We Were Obsessed With These 21 Celebrities A Decade Ago, And We Still Are Today — Here's How Much They've Changed

    Is it just me, or has everyone had a glow-up?

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Let me take you back. The year was 2011. COVID was but a distant dream. Times were simpler. Lady Gaga was showing up to the Grammys in an egg.

    Lady Gaga in an egg on the red carpet
    Steve Granitz / WireImage via Getty Images

    It was the end of Harry Potter and Twilight and the start of The Hunger Games; the end of Hannah Montana and the start of the MCU. In other words, it was the best of times, and it was the worst of times.

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    There were 21 celebrities that I have narrowed down as our absolute favorites in 2011 — here's what they looked like then, and a check-in on each today!

    1. Katy Perry

    Mark Cuthbert / UK Press via Getty Images, John Shearer / Getty Images for CMA

    What she was up to in 2011: Touring for album Teenage Dream. Perry was also married to Russell Brand.

    What she's up to now: Raising daughter Daisy with fiancé Orlando Bloom, starting a residency in Las Vegas, and serving as a judge on the American Idol reboot. Oh, and she's friends with Taylor Swift now!

    2. Nicki Minaj

    Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic / Getty Images, Bravo

    What she was up to in 2011: Opening for Britney Spears on tour, performing at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and getting nominated for three Grammys.

    What she's up to now: Re-releasing mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty, featuring on a number of other artists' tracks, and winning Best Hip Hop Award at the MTV EMAs. She also recently made headlines for spreading vaccine misinformation.

    3. Taylor Swift

    Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic via Getty Images, Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images

    What she was up to in 2011: Touring for third studio album Speak Now and presumably writing fourth studio album Red.

    What she's up to now: Re-recording and re-releasing six of her albums; she most recently re-released Red, along with a short film for the 10-minute version of "All Too Well."

    4. Kim Kardashian

    Denise Truscello / WireImage via Getty Images, Gotham / GC Images via Getty Images

    What she was up to in 2011: Marrying, and then divorcing, NFL star Kris Humphries, and starring in KUWK spinoff Kourtney and Kim Take NY.

    What she's up to now: KUWK finally came to a close, but Kim shows no signs of slowing down. She owns multiple fashion and makeup brands, and her family has a deal with Hulu for future reality series. Kim recently filed for divorce from husband Kanye West, with whom she shares four children, and has been linked to Pete Davidson. She recently hosted SNL.

    5. Kanye West

    Jason Kempin / Getty Images, David Livingston / Getty Images

    What he was up to in 2011: Going on a festival tour for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and releasing Watch the Throne with Jay-Z, and then touring with him for that album.

    What he's up to now: Releasing album Donda, ending his feud with Drake, and separating from wife Kim Kardashian.

    6. Beyoncé

    Anthony Harvey / Getty Images, Kevin Winter / Getty Images for The Recording Academy

    What she was up to in 2011: Releasing album 4 and announcing her pregnancy at the MTV Video Music Awards.

    What she's up to now: Releasing "Be Alive" for film King Richard and raising her three children with husband Jay-Z. At this year's Grammys, Bey broke the record for singer with the most Grammy Awards (and also woman with the most Grammy Awards).

    7. Justin Bieber

    Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic via Getty Images, Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

    What he was up to in 2011: Releasing a Christmas album and a film about his life/a concert film, Never Say Never.

    What he's up to now: Married to Hailey Baldwin (now Bieber), releasing Justice and Freedom, and releasing a new Christmas song cover ("Rocking Around the Christmas Tree").

    8. Adele

    Mike Marsland / WireImage via Getty Images, Cliff Lipson / CBS via Getty Images

    What she was up to in 2011: Releasing (and touring for) her album 21.

    What she's up to now: Releasing her album 30 and announcing a Las Vegas residency.

    9. Jennifer Lawrence

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    What she was up to in 2011: Starring in X-Men: First Class and filming for The Hunger Games, as well as being nominated for an Oscar for Winter's Bone.

    What she's up to now: Pregnant with her first child with husband Cooke Maroney and starring in Don't Look Up.

    10. Lady Gaga

    Anthony Harvey / Getty Images, Emma Mcintyre / WireImage via Getty Images

    What she was up to in 2011: Releasing Born This Way and arriving to the Grammys in a giant egg.

