By Emily Feimster Though celebrities seem to embody the "perfect" look, many of them certainly didn't start off that way. Whether they had a few extra pounds, frizzy hair, or frumpy clothes, it was a much less glamorous life before the makeup artists, personal trainers, designers, and hair stylists got a hold of them. But once fame and fortune set in, so did their new looks. Check out who in Hollywood went from not to hot!

It's hard to imagine our favorite friend Jennifer Aniston as anything but gorgeous. After all, she's the one responsible for sending women into a frenzy in hopes of getting the notorious "Rachel" haircut. Though seemingly blessed by genetics, earlier pictures of Aniston show a much less attractive lady with dark hair, chubby cheeks, and baggy clothes. But oh, how having money will change a girl!

Ditto goes for our other favorite Jennifer -- Garner that is -- whose high school superlative would have been "The Girl Least Likely to Kick Major Butt on TV." Though the toned "Alias" star has been pursued by some of Hollywood's hottest hunks, the once scrawny Garner spent her earlier days wearing thick glasses and playing saxophone in the school band. Sounds sexy, right? Um, not so much. "Growing up, I just never had the right thing to wear," she told Good Housekeeping. "I never had the right shoes, I never had the right bag. I didn't know what I was doing." Now she's one of the world's fashion icons.

When it comes to being a dork, though, no one can relate better than Mr. "American Idol" Clay Aiken. Clayton, as he was once called, first appeared on television with dark widow peaked red hair, big glasses, big ears, and a slouchy disposition. He was almost immediately sent home by the judges - that is, until he opened his mouth. After making it to the top 12, "Idol" fashion experts feverishly went to work on giving Aiken a more stylish appearance. His hair was cut, colored and re-styled to disguise his prominent ears. His glasses were replaced with contact lenses. His freckles were hidden. His teeth were whitened and his clothing became trendier. Boy, does he owe them one!

But let's not forget the classic nerd transformation in Anthony Michael Hall. "The Dead Zone" star made a name for himself as the skinny, geeky guy with braces in "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club." It's amazing what a gym and a good dentist will do!

She's one of the most celebrated movie stars in the world but the beautiful Nicole Kidman hasn't always been turning heads. She was teased early on, being referred to as Storky, for towering above most of the other boys and girls. She has said that growing up she used to think of herself as "the ugliest person alive on earth." To make matters worse, the fair-skinned Kidman avoided time in the sun with her friends by retreating into the theatre. When finally making it to Tinseltown, most remember the earlier Kidman as Tom Cruise's frizzy-haired, tall wife. However, she has come into her own with expertly coiffed hair, a slimmer frame, and designer duds that fit her body like a glove.

Other transformations in Hollywood have come in the form of shedding pounds. Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey has publicly battled with food for years. When first appearing on TV, she was very much a plain Jane with very little makeup, frumpy hair, and no style. In 1992, she reached her highest weight at 237 pounds. But life certainly seems to agree with her now as the glamour gal has dropped the weight through rigorous diet and exercise. Who knew that being 50 could look so good? Following in her footsteps has been rapper Missy Elliot who lost over 50 pounds by hitting the gym twice a day. Though you can't keep her from wearing her Adidas warm up suits, at least now she covers them with sequins!

One of the most recent makeovers has been that of "Simple Life" star Nicole Richie, who dumped her grungy clothes and colorful hairdos for a more sophisticated look. It appears that she also parted ways with food, having lost a reported 25 pounds in a very short amount of time. The 5'2" star claims her weight loss was from going to a personal trainer. "I've always been skinny," said Richie after stepping on the scale at the "Howard Stern Show" in February. After revealing her weight of 97 pounds, she said: "I gain[ed] weight in rehab -- it's not like it's a sudden weight loss!" Hmm, sounds a bit defensive, but no one denies that she looks dang good.

The same can be said for rocker-turned-fashionista Courtney Love who finally buckled down and purchased a hair brush and a mirror.

So the next time you look in a magazine and immediately become envious of these rich and famous celebrities, just remember that they too have not always had it all.