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‘Sister Wives’ star Janelle Brown shares a never-seen-before photo of hers from the '80s

Janelle Brown seems to be thriving since leaving Kody Brown—looks like he might’ve been the issue all along

Janelle Brown surprised her fans with a fun trip down memory lane when she shared a rare throwback photo from her teenage year. The ‘Sister Wives’ star took to Instagram in 2022 to post a picture of herself at 18 years old in 1987, rocking a very ‘80s hairstyle. “A friend just sent me a photo she had,” Janelle captioned the photo of her curly blonde perm. “This is me at 18 in 1987. Gotta love an 80s perm.” Her fans adored the retro photobooth photo, with many admiring how stunning she looks; others commented about how much they think she’s similar to their daughters, 26-year-old Madison and 17-year-old Savanah.

“So pretty!!! Can see both your girls in this...” with another adding, “Maddy with a blonde perm. I swear you guys are twins.” one posted. Other folks were ecstatic about the flashback and couldn’t help but bring up their memories of the ‘80s. “Girl, the hair is everything," another one said, “I had a perm very much like that one in the 80’s!!!! Still, a great pic of you!!!!” For the unknown, Janelle was married to Kody Brown and has six children with him, including daughters Madison and Savanah as well as sons Hunter, 24; Garrison, 23; and Gabriel, 20.

Throughout the years, the ‘Sister Wives’ star has been very open about her weight struggles and how it affected her self-esteem. Fans first saw Janelle talk about her weight during Season 3 of the show in 2011 when she joined her fellow wives at the gym. She said that at the time, she had felt uncomfortable and vulnerable, particularly when her weight of 271 pounds was published. “I was mortified [to share my weight with the other wives] because I never told anybody, including Kody, how much I weigh,” she said. “You know, my physical appearance has always been my Achilles heel. I mean, I know I’m smart, I know I’m a good employee [and] I know I’m good at everything else, but my physical appearance … to have [my weight] so blatantly broadcast was very disturbing for me,” she added.

Despite her discomfort, Janelle took the experience as a motivator to bring about a change. Slowly, she started adopting healthy eating habits and regular exercise. She later attributes her success to a plant-based supplement routine that she usually referred to as her “pink drink”, as per US Weekly. According to her posts on Instagram, it helped her cut down on sugar cravings and improve her energy as well as improve her sleep. By 2021, Janelle proudly showed off her progress online, saying, “I lost a couple of inches off my gut without changing anything.”

Janelle emphasized that her transformation wasn’t about quick fixes but about embracing a balanced, sustainable lifestyle. “It’s very simple. I am taking care of me,” she captioned a selfie at the time. “I have found amazing plant-based supplements that have rocked my world. I don't have the sugar cravings, brain fog, low energy, poor sleep, or inflammation like I used too. … This isn’t an overnight fad nor a diet pill. This is a lifestyle and let me tell you, it feels amazing!”