When Sabrina Carpenter released her latest album Man’s Best Friend, it didn’t take long for some of her spiciest, sassiest tracks to start making the rounds on TikTok. Before long, “When Did You Get Hot?” was trending on the video sharing app, its tongue-in-cheek lyrics sparking a wave of thirst edits dedicated to celebrities with the best glow ups from The Bear star Will Poulter to Harry Potter’s Matthew Lewis. We take a look at some of the most impressive and shocking celebrity glow ups of our time.
If there’s one thing the internet loves, it’s a massive glow up. Over the years, numerous Hollywood celebrities have undergone spectacular physical transformations, whether by growing up, getting fit, getting a colour analysis, or simply hiring a top celebrity stylist. But while physical transformations hold the power to completely change one’s impression in the public eye, a glow up is also reflected in a sense of self-assurance — or as the internet calls it today, ‘aura’.
When did you get hot? Sabrina Carpenter spawns TikTok trend
Never one to shy away from slightly controversial and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, Sabrina Carpenter’s brand-new album Man’s Best Friend is a treasure trove of playful, coquettish songs. As someone who has undergone a significant glow up herself, Carpenter’s song, “When Did You Get Hot?” hits all the right notes both sonically and lyrically, sparking a viral trend that has consumed TikTok like wildfire.
@editsofrandomthingsilike when did you get hottttt #httyd #fyp #edit #sabrinacarpenter #viral ♬ When Did You Get Hot? – Sabrina Carpenter
To wit: TikTok’s arsenal of meme makers and creators have risen up to flood ‘for you’ pages with fan edits of their favourite characters and celebrities who have undergone massive glow ups — think Hiccup’s glow up between How To Train Your Dragon (2010) and How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) and Colin Bridgerton’s transformation from hapless young master to Bonafide Mayfair bachelor.
@wave.edit90 When did you get hot all of a sudden😏😏 no literally his glow up needs to be studied. #willpoulter #edit #sabrinacarpenter #willpoulteredit #whendidyougetsohot ♬ original sound – Wave Edit
Real life celebrity glow ups have also not escaped the clutches of the trend, with videos of the best transformations circulating the app. The most popular among them have included Harry Potter star Matthew Lewis who portrayed Gryffindor stalwart Neville Longbottom, Ben Barnes who first rose to fame in Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), and Will Poulter, whose guest role in The Bear marked a transition from child star to hot Hollywood commodity.
So who in Hollywood has had the best glow up? We take a look at some of the most striking.
The best celebrity glow ups, from Will Poulter to Dev Patel and more
Hailey Bieber
When Hailey Baldwin first started gaining popularity in the early 2010s, she was a regular teenage girl with blonde locks and too-thin eyebrows that dominated makeup trends of the time. Since then, she’s become an influencer extraordinaire, marrying her childhood crush Justin Bieber and founding a billion-dollar business, Rhode Beauty. Her glow up was a gradual process — a slow, but vividly noticeable ascent into clean-girl aesthetics with an amazing skincare routine. Today, Bieber is widely regarded as a fashionable It-girl with a solid fanbase and a chic, model-off-duty wardrobe that’s peak streetwear savant.
Chris Pratt
Once the lovable goofball of Parks and Recreation, where he played the pudgy, affable Andy Dwyer, Chris Pratt’s glow up has been nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece. In 2014, Pratt shocked the world when he emerged with a God Bod, having shed 60 pounds to play the character of Star Lord in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
But it wasn’t just the gym time that did the heavy lifting — Pratt’s transformation was also fuelled by a wardrobe and style overhaul, from flannel shirts and cargo shorts to sleek tailored suits worn with the inimitable swagger of a leading man. Today, he’s regarded as a bona fide action star with blockbuster credentials — from a Jurassic World trilogy to Passengers (2016) — a jawline sharp enough to cut glass, and a red-carpet presence that leaves little doubt of his place in Hollywood.
Dylan and Cole Sprouse
From Disney channel darlings to silver screen heartthrobs, the Sprouse twins, Dylan and Cole, have undergone one of the most quietly shocking glow ups Hollywood has ever seen. Known for their mischievous antics on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Dylan and Cole first won the hearts of fans as pint-sized pranksters rocking shaggy locks and oversized hoodies. Fast forward a decade and they’ve since become stylish, self-assured creatives whose talent for performance is as deep as the art they make.
The Suite Life ended in 2011; however, the twins have only pushed forward in their careers. Notably, Dylan attended the New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where he graduated with a four-year degree in video game design. He later co-founded All-Wise Meadery and Thor’s Skyr, a high-protein cultured dairy product brand. Cole, however, continued to expand on his filmography, portraying the brooding Jughead in Riverdale and quickly becoming a rising star in indie cinema. With their chiselled jawlines, individualistic sense of style, and a newfound aura of artistic cool, the Sprouse twins didn’t just grow up — they grew into themselves.
Ben Barnes
Ben Barnes’ glow up did not come overnight — it was a gradual development, a slow burn that turned smoulder across his years in the cinematic spotlight. He first came into the spotlight in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian in 2008, where he portrayed the quintessential clean-cut fantasy lead. Over the years, Barnes has traded boyish softness for a brooding elegance, emerging as a full-fledged heartthrob with dark, dangerous eyes that have since launched a thousand fan edits. Whether he’s rocking a velvet suit on the red carpet or serving tortured anti-hero realness in Shadow and Bone, Barnes has mastered the art of grown-up glam. Add in the beard, the brows, and that soulful singer-songwriter-actor energy and he’s certified glow-up royalty.
