Who was Hollywood's 'It Girl' the year you were born and where are they now?

Not every 'It Girl' makes it into the fashion history books as surely as Diane Keaton did. Her penchant for traditionally masculine classics like a suit and tie oozed confidence and charm, on and off screen.

After changing the trend cycle in Annie Hall (1977), Diane starred in rom-com classics like Father of the Bride (1991), Something's Gotta Give (2003) and The First Wives Club (1996). The actress sadly passed in 2025 at the age of 79. 

Grease's Sandy was the one that everyone wanted in 1978 (woo, woo, woo, yeah!) and off-screen Olivia Newton-John stole just as many hearts. 

Two years after she was jiving with the best of them, Olivia starred as Kira in Xanadu (1980), Debbie in Two of a Kind (1983)  and had her vocals featured on the soundtrack for Face/Off (1997), which was led by Grease co-star John Travolta. The actress sadly passed in 2022. 

Meryl Streep continues to define style, good humour and glamour today as one of Hollywood's most talented names. But if we had to contain Meryl's star power to one year, it would surely be 1979 when the actress starred in Kramer vs. Kramer.

Since then, she's headed up the cast of Death Becomes Her (1992), The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Mamma Mia! (2008). She recently reprised her role as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada 2 and worked alongside partner Martin Short on Only Murders in the Building.

Oscar-winning actress Goldie Hawn is the famous face behind '80s hits like Overboard (1987) and Private Benjamin (1980), as well as beloved all-star romp The First Wives Club (1996).

She disappeared from our screens for over a decade before making her return on-screen in Snatched alongside Amy Schumer. Most recently, she starred as childhood icon Mrs Claus in Netflix's The Christmas Chronicles. 

Surely everyone's born knowing how to mournfully belt the chorus to 'Jolene'? Country legend Dolly Parton released her first album Hello, I'm Dolly in 1967 and has been a hit ever since. 

During the '80s, she starred in films like 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias and is still a beloved actor and singer today. It's hits like 1980's '9 to 5' that keep us coming back for more!

Debra Winger was memorably swept off her feet in 1982's An Officer and a Gentleman which has been rewatched, praised and parodied ever since. The year brought an Oscar nomination for the role, as well as another hit with Cannery Row.

Nowadays, Debra is more focussed on activism than acting. In April 2024, she and other prominent Jewish creatives signed an open letter in support of Jonathan Glazer's Oscar speech calling for peace in Gaza, according to Deadline.

Who didn't want to achieve the drama of Jennifer Beals' water dance in 1983? No one, that's who. It's a move that's been endlessly replicated, pulling a cord and soaking the dancer.

More recently, the actress has starred on hit shows like The L Word, The Book of Boba Fett and After. According to her IMDb, the actress has several projects in the works, including completed road-trip comedy drama Hello Out There.

In 1984, Lisa Bonet debuted on The Cosby Show, starting her run of 98 episodes that would take her into the early '90s. She's also known for hit features like High Fidelity, Enemy of the State and Angel Heart.

Now known as Lilakoi Moon, the actress has somewhat retreated from the spotlight, but has been spotted at events like SNL's after party, presumably showing her support for daughter Zoë Kravitz's fiancé, Harry Styles, as he took on hosting duties.

What would the '80s be without the Brat Pack, and what would the Brat Pack be without the famous redhead? Fortunately, Molly Ringwald was an '80s standout, leading the charge into adolescence with films like Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles.

She's still appearing on-screen now, and even took on a parental role in teen drama film series The Kissing Booth as mother to Jacob Elordi's Noah.

Away from her famous family, Janet Jackson has built a musical legacy of her own. In 1986, she released Control which featured some of her most iconic hits like 'Nasty' and 'What Have You Done for Me Lately'. These proved the secret to success and got her her first number one album on the Billboard 200.

Janet's album Rhythm Nation 1814 was recently inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the singer continues to work in music today. She is also a mother to son Eissa, who was born in 2017.

In 1987, Cher showed off the depth of her acting skill starring opposite Nicolas Cage in '80s romantic favourite Moonstruck. The singer could have been the 'It Girl' for several decades running, but the year that earned her an Oscar is surely as good a choice as any.

Cher is still a favourite today, recently cameoing in musical sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and ​continuing to appear at showbiz events like the Met Gala.​ 

Actress Melanie Griffith defined '80s on-screen feminism in Working Girl, which earned her an Oscar nomination. Working-class Tess McGill sets out on a journey to climb the corporate ladder, while the role itself sent Melanie straight to the top.

Now, Melanie continues to work on-screen and is supportive of her three talented kids, including Materialists and Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson. 

Naomi Campbell was a well-loved face on the catwalk throughout the late '80s but she reached new heights of fame in 1989 as the cover star for Vogue's September issue, the first Black woman to do so.

The supermodel and mother-of-two remains an icon in the world of fashion today, recently appearing on the cover of Elle Africa's first issue and was celebrated with a dedicated 2024 V&A exhibition charting her career through clothes.

Julia Roberts' famous smile won over millions opposite Richard Gere in the updated Cinderella tale Pretty Woman in 1990 and kickstarted a decade of rom-com success.

She'll always be an 'It Girl' to us and has proven her celebrity staying power over the past 30 years with recent roles including Ticket to Paradise (2022) with George Clooney and After the Hunt (2025). 

Jodie Foster's Clarice starred opposite the horrifying Hannibal Lecter in Thomas Harris adaptation The Silence of the Lambs (1991). A defining role in a defining horror for the decade makes Jodie the perfect pick for 'It Girl' of the year.

