Nicole Richie. Photo: Getty
Nicole Richie. Photo: Getty
Long before girls like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner are ruling media headlines today, It girls of the noughties like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan were literally all over the news for bad behavior, public spats, and unglamorous paparazzi shots. Toting designer It bags (remember Dior by Galliano’s saddle bag? Or Fendi’s Spy bag? Or Chloe’s Paddington bag? Oh the good old days…) with bug-eyed sunglasses in the day, crawling out of limousines sans underwear to the clubs at night and waking up in the morning like a hot mess were the order of their days… And not much else.
Almost two decades have come and gone, and we hardly hear anything about these girls being up to no good anymore. Have their stars fizzled out? Are they still up to no good? Have they cleaned up and made something great out of themselves? Scroll down this post to see what these former celebutantes (major throwback buzz word alert!) are up to now to find out more.
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Nicole Richie
Former sidekick and best friend to hotel heiress and business mogul Paris Hilton, Richie practically grew up with Hilton, appeared at the hottest parties and events, and even starred alongside her then-BFF in the hit reality TV show The Simple Life. Things fizzled out when Richie supposedly betrayed the friendship – and the most famous friendship pairing of the decade was no more.
Since then, 35-year-old Richie got hitched to Good Charlotte frontman, Joel Madden with whom she had two kids with – Harlow and Sparrow. In 2008, the fashionable mother and fashion inspiration (the boho chic look was her idea) launched her own high-street fashion label, House of Harlow 1960, which achieved great success.
With a knack for humour, the reality TV star also returned to the small screen, playing mostly cameo and guest starring roles, and also launched her own comedy reality TV show Candidly Nicole that lasted between 2014 and 2015. If anything, we love how Richie cleaned up so well from her bad girl party days.
Hottie or nottie: Hottie
Lindsay Lohan
Mention the noughties’ most famous redhead’s name any you can hear everyone collectively go “Oh boy”.
The former child star – who starred in silver screen classics like The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, and cult favourite Mean Girls –also dabbled briefly with music, releasing two albums. All that before she turned from lovable doe-eyed starlet to a major tabloid fodder train wreck.
She started partying with the likes of Paris Hilton and getting photographed for all the wrong reasons. Things got worse when she was gradually known more for her unprofessional behavior – arriving on set hours late, arriving on set drunk, and movies that didn’t happen instead of those that did. She seemed to forever be on probation for her drunken ways and despite her constant promise of getting her life back on track, she always managed to slip through the cracks. Was it all as it seemed or were the paparazzi just making her a great target for gossip? Noone really knows.
In 2014, media mogul Oprah Winfrey stepped in to turn Lindsay’s life around, documenting the troubled star’s life on the road to recovery. Unfortunately, things didn’t kick off.
Currently, the fallen star has shown no signs of shining brightly as she used to. But she has since been seen with the Koran – Islam’s holy book – and seems to be picking up the religion to find spiritual peace, and has also been seen engaging in charity and volunteer work. Could this attempt help her rise once again? We keep our fingers crossed.
Hottie or nottie: Maybe hottie
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Mischa Barton
Things seemed promising when Mischa Barton burst into television, playing protagonist Marissa Cooper in hit TV series The O.C.
But her star sank as fast as it rose. She began partying and rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood’s A-listers before her party ways got to her professional life. She got arrested for drunk driving, displayed unwarranted diva behavior, and overall seemed to be cracking under the pressure of being under the limelight.
Many attempts to make a comeback later, nothing seemed to be going right for Barton, but we definitely wish her the best!
Hottie or nottie: Nottie
Rachel Bilson
Starring alongside Mischa Barton in The O.C., the supporting actress who played Summer Roberts of the hit TV show was more careful with her public image.
The actress was admired for her laidback, boho chic sense of style that was hot in the mid-2000s. She was hardly seen among the ring of party girls. She went on to wed Star Wars star Hayden Christensen in 2007, had a child with him, and stars mostly in recurring TV roles here and there.
Hottie or nottie: Snoozefest. Nottie!
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Kelly Osbourne
When MTV launched reality TV show The Osbournes between 2000 and 2005, middle child Kelly received media attention for her potty mouth and emo rock punk sense of style. She also followed in Ozzy Osbourne – her dad’s – footsteps and ventured in music, releasing two albums.
She got engaged to model Luke Worrall in 2009, before calling it quits when he was caught cheating on her with another model.
While she still maintains her rock chick aesthetic, Kelly polished up and matured her sense of style, opting for more glamorous versions of her rock punk aesthetic. She has also appeared on Fashion Police alongside Joan Rivers, and has appeared as guest starring roles on high profile TV shows such as Project Runway Junior, Australia’s Got Talent, and Ru Paul’s Drag Race to name a few.
Hottie or nottie: Hottie