changing bright hair colors!

Megan Fox Had An Awkward Phase

Okay, now we know that this one is tough to imagine, but we’re being totally serious here. Yes, even Megan Fox had an awkward phase. Even though she is known as one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, Megan couldn’t escape those cringy teenage years. Doesn’t that make you feel a little better about your embarrassing photos from middle school? Clearly, no one can avoid it. According to Parade, she was raised in a very strict religious household and was not allowed to behave like most normal teenagers. Therefore, she was always a little left out at school. Later on, she revealed to CosmoGirl magazine that she was bullied very often in high school, and she did not have many good friends during those years. Whenever we hear about a famous celeb who was bullied, we have to wonder how those bullies feel now when they see their face everywhere.

Lindsay Lohan Was An Adorable Model

The more we learn about Lindsay Lohan’s past, the more obvious it becomes that if her parents had set aside their lust for fame and money, she probably would have turned out to be more well-adjusted. But we all know how things were for Lindsay after her years of childhood stardom—she struggled with substance abuse, hung out with the wrong crowd of socialites, and basically left behind the career that she had worked so hard to build. Lindsay did not begin her career as an actress—according to People, she actually started out by modeling from the age of about three years old. She landed campaigns with big brands because of her natural red hair and adorable smile. Her first few films, like The Parent Trap and Life-Size, were big hits, and she saw even more success with Mean Girls, but her downward spiral followed, and her career may never recover.

Kelly Clarkson Was Living In A Trailer

Kelly Clarkson never expected to see the kind of success that she has achieved. Sure, she has always wanted a career in music, but she certainly did not come from a wealthy background or have any fancy connections, so she thought it would be a long shot. But she decided to pursue her dream anyway and just give it her all. According to Yahoo, Kelly did not have an easy road to stardom—none of her early attempts at connecting with a record label and landing a deal worked out, so she worked many odd jobs while she continued trying to break into music. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kelly did not think she came across as star material when she was on American Idol—she came from a working-class background and was living in a trailer when she auditioned! Her life has completely transformed since those days.

Sources: MTV.com, Billboard.com, Time.com, Etonline.com, Vibe.com, BBC.com, Twitter.com, CNN.com, Theguardian.com, People.com, Torontostar.com, Dailynews.com, Vogue.com, NYTimes.com, Esquire.com, Rollingstone.com, Mirror.com, Nowdaily.com, Parade.com, CosmoGirl, TheHollywoodReporter.com