Jennifer Lopez Is Totally Unrecognizable In Her Yearbook Photo From The '80s

Jennifer Lopez has gone through many transformations in her career, from her big break as a Fly Girl on "In Living Color" in the early '90s to capturing hearts as Selena Quintanilla in the 1997 biopic "Selena," to her transition into a pop star on her debut album, 1999's "On the Six." But before she transformed into J.Lo, she was a student at Preston High School in the Bronx, New York, and the superstar who needs no introduction today is completely unrecognizable in a yearbook photo from 1986. 

The main reason the photo is so shocking is her hairstyle. Throughout her career, Lopez has rarely rocked hair any shorter than a mid-length bob. But as a teenager, she sported her naturally brown hair in a wavy pixie cut on picture day. Her hair stopped just below the top of her ears, and she's angled so she can proudly show off one of her gold hoop earrings. Teenage Jenny from the Block has a bright smile and natural makeup on her face. If you look closely, you can see a star in the making, but it's surprising that the young woman striking this classic, over-the-shoulder yearbook pose would go on to produce and star in "Hustlers." 

Believe it or not, a fellow pop star inspired Jennifer Lopez's yearbook look. "And that hair! At the time, I loved Madonna, and she had some crazy short hair, but I wasn't trying to emulate her or anything," she told Allure in a 2009 interview, looking back at her style evolution, when presented with the photo. 

Her hair obviously isn't the biggest change she's made in her life since she was a teenager — Jennifer Lopez has built quite a lavish life for herself. She studied dance since childhood at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, per a 2013 W Magazine interview. But she told the outlet she was also a bit of a jock. "I was into sports and dancing. I ran track. I have a lot of stamina. I was built for the long run," she said. During the interview outside of her childhood home in the Bronx, Lopez also reflected on the challenges she faced while trying to achieve her dreams. She and her mom were at odds about her goal to become a professional dancer, so she moved out when she was just 18 and decided not to go to college. "I started sleeping on the sofa in the dance studio. I was homeless, but I told her, 'This is what I have to do,'" she recalled.