Posted 54 minutes ago19 Rare Photos Taken Seconds Before These Iconic Pop Culture Moments HappenedI was today years old when I learned that was the outfit Dua Lipa wore for her "Future Nostalgia" album cover. 😳by Angelica MartinezBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink Over the last handful of days, folks on X (formerly Twitter) have been sharing photos taken right before iconic moments in pop culture that the average person definitely hasn't seen. That is...until now. Here are 19 of the best before-and-after photos they shared, from album covers to red carpet moments, to memes: Note: Some images have been swapped in for the purpose of photo rights.
Editor's Note: While we can't endorse what X has become, we can bring you the worthwhile moments that still exist there, curated and free of the surrounding chaos. 1. This 2015 photo of Demi Lovato at the Palladium Theatre in London... Star / GC Images Which was snapped moments before Poot Lovato was officially birthed: acervodemilov / X / Via x.com Shared by: acervodemilov 2. These texts, allegedly from Charli XCX, about the ideas for the cover for her latest album, Brat... infocharlixcx / X / Via x.com Which gave us the iconic green, text-only cover: Atlantic Records / Via amazon.com Shared by: infocharlixcx 3. Here's some screenshots from just before they got the shot for Billie Eilish's Hit Me Hard and Soft album cover... Billie Eilish / Youtube / Via youtube.com Which, fun fact!, she photographed practically, using weights on her ankles and waist to keep her underwater so they could snap the picture: Amazon / Darkroom/Interscope / Via amazon.com Shared by: GETTINGDARK 4. This behind-the-scenes It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia shot of Charlie Day moments before... Anon / Reddit / Via reddit.com The filming of this Pepe Silvia scene from Season 4, which has been meme'd a thousand times over by now: FX Shared by: alwaysunnyooc 5. Here's Natalie Portman writing "whore" on the mirror in red lipstick... lumascut / X / Via x.com Which is a behind-the-scenes look at this Black Swan scene: Searchlight Pictures Shared by: lumascut 6. These behind-the-scenes photos of Taylor Swift captured during the making of... Taylor Swift / Target / Via Facebook: reel Her Reputation album cover: Taylor Swift / Amazon / Via amazon.com Shared by: kubaswift 7. This mirror selfie Dua Lipa snapped right before... @dualipa / Instagram / Via Instagram: @dualipa Posing for the album cover art for Future Nostalgia: WEA / Via target.com The outfit looks soooo much better in the cover, whew!Shared by: lipapictures 8. This photo of Cynthia Erivo at the National Board of Review Awards Gala, taken moments before... John Nacion / Variety via Getty Images She tapped her head like this during an interview, thus becoming this beloved GIF on Twitter: NBR Shared by: eternalsunshine 9. Miley Cyrus on the 2008 Grammys red carpet moments before... Frazer Harrison / Getty Images This haunting photo of her - featuring her striking blue-gray eyes - was snapped, thus becoming an iconic reaction photo forever memorialized on Twitter: F. Micelotta / Getty Images Shared by: Isleswish 10. This photo of Fergie taken moments before... Jamie McCarthy / WireImage She did multiple one-handed cartwheels while singing on the Today Show in 2008: NBC Shared by: iheartfergie 11. These behind-the-scenes photos of Olivia Rodrigo riiiight before they got the shot for... Olivia Rodrigo / Youtube / Via youtube.com The cover for her debut album, Sour. Fun fact: Before they landed on the stickers, she tried shooting the cover similarly, but with a bare face: Amazon / Geffen / Via amazon.com 12. This person, who logged into their YouTube account in 2018... @erenfromtargets / X / Via x.com And changed the trajectory of Dua Lipa's career forever with just one comment: @erenfromtargets / X / Via x.com If you're not perpetually online like some of us, after this comment went viral as its own meme, Dua Lipa's work ethic and overall performance abilities took a dramatic upturn. Dua even went on to feature the dance from this video in her next tour, as a nod to how far she came (and where she started).
Shared by: erenfromtargets 13. This camera shot from RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars Season 2 of Alyssa Edwards and Tatianna taken moments before... MTV / Via youtube.com What is, arguably, one of the greatest Lip Sync for Your Lifes of all time, performed to "Shut Up and Drive" by Rihanna, of course: MTV / Via youtube.com Shared by: Spilling_The_T 14. This unedited photo taken moments before... Sabrina Carpenter / Facebook / Via facebook.com Sabrina Carpenter's Singular: Act I album cover was born: Disney / Via disneymusicemporium.com Shared by: lucasislumi 15. This photo of Mark Ruffalo and Olivia Wilde at a Trump Tower protest in 2017 taken moments before... Noam Galai / Getty Images for for DKC/OM They became this viral GIF: Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF @raspberhrriies / X / Via x.com Shared by: raspberhrriies 16. This photo that was sna