Lindsay Lohan's transformation from child model to blonde bombshell as she turns 40

At just three years old, Lindsay was signed to Ford Models, appearing in nationwide campaigns for the likes of Calvin Klein and Abercrombie (including one with fellow child star Kirsten Dunst).

She'd also appear on shows like Late Night with David Letterman and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (pictured) as a stock model and extra, before making her acting debut in an episode of Guiding Light in 1993. She then landed a recurring role on Another World, which she left in 1997 to take on…

The Parent Trap, which hit cinema screens in 1998 when Lindsay was just 12. Playing identical twins Hallie and Annie made the pre-teen actress a household name and a beloved role model for kids everywhere.

She followed that success up with more lead roles in TV movies like Life-Size (2000) and Get a Clue (2002), which further added to her teen queen status. Her first major motion picture as a teenager, 2003's Freaky Friday, made her an even bigger star.

In 2004, Lindsay starred in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, which grossed above expectations, and Mean Girls, which made her a global star and was her first movie independent of Disney. The film, now considered a teen classic, was a surprise box office smash and is now considered one of her defining roles.

That same year, she also dropped her platinum-selling debut album, Speak, which received mixed reviews but is now best remembered for breakout single "Rumors." Her follow-up album A Little More Personal (RAW) came the next year, which was not as successful, although also in 2005, she starred in Herbie: Fully Loaded, another box office success and a cult classic.

In 2006, Lindsay had a string of films that received negative reviews and/or suffered commercially such as Just My Luck and Bobby, which kicked off a lull in her actual work. These were further exacerbated by the star's struggles with substance abuse issues, multiple arrests, and stints in rehab.

By the late aughts and early 2010s, Lindsay had frequently been dubbed "difficult" to work with, and was largely associated with the era's socialite "party girl" life that also included Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, two other stars who were equally maligned by the media.

As Lindsay herself put it in her birthday post: "There was success, attention, expectation – and underneath it, a girl still figuring herself out. I was learning through experience, through pressure, through mistakes, trying to hold onto who I was while the world decided who I should be."

Throughout the 2010s, Lindsay pivoted to TV work, ranging from documentaries to reality competition shows. However, after an extended break from acting, she announced her comeback through a three-film deal with Netflix.

Falling for Christmas was released in 2022, becoming an instant modern holiday classic and kicking off a resurgence for Lindsay. That was followed up by Irish Wish and Our Little Secret (both 2024), which won back many fans.

In 2021, Lindsay also announced that she had gotten engaged to financier Bader Shammas and they had moved out of the Hollywood machine and were living together in Dubai. They quietly tied the knot a few months later, and in July 2023, they welcomed their son Luai.

Beauty campaigns in the 2020s cemented Lindsay's newfound glow, and in 2025, she starred in her first major theatrical release since 2010's Machete. She reunited with Jamie Lee Curtis for the Freaky Friday sequel, Freakier Friday, which received positive reviews and grossed over $150 million worldwide, surpassing box office expectations.

Now fully in her blonde ambition era, Lindsay is preparing for her first starring TV role, filming and co-producing Hulu's Count My Lies, in which she'll be joined by Shailene Woodley and Kit Harrington.

"Grateful for every chapter that brought me here. For the lessons, the laughter, the love, the unexpected turns, and the people who've stood beside me through it all," Lindsay wrote of her new decade.