Jennifer Aniston Looks So Different In Childhood Throwback Pic With Bangs

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

If Jennifer Aniston's face isn't etched onto your brain, you must have been living under a rock for the past few decades. The Hollywood icon has made an indelible mark on the industry and the public alike, from her role in the "Murder Mystery" movies opposite Adam Sandler to starring in Apple TV+ hit "The Morning Show." Of course, the Emmy winner is still most well known for playing Rachel Green across all 10 seasons of the knockout sitcom "Friends." Nowadays, of course, Aniston is unrecognizable from her '90s days, but delving even further into her past reveals the most considerable contrast to her current appearance.

The evolution of Aniston's hair could, and perhaps should, be written into the history textbooks — at least, pop culture history anyway. She became every stylist's nightmare after donning what was coined as "The Rachel," a coveted cut that every woman in the 1990s pointed to as their inspiration for a new 'do. But before that, she was a bangs girl. In a throwback childhood pic that the beloved actor posted on Instagram, Aniston sported long locks with classic 1970s fringe, parted right down the middle. Decades later, that hippie hair was traded in for a blonde, bang-less style more suitable for an A-lister known worldwide.

In 2023, the TV icon admitted to Allure that while she still loves a curtain bang, Aniston wasn't exactly obsessed with her own styling job when she was a budding actor. "First of all, that's awful," the actor quipped of a throwback red carpet photo from the "Leprechaun" premiere, adding, "I'm sorry." She even copped to cutting her own bangs for the occasion, though we hope that wasn't a habit Aniston picked up when she was that cute little kid.

Jennifer Aniston's beauty routine is notoriously, militantly regimented, encompassing tons of different serums, gadgets, and regular facials, to name just a few. However, the stunning star's glossy hair is a beauty mainstay to this day. The beloved actor is the owner of LolaVie, a haircare brand she founded in 2021 — we wonder which crazy hairstyle was the catalyst for creating her own company? But one thing is for sure; considering just how shiny the "Friends" star's hair is in throwback photos and even today, Aniston was clearly blessed by the hair gods. She just needed to go through a few awkward phases like the rest of us.

However, it's not the choppy, early-Hollywood bangs that the TV icon regrets the most (although that decade's fads certainly had something to do with it). According to Aniston, she is most remorseful about how badly she treated her skin in her younger years. Not only did the Emmy winner neglect to use SPF, but Aniston lubed up with oil before baking in the sun, much like the rest of her generation. 

As she told Allure in 2017, "My biggest beauty regret is the amount of sunbathing I used to do without sunscreen. I mean, baby oil? What was I thinking?.... I loved being brown — I loved it, I loved it, I loved it." Fortunately, the "Murder Mystery" star wears sunscreen religiously now, specifically Aveeno's Protect + Hydrate Sunscreen Moisturizing Face Lotion, according to the outlet. Her daily dose of sun protectant is likely why Aniston is frequently dogged by plastic surgery rumors.