We’ve all gone through our awkward moments: extensions, perms, a time when we thought overalls were somehow flattering. But if you’re a style guru like Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness, your past unfashionable faux pas may be a tad more painful than most. Nevertheless, in the midst of a “much to be pissed off about Wednesday,” Van Ness offered us this pic of his 19-year-old self yesterday on Twitter.
Yes, same guy, but somehow without his enviable flowing locks JVN looks like a different person – like Steve-O from Jackass, as many replies point out, or the leader of some ’90s band (“I loved your cover version of Smooth Criminal”). And we all need to start paying more attention to his moisturizing tips on the show, because somehow it seems as if Van Ness is reverse-aging, Benjamin Button-style.
Other than the Caesar haircut, the most egregious part of this photo is clearly the soul patch, a mere glimmer of the commanding beard JVN now sports. So own up to your orange-ish college highlights and that time you thought Frankenstein bangs would look cute on you: If Jonathan Van Ness can have a (slightly) awkward phase, anyone can.