    What she's up to now: Gaga launched a film career with the uber-successful A Star Is Born and just came off the heels of starring in House of Gucci.

    11. Will and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

    Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images, Daniel Leal-Olivas - Pool / Getty Images

    What they were up to in 2011: Getting married! The two tied the knot in April 2011.

    What they're up to now: Raising their three children and fulfilling royal duties/appearing at all events for the Royal family.

    12. Kristen Stewart

    Anthony Harvey / Getty Images, Theo Wargo / Getty Images for The Gotham Film & Media Institute

    What she was up to in 2011: Finishing up a starring run as Bella Swan in the Twilight saga and dating Robert Pattinson.

    What she's up to now: After a decade of appearing in mostly indie films, Stewart has recently been generating Oscar buzz for playing Princess Diana in Spencer. She recently got engaged to girlfriend Dylan Meyer.

    13. Robert Pattinson

    Peter Kramer / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images, Emma Mcintyre / Getty Images

    What he was up to in 2011: Finishing up a starring run as Edward in the Twilight saga and dating Kristen Stewart.

    What he's up to now: Like Stewart, Pattinson has starred in a number of indie films in the last decade. He most recently appeared in last year's Tenet and is set to appear in next year's The Batman as Batman. He is currently dating model Suki Waterhouse.

    14. Taylor Lautner

    Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic via Getty Images, Getty Images / The Pink Agenda

    What he was up to in 2011: Finishing up a starring run as Jacob in the Twilight saga and starring in Abduction.

    What he's up to now: Lautner seems to have stepped away from acting. He recently made headlines when he got engaged to girlfriend Taylor Dome. 

    15. Drake

    Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic via Getty Images, Jerritt Clark / Getty Images for Noir Blanc

    What he was up to in 2011: Releasing Take Care and popularizing #YOLO.

    What he's up to now: Releasing Certified Lover Boy, being named Billboard’s Top Artist of the Year, and withdrawing his music from Grammy consideration.

    16. Emma Watson

    Mike Marsland / WireImage via Getty Images, Max Mumby / Indigo / Getty Images

    What she was up to in 2011: Finishing up starring as Hermione in the Harry Potter series and filming for The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

    What she's up to now: Mostly being an activist — she recently hosted a panel on climate change at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference.

    17. Robert Downey Jr.

    Anthony Harvey / Getty Images, robertdowneyjr / Instagram / Via instagram.com

    What he was up to in 2011: Starring as both Tony Stark in the Iron Man films and Sherlock in the Sherlock Holmes films.

    What he's up to now: After over a decade of playing Tony, Downey Jr. retired the role last year with Avengers: Endgame. He is set to reappear as Holmes in a third film that was originally supposed to be released this year, but was pushed back.

    18. Emma Stone

    Anthony Harvey / Getty Images, Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

    What she was up to in 2011: Hosting SNL for the second time and starring in Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Help.

    What she's up to now: Starring as Cruella de Vil in origin story Cruella and giving birth to her daughter with husband Dave McCary.

    19. Selena Gomez

    Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic via Getty Images, Mike Coppola / Getty Images for Rare Beauty

    What she was up to in 2011: Releasing her third album as Selena Gomez and the Scene and starring in Monte Carlo.

    What she's up to now: Releasing Spanish-language EP Revelación and starring in Only Murders in the Building.

    20. Rihanna

    Monica Schipper / Getty Images for Savage X Fenty, Gregg Deguire / FilmMagic via Getty Images

    What she was up to in 2011: Touring for album Loud and releasing album Talk That Talk, as well as releasing her first perfume.

    What she's up to now: Rihanna mostly focuses on her lingerie line, Savage x Fenty, and beauty line, Fenty Beauty. She's currently dating A$AP Rocky.

    21. And finally...Jennifer Lopez

    Paul Archuleta / FilmMagic via Getty Images, Arturo Holmes / Getty Images

    What she was up to in 2011: Serving as a judge on American Idol, releasing her album Love?, and separating from Marc Anthony.

    What she's up to now: Working on multiple films, launching JLo Beauty, performing at inauguration, releasing/collaboratinging on a few singles...and dating Ben Affleck again!