Celebrities spend their whole lives in front of the camera. As a result, we get to see them change in appearance year after year. But because of this constant exposure, we often forget how different stars looked in their early years. Graphic designer Ard Gelinck shines a light on the past selves of famous people by creating playful mashups with Photoshop. In this ongoing series, he composites two images that capture the “then and now” of each person.
From television starlets like Jennifer Anniston to basketball legend Michael Jordan, Gelinck travels far and wide for inspiration. Amazingly, he manages to merge two different time periods with seamless precision, making it seem as though these photos were always meant to be united in this way. Sometimes the celebrities are depicted giving each other a hug, while in other mashups, they are simply standing side by side, like a formal portrait.
This project reveals some of the many ways celebrities have grown over the years and the ways in which they stayed the same. Taking a look at Paul Rudd, it seems he's hardly aged and is as fresh-faced as ever. On the other hand, Betty White‘s photo composite shows how the late comedian—who people often associate with her senior character, Rose Nylund from The Golden Girls—looked much younger in her early years in show business.
Check out Gelinck’s latest “then and now” celebrity photos below and find more on Instagram.
Graphic designer Ard Gelinck creates “then and now” images of celebrities.
Each mashup features a star posing with their younger self.
As a result, these fun images reveal the ways celebrities changed or stayed the same over the years.
With these celebs being in the spotlight for so long, it becomes easy to miss how much their features have naturally (or unnaturally) changed with time.
And then there are those who seemed to have discovered the fountain of youth…
Whether they've changed drastically or not at all, one thing is true: it's fun to see these side-by-side images of celebrities who have been around for a while.
…including the ones we've lost.
Ard Gelinck: Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Ard Gelinck.
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