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Bored Panda

Entertainment

Ilona Baliūnaitė

49 Of The Most Dramatic Before And After Pics

A wise soapie once stated that, like sands through the hourglass, so too are the days of our lives... Time waits for no one, and change is inevitable. Sometimes, we don't even notice how much a person, place or thing has transformed until we come face-to-face with photographs documenting the then and now.

Someone asked people to share the most interesting "Before and After" photos they seen or taken, and the replies covered everything from fashion and beauty, to history and reconstructive surgery. The thread reads like a fascinating timelapse series... full stories told in split seconds.

Bored Panda has put together the ones we found most incredible as a reminder that nothing stays frozen in time, even if we don't always notice it. We also delve into some of the psychology behind "Before and After" photographs, and explore why people are drawn to them. You'll find that info between the images.

#1 Before And After The Kiev Riots

A series of before and after pics can often tell a far better story than words ever could. And that's because of something known as the picture-superiority effect...

A psychologist called Allan Paivio came up with the idea that people remember photos better than they remember words because of two main factors. According to the expert, any visual is stored in two ways in memory — (1) as an image, and (2) as a word or phrase that describes the image.

But words are stored in only one way — the word itself. "While the mind can generate images for words, this process is not automatic and requires significant cognitive effort, making it less common," explains UX training consulting and research platform, the Nielsen Norman Group.

#2 This Series / Blog, Which Takes Google And Bing Street View Photos Before And After The Collapse Of Detroit

#3 F/22/5’5 [190 > 129 = -61lbs] I Used To Be Afraid Of Having Short Hair Cause Of The Weight In My Face. Today, I Said Goodbye To The Old Me And Embraced My New Life!

Because humans tend to remember pictures better than words, images have become a powerful marketing tool, especially when it comes to before and after photos.

If used effectively, photographs showing transformation can help to build trust, showcase an individual or company's expertise, foster emotional connections, and set realistic expectations. Before and after pics provide tangible evidence of just what you're capable of.

#4 Hiroshima

#5 The Wonders Of Plastic Surgery

While before and after photographs can be an effective way to market products or services, they can also be damaging to those who view them... Especially when it comes to things like weight-loss journeys, beauty, health and fitness.

"The before-and-after photo relies on a stark visual contrast—typically portraying the 'before' image as undesirable and the 'after' image as healthier, happier, and more attractive," explains Sophie S. Whynacht, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Dominican University of California, and head of the Body Image and Stigma (BIAS) research lab. "This reinforces the cultural ideal that weight loss is not only positive but necessary for self-worth."

#6 NYC 1876-2013

#7 2005 vs. 2014

There's a park where I walk the dog every single day. We've been going there for over a decade. It used to be a nice quiet park, hardly ever saw anyone else there. Then they ripped parts of it up, built a little gated community on one side, and built a huge office building right in the #$%^&* park. Now it's insanely crowded and littered, and people get mad at us for having dogs there. I took some pictures there in 2005 (years before they started all that)

The expert believes before-and-after photos have become somewhat of a cultural obsession, and a potentially dangerous one at that. She warns that they simplify complex human experiences into a two-frame narrative: struggle and success, failure and redemption, “then” and “now.”

She also says that these photos fail to portray some very important aspects when it comes to weight-loss in particular. Bodies change for many reasons, she notes, and not all of them are within our control.

#8 MT. St. Helens Before & After 1980 Eruption

#9 Before: Fort Collins, Co On October 25th 2011 After: Fort Collins, Co On October 26th 2011

The expert argues that a photo doesn’t actually depict a person's health status. "It doesn’t reveal their lab results, presence or absence of diseases, relationships with food, physical activity, mental health conditions, or emotional well-being," she explains. "Someone could be deeply struggling in their 'after' image, just as they may have been thriving in their 'before.'"

#10 Dubai

#11 Before And After The Joplin, Missouri Tornado Of 2011

#12 Before And After Of The Buddhas In Afghanistan, Look How Large They Were

Whynacht cautions that before-and-after photos tend to reinforce the belief that weight loss is always the healthiest choice, when that's not actually the case. What's good for one person might be dangerous for the next.

"It also places blame on those who do not—or cannot—achieve the same visual results, fueling shame and reinforcing the false idea that health and self-worth are tied exclusively to weight," she adds.

#13 A Small Look At The Evolution Of War Planes

#14 R/Progresspics

There's a lot of interesting body changes there: fat to thin, skinny to muscley, underweight to normal weight. It's a very positive community there too, very friendly

#15 Our Back Patio.. When We Moved In / 3 Months Later

#16 The Ones Seen In /R/Progresspics And /R/Loseit Are Super Inspiring, Especially People Who Have Lost Over 200-300 Lbs

F/26/5’6” [425lbs > 149lbs = 276lbs lost] After two and a half years, I’ve done it. I’ve reached my goal weight! I am over the moon and overcome with pride and joy. So grateful for this new life!