We moan day in day out about how growing older is a bad thing. We spend MILLIONS of Euro (collectively, unless you're both rich and seriously desperate to defy the aging process) on lotions and potions and procedures to keep our faces looking as youthful as possible. But the reality is that while you might earn yourself a few laughter lines or crows feet around the eyes, or a bit of a turkey's neck (which there's just NO getting away from unless you tie the back of your neck into your pony tail), growing old is a privilege. What's more, when you take a look at the 'before they were famous' pics below, in most cases you grow up looking better than you did as a youngster.

Take a look at Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne. As prepubescent tweens they probably read Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling fairy tale religiously hoping that they too would one day would turn out as swans. And here's Kelly Brook who as a kid was a dead ringer for Lee Evans. Just me?

You can also bet your bottom dollar that nobody would have looked at this pic of Ryan Seacrest and ever thought he'd one day dominate the E! channel.

Katie Holmes was one of the luckier ones who always rocked the girl next door look while Tyra Banks and Heather Locklear were just as beautiful as teens as they are now.

For the sheer hell of it, I've also thrown in some pics of celebrities before they got a sense of style. Thank HEAVENS Nicole Richie stopped being bffs with Paris Hilton.