Forgotten Noughties Party Pics Resurface of Today’s ‘It’ Girls

Before the filters, fillers and Facetune, there were chunky belts, streaky tans and Facebook albums with 300 blurry flash-lit photos.

Now, we hear those chaotic Noughties party pics are making a comeback in the group chats of Sydney’s society gossips – and the ladies are having a field day.

Today’s ‘It’ girls in their late 30s and 40s – now polished, pouty and perfectly contoured – are being re-examined in their raw, unfiltered youth.

Back then, it was all about bleach-fried hair and Schapelle-skinny brows. Now, it’s puffy lips, surgically sculpted curves and glossy hair extensions.

So how did our most glamorous socialites look before the selfie era took over from the pocket-sized point-and-shoot? 

And just how much of their glow-up is thanks to good genes – or good tweakments?

Perhaps most forthcoming about her transformation is PR guru Roxy Jacenko, 45, who looks like a completely different person today compared to early 2000s party pictures. 

Roxy in her early 20s was almost unrecognisable with light brown hair, thinner eyebrows, freckles and a complexion untouched by surgery, Botox and fillers.

Also back then, her signature style was grungy eye makeup, brown hair and orange spray tan.

As her PR business soared, she embraced a more expensive look. She started to wear hair extensions and swapped at-home spray for the tanning salon.

By 2015, she was dying her hair blonde and had switched her dark makeup for a more contoured look, inspired by the Kardashian aesthetic. 

She also allowed her eyebrows to grow fuller and started wearing eyelash extensions.

Her enthusiasm for cosmetic surgery also began at about this time as her appearance altered significantly thanks to rhinoplasty, Botox and filler. 

Roxy, who recovered from breast cancer in 2016, has also undergone two breast reconstructions.

Another celebrity whose 2000s snaps have raised pencil-thin eyebrows is Bondi fitness queen Bernadette Sukkar, the owner of trendy Pilates studio Body by Berner.

Back in the day, Bernadette used to be one of Roxy’s blonde ‘clones’ working for the publicity maven’s now-defunct, Paddington-based Sweaty Betty PR firm.

As her career evolved, taking her to New York City and back, so did her look.

Back in the Noughties, she made some fashion missteps, preferred tangerine spray tan and sported a naturally thin pout.

These days, Bernie, as she’s now known, presents a far more refined image. Her lips are plumped up with filler and her wardrobe is considered among the finest in the eastern suburbs.

Taking a quick detour from Sydney’s east to Perth’s ritzy west, we have Dr Clara Hurst, the widow of rogue dentist Dr David Hurst.

Today, she exudes high-society glamour as WA’s queen of prescription skincare and cosmetic injectables, thanks to her businesses The Secret and Blanc Skin.

But during her days as a party girl in Cardiff, Wales, her preferred look was bleached hair, micro mini dresses and spray tan. 

Back in the Emerald City, socialite Maria Sprem is perhaps the most gorgeous 50-year-old you’ve ever set eyes on.

But in the Noughties, she looked like any other party girl on the town. 

Throwback photos doing the rounds show that while her style has changed significantly, she has hardly aged a day in decades.

‘Maria has looked 30 her entire life. It’s a miracle,’ is how one source put it to us.

We even found an old snap of her smoking – hardly the sort of habit associated with anti-ageing. We can only assume she has since given up the habit.

Meanwhile, she seems to have embraced injectables in recent years, sporting fuller lips as well as a more defined jawline and cheeks. 

Thin eyebrows and bandage dresses were also on high rotation for Kristin Fisher back in the early 2000s, if her throwback party photos are anything to go by. 

The celebrity eyebrow queen – then known as Kristin Barnes – also sports a fuller-looking bust these days, which may be the result of cosmetic surgery. 

Model and racing personality Kate Waterhouse is another society star who has had quite the transformation since the early Facebook era. 

The 41-year-old fell victim to the OTT fake tan trend that so many of us regret, and also donned some regretful race-day outfits. 

These days, she is known for her elegant, designer-led wardrobe and flawless beauty routine.

She also appears to have had some subtle cosmetic tweakments, in particular to her lips, although has never spoken about going under the needle.  

P.E Nation co-founder Pip Edwards, 45, has been a fixture of the fashion social scene for decades now.

Photos from the early 2000s show the mother-of-one looking very different with a spiky blonde-streaked mullet, spray tans and clashing outfits.

While her style has certainly changed since then (for the better) her face appears to be frozen in time, with barely a wrinkle to show for the last two decades. 

Perhaps the most elusive of our socialites is so-called ‘nude artist’ Dina Broadhurst.

Only a handful of old photos of 48-year-old Dina exist online, and given how much work she appears to have undergone, she perhaps wishes they would disappear. 

These days, she sports noticeably fuller lips and more modelesque cheeks, as well as a different-looking nose and augmented chest.

Real Housewives of Sydney star Terry Biviano, 49, has been a fixture of the celebrity scene since the early 2000s. 

The wife of former Sydney Roosters star Anthony Minichiello was a big fan of orange spray tan and thin brows, and also known for her love of busty ensembles. 

These days, she has adopted a more sophisticated look – but still enjoys a spray tan. 

Even Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, 50, could not escape the curse of early 2000s fashion and beauty trends.

Back then, the radio queen opted for a more glitzy look – think theatrical outfits combined with razor-thin eyebrows and OTT eyeshadow. 

She has upgraded her aesthetic since then, now pulling outfits from the racks of Australia’s finest designers for red-carpet appearances. 

Her eyebrows are now much fuller, while her lips and cheekbones also appear youthful and plump, likely the result of dermal filler. 

Another glamour puss who likely cringes at her photos from two decades ago is Sophie Monk. 

The former Bardot singer, 45, was once a tangerine-toned blonde who wore low-slung jeans and tank tops. 

Now, the Love Island presenter opts for a far more refined aesthetic, choosing high-end designer clothes and a far less conspicuous tan.

Like so many others, Sophie has also refined her natural beauty with the help of various cosmetic tweakments.

In conclusion… 

One thing is abundantly clear: the high-society stars who came of age in the early 2000s look better today than they did back then.

Whether it’s good genes, great skincare or a discreet cosmetic boost, these women have discovered a regimen that outshines the fabled fountain of youth.

And the fact they’re hotter in their 40s than in their party-mad 20s is proof that confidence, polish and a little self-investment are the ultimate glow-up.