Becoming a child star is like flipping a coin. There are only two ways it can turn out and there total opposites of one another.
You either turn into a washed-up tabloid trainwreck (See: Lindsay Lohan, any actor named Corey) or you blossom into an attractive, talented star who kicks ass well into adulthood (See: all the women in the list below).
Tiffani Thiessen started out as Kelly Kapowski in Saved by the Bell. She inspired milllions of male fantasies during her time at Bayside High, and she's only gotten hotter with age.
K-Stew got her big break at the age of 12, co-starring with Jodie Foster in Panic Room. She went on to become one of the most bankable actresses in Hollywood, thanks in no small part to stylish good looks.
Kirsten Dunst hit it big at a young age, landing high-profile roles in Interview With the Vampire and Jumanji before she reached her teens. She grew into a very attractive young woman, and has continued to work steadily.
It's hard to believe that Alyssa Milano is 42, not only because we can't believe Who's the Boss was that long ago, but also because she continues to get hotter with each passing year.
Christine Lakin got her start as the tomboy Alicia "Al" Lambert on the ABC sitcom Step By Step. At the time she was cast, we're guessing producers didn't expect her to grow into one of the most naturally gorgeous actresses in Hollywood.
Natalie Portman gained acclaim for her role in Leon: The Professional when she was just 13. She went on to become one of the most acclaimed (and sexiest) actressed in Hollywood.
Katie Holmes inspired millions of crushes as Joey on Dawson's Creek. Now that she's free of the Tom Cruise's creepiness, we can all resume lusting after her.
Speaking of Clueless, remember Cher's friend, Stacey Dash? These days she's a Fox News correspondent, and while you might not agree with her politics, there's not denying that she's smokin' hot.
Drew was one of the original troubled child stars. Fortunately, she pulled herself out of the tailspin to become one of Hollywood's most bankable actresses. As a bonus, she remains super hot.
Given her myriad academic accomplishments, it's almost insulting to point out that former Wonder Years star Danica McKellar is incredibly hot these days. But we're gonna do it anyway.
Christine Taylor got her start in roles like Marcia in The Brady Bunch Movie and Melody in Nickelodeon's Hey Dude. She's still hot, and she's married to Ben Stiller, so we'd say she's doing alright for herself.
Lacey Chabert started out on Party of Five and starred in Mean Girls as one of the Plastics. She famously (and foolishly) abandoned her role as Meg on Family Guy, but hey, at least she's still hot!
Lacey's Family Guy replacement - Mila Kunis - landed the role of Jackie on That '70s Show when she was just 14. Since then she's become one of the hottest and most in-demand actresses in Hollywood.
Claire Danes got her big break playing Angela Chase in the critically-acclaimed, but shortlived ABC drama My So-Called Life. These days, she can be seen looking hotter than ever on Showtime's Homeland.
Remember Anna Chlumsy from My Girl. Well, she's in the midst of a career renaissance thanks to her role on Veep. But that's not why she's on this list. No, she's here because she happens to also be super hot!
Sure, it's depressing that Lindsay is facing jail time again, but the ruthless Hollywood machine that turned her into a child star way before it was psychologically healthy also gave us living embodiments of awesomeness like Natalie Portman and Emma Watson.
Of course, growing up to be good-looking and successful is no guarantee that you won't make the occasional tabloid headline. Kristen Stewart's love life is evidence of that.
But the world is an unfair place, and the entertainment industry has historically been far more likely to forgive and forget when sexy and/or talented people screw up.
So we made room on the list for the ladies who stumbled a bit but looked got more gorgeous every step of the way. Hey, we have Hollywood in our name, we're allowed to be shallow, right?
Anyway, check out the gallery above for a rundown of some early-blooming A-listers, as well as some high school crushes you may have forgotten about.
