Pics Of Selena Gomez That Make Us Miss Her Pre-Botox Face

For people who grew up with "Love You Like a Love Song" as a soundtrack to happier moments in the early 2010s, comparing Selena Gomez's old photos with her new look is like catching a time-lapse of Hollywood itself happening to someone in real time. Don't get us wrong — Gomez is still as gorgeous as ever, and though she has left her fans stunned with unrecognizable makeup transformations and Botox injections, her core beauty, that of a pop star who smiled her way throughout a Disney career without losing her soul, still radiates through the refinements and cosmetic layering.

Before the days of her Rare Beauty empire, before her Golden Globe-nominated performance in "Emilia Pérez," and ultimately, before all the subtle and not-so-subtle facial tweaks that Selena herself once confirmed to everyone, there existed a version of her face that seemed defiantly unpolished. It had genuine crease lines when she smiled, and it was innocently round, a far cry from the vacuum-sealed starlet aesthetic that is so regularly mass-produced by the celebrity world. It still negotiated with time like the rest of us mortals, and ... well, you get the idea.

Now, before we get swept up in the nostalgia of those baby-faced red carpet appearances from what feels like epochs ago, it's worth noting that Gomez's numerous health problems may have contributed to some of these facial changes. Lupus and its treatments do things to a face, as do kidney transplants and the kind of stress that comes from fighting your own body while the entire internet critiques your eyebrows. So we're not here to judge every change, but to appreciate what the "Wizards of Waverly Place" wonder looked like as she rose to fame.

Trust Selena Gomez to be able to maintain her girl-next-door vibe while also projecting leading-lady charisma and glamour. In September 2010, the singer announced her shift from Disney darling to bona fide pop star by arriving at the MTV Video Music Awards in a thigh-baring gown. At just 18 years old, Gomez was still workshopping her poses for the press, but it's her face above all that demands a second look. Her naturally thick eyebrows didn't have their current dramatic arch, and her lips and cheeks were untouched by any possible filler or other cosmetic work.

Selena Gomez was still creeping up on her 19th birthday in February 2011 when she appeared at the 53rd Grammy Awards, but she was beginning to look more sophisticated. Nonetheless, her skin carried that luminous quality of youth, and her jawline seemed soft rather than chiseled. This was Gomez before the industry taught her which features might benefit from "enhancement," and thanks to the magic of photography and internet archives, we're able to look back at her natural beauty.

Another nostalgic sighting of Selena Gomez comes courtesy of "Hotel Transylvania," the 2012 animated film wherein she voiced Dracula's daughter, Mavis. Gomez arrived at the September premiere event in Los Angeles looking every inch the young movie star, but it's still somewhat eerie how different this version of Gomez looks compared to the one we know today. Not unrecognizably so, that's for sure, but enough that you notice. The overall geometry has shifted, with Gomez's face seeming much more angular today compared to the soft curves of 2012, and she seemed to use much less makeup.

There was a lot that fans still didn't know about Selena Gomez in 2013, but everyone was certain that they were dealing with a major pop star. For one thing, she projected the kind of nonchalant confidence that's usually reserved for weathered showbiz veterans. Just take her appearance at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards ceremony, where she dazzled everyone with her high-slit white gown and authentic smile. While she wore more makeup than people were used to at the time, her rounded jawline and the baby fat in her cheeks were still evidence of her youth, and her whole unbothered aura brought genuine warmth to the red carpet.

Selena Gomez's plunging plum dress and smoldering beauty announced her arrival at the May 2014 Met Gala better than any song could. The 21-year-old had developed calculated poses and expressions by this point, and continued her more complicated makeup routine with heavier lipstick, blush, mascara, and eyeliner. Still, it's clear that her face existed in its natural form, with nothing smoothed away or lifted into place, and her jagged earrings nicely complemented the roundness of her jawline and the fullness of her cheeks.

2015 marked an era of transition for Selena Gomez, and you can clearly see that in photos from Vanity Fair's Oscar Party on February 22. The singer was ready to adopt the sort of adult nuance she'd been slowly cultivating for years, pushing away the family-friendly Disney veneer that had launched her career in favor of something with a little more edge. Yes, this was "Revival"-era Gomez, who'd weathered more than her share of controversial moments and had emerged determined to be taken seriously.

The singer had obviously embraced tanning in addition to her heavier makeup routine, and her forehead and cheeks began to seem a bit stiff, but she still retained most of her youthful naturalism. In that sense, the "Revival" era gave us a new Gomez in every way but one. Time, and perhaps a few cosmetic consultations, would eventually take care of that.