Now, the two-time Oscar winner is still working on screen and returned to the role of crime-fighting force in the 2024 series of True Detective. She's also starred in 2025 thriller A Private Life and narrated Netflix documentary Breakdown: 1975.

Whitney Houston broke into film in The Bodyguard and broke records with her 1992 hit 'I Will Always Love You' and her debut role is still a defining one in her career. Cinema (and karaoke nights) haven't been the same since.

She went on to work on projects like Waiting to Exhale (1995), The Preacher's Wife (1996) and Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997). The beloved singer sadly died on 11 February 2012 at 48 years old.

It's no surprise to find Whoopi Goldberg as the 'It Girl' for 1993, with no less than four movies to her name that year. The most notable are surely star roles in Made in America and Sister Act 2 which both showed off Whoopi's talent for comedy.

She's still busy today and has over 200 credits listed on IMDb, the most recent including period crime drama Godfather of Harlem, sitcom Harlem and voiced Cupcake in animated comedy Kevin.

In 1994, Winona Ryder featured on the cover of Vogue following a stand-out role in The Age of Innocence the year before. The same year she starred as a documentary filmmaker in Reality Bites as she and her fellow graduates face Houston life after college.

Winona remains an icon of trippy horror, returning to her role of Lydia in the Beetlejuice franchise for the 2024 sequel and hit Netflix series Stranger Things. 

As if the title of 1995's 'It Girl' could go to anyone other than Clueless star Alicia Silverstone! From her recognisable bright yellow check to straight-up Monets, we've been referencing this '90s-does-Austen feature ever since.

Alicia is still working on screen today. She recently starred in Oscar-nominated thriller Bugonia and festive comedy A Merry Little Ex-Mas.

Oscar-winner Renée Zellweger had a good year in 1996, to put it lightly. The year before she'd starred in cult classic Empire Records, leading into Tom Cruise romance Jerry Maguire and romantic drama The Whole Wide World.

Nowadays, she's best known for her role as Bridget Jones and returned for the film's fourth instalment, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025) and Hulu hit series Only Murders in the Building. 

It was a double bill of success for Sarah Michelle Gellar in 1997 with star roles in I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2, as well as the first series of teen fantasy-horror Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

These weren't the final roles for the not-so-final girl. She recently appeared in legacy sequel to I Know What You Did Last Summer of the same name and starred in 2025's Ready or Not 2: Here I Come.

It wasn't movies but music that defined 1998's 'It Girl', with Lauryn Hill earning the top spot in pop-culture and the Billboard 200. Her debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill sold over 422,000 copies in its first week.

The mother-of-six is still working in music today and touring as a concert experience. Her art festival Diaspora Calling! is coming to the UK, featuring Wyclef Jean and two of her children.

At just 17 years old, Britney Spears made her Rolling Stone cover debut, the same year as her best loved release 'Baby One More Time' solidified the Halloween costume of choice for decades to come. 

The music icon found favour in the public as she broke free of her conservatorship in 2021. Following a DUI arrest, she spent several weeks in rehab and told her followers: "I still have to learn how to be kind to myself and the way I speak to myself".

Gabrielle Union starred in iconic '00s dance movie Bring It On. The actress led the East Compton Clovers group in their fight against the Kirsten Dunst's team which previously plagiarised all of their routines.

She recently starred in sitcom Cheaper by the Dozen (2022), worked with Octavia Spencer on Truth Be Told and voice-acted as Jett Fillmore in GOAT.

It was in 2001 that Elle Woods first stepped a bright pink heel onto the campus of Harvard Law School and proved that perfect curls don't mean you can't build an airtight court case. 

Over 20 years after learning the bend and snap, Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon has co-starred with Jennifer Aniston on The Morning Show, which she also executive produced, and appeared in You're Cordially Invited.

Halle Berry made history in 2002 as the first African-American woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress. Other notable roles include Storm in X-Men (2000) and co-starring with Pierce Brosnan's 007 in Die Another Day (2002).

She's still acting today and has been recently credited on heist film Crime 101 (2026), horror Never Let Go (2024) and The Union (2024) with Mark Wahlberg. Halle has also worked off-set on a project tackling perimenopause taboos.

Beyoncé's debut solo studio album Dangerously in Love gave us the culture-shifting hit 'Crazy in Love' which is still an unavoidable track at every decent house party today.

The former Destiny's Child singer became a billionaire in 2025 and continues to make music history. Her viral track "Texas Hold 'Em' from 2024 album Cowboy Carter became the first country song by a Black woman to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2004, Lindsay Lohan made cinema history as Cady Heron in the endlessly quotable teen comedy Mean Girls. Running up against Regina George and the rest of The Plastics isn't for the faint of heart but '00s fans were certainly grateful she did.

Lindsay stepped back from the Hollywood spotlight for almost 10 years but is now back and better than ever, enjoying a new wave of fame as a regular Netflix rom-com leading lady. Recent star credits include Falling for Christmas (2022), Irish Wish (2024) and a return to her roots with Freakier Friday (2025).

The award of 2005 'It Girl' doesn't go to Rachel McAdams solely for that kiss with Ryan Gosling at the MTV movie awards. She had three varied credits that year in Wedding Crashers, Red Eye and The Family Stone. 

The year before she starred in two more massive hits, The Notebook and Mean Girls, and has since continued to provide incredible entertainment on-screen in About Time (2013) and Spotlight (2015), as well as an exciting blockbuster return in Send Help (2026). 

Anne Hathaway's ageless appearance is only equalled by her timeless Hollywood talent. In 2006, she stepped into her cerulean jumper as Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada – wait, are those the Chanel boots?

She recently reprised her role as Andy in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026), made a musical return in Mother Mary (2026) and wooed Nicholas Galitzine in The Idea of You (2024).