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan’s glow up is the kind that arouses a collective online gasp — a comeback wrapped in couture. Once the freckled teen queen of Mean Girls (2004) and Freaky Friday (2003) acclaim, Lohan weathered the storm of early 2000s fame with all its highs and tabloid-fuelled lows, garnering a reputation for infamy and reportedly bad behaviour. But fast forward to 2025, and she’s stepping out in sleek Fendi sweater dresses and fox fur stoles, sporting patent boots and cherry-red Spy bags like she never left the spotlight. Boasting radiant skin, healthy-looking hair, and a skincare routine that marries ice water dips with clean eating, Lohan’s transformation is equal parts aesthetic and energetic. She’s not just back — she’s glowing, grown, and giving endless icon energy.
Zac Efron
Let’s face it — Zac Efron was always hot, but his transformation from fresh-faced teenager to rugged leading man is the stuff of Hollywood legends. Efron burst onto the screen in 2006 as a basketball star with musical aspirations in Disney’s High School Musical, bearing floppy hair, good boy aura points, and a brilliant smile that melted our teenage hearts. But over time, his evolution has brought more to the forefront. Today, he is regarded as a bona fide film star with a ripped physique and sparkling eyes, leveraging dental refinement, sharper grooming, and an upgraded wardrobe that screams ‘A-lister’ for his glow up. Whether he’s fronting a Netflix survival documentary or commanding the red carpet in sleek monochrome, Efron’s aura in 2025 is grown-up grit with a side of smoulder.
Matthew Lewis
Once the poster child for awkward adolescence, Matthew Lewis, who portrayed Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter movies stunned the internet when he emerged years later looking like he’d just walked off the set of a Calvin Klein ad campaign. Gone were his oversized shoes, prosthetic teeth, a fat suit, and ear-enhancing plastic — all studio tricks used to emphasise his character’s bookish nature. What remained? A sharply-dressed, chisel-jawed Brit with a quiet confidence and gym-honed physique that had fans doing double takes. Lewis’ glow up didn’t just rewrite the narrative; it set the blueprint for every other child star transformation that followed. Longbottomed? No — he levelled up.
Dev Patel
Dev Patel’s glow up has been one for the books, a masterful stroke of fate that has brought him from gangly, awkward teenager to a leading man with gravitas and great allure. Once the awkward, endearing Anwar on Skins, Patel survived the horrific quagmire of early internet forums, where he was mercilessly labelled ‘the ugly one’ — a brutal reception that left its mark. But Hollywood had other plans for the young star, who shed his teenage scruff and stepped into his own, emerging as a red-carpet revelation with effortless tousled waves, tailored suits, and a quiet nobility beloved by directors and filmmakers today. From Slumdog Millionaire (2008) to The Green Knight (2021), his transformation is legendary, turning him from boy-next-door to a poetic heartthrob with a hauntingly magnetic aura.
Shia LaBeouf
From his breakthrough role at Disney, where he portrayed Louis Stevens in Even Stevens (2000 – 2003) to his most recognisable role of Sam Witwicky in Transformers (2007), Shia LaBeouf’s transformation is legendary, to say the least. His glow up has been as chaotic, compelling, and magnetic as his career has been varied. Weathering a massive whirlwind of public scrutiny, artistic reinvention, and personal reckoning all while cultivating a style that’s part thrift-store prophet and part underground icon, LaBeouf’s glow up isn’t about polish; it’s about rawness. Whether he’s fronting a performative art piece or starring in The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019), the actor brings a rugged charisma that feels earned. From arrests and alcoholism to controversial lawsuits centering alleged abuse, LaBeouf’s glow up is messy, masculine, and unmistakeably him.
Will Poulter
Will Poulter’s glow up is the kind of event that brings the internet to a screeching halt, leading people to stop and ask, “Wait… is that Kenny from We’re The Millers?” Once known for his expressive eyebrows and awkward, gangly charm, Poulter’s earliest roles from Lee in Son of Rambow (2007) to Gally in The Maze Runner (2014) leveraged his boyish, nerdy energy. But, by the time he stepped onto the set of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, (2023) where he portrayed Adam Warlock, he was a whole new person.
Boasting a brand-new sculpted physique, a strong jawline, and a red-carpet swagger, Poulter went from punchline to poster boy, a persona he carried with him to portray the extraordinarily sexy Chef Luca in FX’s The Bear. He’s since become a fashion week favourite, turning heads in tailored suits and smart casual ensembles. But though Poulter’s transformation has been significant in the aesthetic department, he has also learned to carry himself with a newfound confidence, proving that glow ups aren’t just about looks — they’re about stepping into your power, one stubble-shadowed smirk at a time.
Kylie Jenner
Owing to the nature of her family business, it comes as no surprise that Kylie Jenner has been in the spotlight from a very young age. Her glow up didn’t just happen to the sound of crickets — it launched a thousand think pieces, a transformation so complete that it blurred the lines between the reality star she was and the business mogul she would eventually become. Once the shy youngest sibling on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Jenner has orchestrated one of the most strategic image reinventions in pop culture history, and has since emerged a high-fashion fixture with a curated aesthetic that’s part sultry vixen, and part social-media savvy.
Jenner has been candid about augmenting her body with surgical procedures. As a teenager, she underwent breast augmentation surgery and had temporary lip fillers injected, procedures she has since expressed regret over. Today, she stands at the head of a billion-dollar beauty empire that she has built one perfectly-lined lip at a time.
Loading Poll..(Main and featured images: Will Poulter/Instagram, Lindsay Lohan/Instagram, Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for National Board of Review, Hailey Bieber/Instagram)
This story first appeared here.
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
