why are people calling themselves "ugly ducklings" "ugly swans" "ugly" in general, its such a lack of empowerment. We are beautiful in every photo, in every stage of our lives. Come on people stop with the self-shaming!

Moral of the story : "pretty people with bad haircut became pretty people with good haircut after visiting hairdresser"

None of these people was ugly before their "glow up". They are all fine the way they were.

I stopped looking halfway through. Some of these posts were absolutely fine beforehand and I felt by looking I was encouraging them to keep losing weight, keep starving themselves, keep getting work done. Some of those who have lost weight did not need to lose weight and now look far too skinny. I think these kinds of posts encourage people to think they need to change how they look to fit in. There is an unhealthy balance going on here and I would urge Bored Panda not to publish these posts.

The trope here is mildly disturbing. "Making the outside match the inside".... as if someone who can't afford laser eye surgery or chin liposuction, or who doesn't have the luxury of many hours to spend pumping iron, must just be "ugly" on the inside (or at least internally unattractive) because they wear glasses or don't have a six pack or whatever. Our value and beauty aren't derived from cosmetic attributes, but you wouldn't know this given these examples.

Ah yes, the story of the ugly duckling, which teaches us that it doesn't matter if you aren't attractive now, as long as you become attractive later.

I wish puberty hit me in a good way like these people

Let us continue to be persuaded that we are only lovable when we are different. Let us continue to be persuaded that it is not enough to be yourself. Let us continue to be persuaded that we will only be accepted if we have muscles, a beautiful complexion and a sexy buttocks. Let us continue to persuade ourselves that the soul, the inner life, the beauty of the spirit and the ability to see the beauty of the world do not matter. There's a simple reason why it doesn't really matter: it can't be marketed. Inner development has no market. It cannot be turned into money. It takes the courage and the clarity to accept yourself and not only see the beauty on the outside. The term "ugly ducklings" are marketing strategies and, in the worst case, are repeated by people who have not yet come to themselves. Do not let that confuse you. Be yourself. You don't need a ticket for this life. You have had it since you were born. In this sense: for the true, for the good, and for the really beautiful!

So weight loss,makeup,better clothes,better pictures,filters,more muscles and a more adult look helps?This must be the discovery of the century...

This is more of a testament to the power of hairstyling and makeup.

🤷🏻‍♀️ They all look fine to me, before AND after.

No one under 18 should be allowed to look in a mirror.

How come most of these are about people losing weight, when literally right up the page on Bored Panda is another article about a girl talking about how mean everyone is to her because she's lost the 'pretty privilege' for gaining some weight?

A lot of these seem like a celebration of mediocrity.