Kristi Noem's Old Pageant Pics Show Just How Different She Looks Now

The changes in Kristi Noem's appearance between the early 2010s and the mid-2020s have been major to say the least, but even that head-turning transformation can't compare to the difference in her appearance between now and her throwback pageant days. Back in 1990, Noem won the South Dakota Snow Queen pageant — and let's just say, if not for the now-secretary of Homeland Security posting about it herself, we probably wouldn't have recognized her. 

To be clear, Noem has never hidden the fact that she's an ex-pageant girl. On the contrary, back in 2016, she did an interview with Aberdeen News where she spoke about how grateful she was for the experience. "It was the first time I had sat down and done an interview with multiple people. It was very educational. To stand up and speak in front of individuals or a large amount of people at the Snow Queen contest was a first as well," she told the outlet. That being said, we'll be the first to admit we did a double take when we saw the images provided to Aberdeen News for the story, and even a snap Noem had shared to her Facebook the year prior. If you thought her hair transformation from around 2010 to now was major, odds are you will, too. 

Prior to her now-signature dark locks, at the time of the 1990 Snow Queen pageant, Noem was blond. Her hair was also permed into some very tight curls (aka the hairstyle du jour). Her hair wasn't the only difference, though. Her facial features also looked a lot softer, and if chatter that Noem may have had plastic surgery wasn't already in overdrive, we'd say this may just be the biggest smoking gun to date. 

As anyone who's ever watched an episode of "Toddlers & Tiaras" will know, pageant makeup nowadays tends to be a little on the heavy side. However, when Kristi Noem was named Snow Queen in 1990, it was a different time — and her makeup reflected that. 

Now, we're not saying Noem went bare-faced. Far from it, even in the grainy pic she shared to Facebook in 2015, it was clear to see the then-teenager had quite a penchant for blush. That said, there's also no question that Noem's makeup in the present day is significantly heavier. For one, if Noem wore false lashes during her Snow Queen reign, they were pretty much undetectable. These days, you'd be hard-pressed to see her anywhere without them. Who can forget the time Noem was brutally called out for showing up to an immigration raid in full glam, extra volume lashes and all? 

Two years after winning the pageant, Noem got married, and as seen in pictures she's shared to Instagram of her wedding day, her hair and makeup look hadn't changed all that much. Her blond curls were still going strong (albeit under a white cowboy hat), and while she donned blue eyeliner, heavy blush, and red lips, we still didn't find the makeup all that heavy, either. So, when did she shape shift into the Noem who returned to the public eye circa 2010? TBH, we're not sure. Like we said, she remained out of the spotlight for a number of years post-wedding. That said, when she did re-emerge, she did so sans perm. As we all know, her makeup transformation was far from over, and in the relatively brief time since going into politics, we've seen a few versions of Noem. Time will tell what her next transformation entails.