Heidi Klum Looks Unrecognizable As A Teen In Her New Throwback Photo

Heidi Klum has certainly made a name for herself as one of the most successful — and most famous — models in the world. During her decades-long career in show business, she's not only walked countless runways and graced the covers of magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, but she's also one of the few who was able to pivot to entertainment and become an actress and TV personality. She's come a long way from her humble beginnings in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. The Project Runway host may have been was known as "the pretty girl" at her school, but she never thought of pursuing a modeling career. That is until one day, when Klum was reading a magazine in 1992 and saw an ad for a modeling contest (per Forbes). She entered and won first place, beating over 30,000 other hopeful contestants. Klum's prize was a $300,000 modeling contract — and the rest is history.

So what exactly did Klum look like in the years leading up to her big break? Keep scrolling to see her nearly unrecognizable photo as a teen.

Heidi Klum looks unrecognizable in throwback photos she shared on Instagram on Feb. 11, 2021 to celebrate her mother's birthday. The post, which she captioned "Happy Birthday MAMA," features a series of images of the America's Got Talent host from her younger days. Despite how cute she was as a baby and young child, it's her teenage years that are really something. In the teen photo, Klum can be seen sporting a hairstyle that Allure calls the "Permed Fe-Mullet," which is basically a super curly mullet made famous in the 1980s. It was super retro during a time when the bigger the hair, the better. After all, the 80s were all about volume... lots of it.

One thing is for sure: Klum gave off supermodel vibes even as a teenager. Not only was her style and sunglasses game on point, but she also already knew how to pose for the camera. Little did she know then that she would go on to become one of the highest-paid models in the world!