It’s been five years since Molly-Mae Hague left the Love Island villa in second place.
She first entered the villa as a bright-eyed, tanned-skinned 20-year-old from Hertfordshire, with platinum blonde hair and vibrantly coloured outfits, where she met Tommy Fury, a professional boxer.
But half a decade later, the blonde beauty has toned down her reality star looks, landed a fiancé and welcomed daughter Bambi.
Molly-Mae, now 25, has simplified her look and now opts for “less is more” when it comes to wardrobe, makeup and hair.
Since giving birth to her son, the influencer has been rocking an aesthetic dubbed the “Sofia Richie effect,” which is full of chic, neutral ensembles that typically consist of blazers, high necklines, and basic jeans.
Molly-Mae used to go out on errands in very colorful outfits, but now she opts for neutral tones. Photographed in 2019
Molly-Mae said she decided enough was enough after seeing images of her “swollen” face after the procedure go viral.
Since giving birth to her son, the influencer has adopted an aesthetic called the “Sofia Richie effect.”
At her sister’s pre-wedding celebrations in the Lake District, Molly opted for a simple yet sophisticated, sleeveless dress and natural makeup in the photos shared of her posing by the water.
Her hair is now a softer shade of blonde and is usually worn down, pulled back in a sleek wavy blow-dry, rather than the big bun millions saw on Love Island.
This is a far cry from the matching bright blue suit the content creator wore when she appeared on This Morning in 2019.
This change may indicate that Molly-Mae is looking to leave her reality TV career behind and venture into new professional prospects.
Celebrity stylist Rochelle White told FEMAIL: ‘She showed what she can do as creative director of Pretty Little Thing when she was in the post-Love Island era.
‘More brands will be attracted to her because she has changed her image, which could also be the reason why she did it.
“It has grown and that will naturally attract bigger brands.”
Before becoming a mother in January 2023, the former creative director of PrettyLittleThing used to sport clothes with neon cutouts, extensions and bright white teeth.
She first entered the villa as a bright-eyed 20-year-old with tanned skin, platinum blonde hair and vibrant, colorful outfits.
Molly-Mae is pictured with her daughter Bambi in Dubai in January this year.
Now, Molly-Mae is opting for a more elegant look for Wimbledon this year (pictured left). Pictured left: The influencer at a PrettyLittleThing event in 2021
Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague attend the National Television Awards in 2020
Her current outfits are a far cry from the matching blue ensemble she sported when she appeared on This Morning in 2019.
But it seems this era of model-style Instagram has come to an end after she sold many of her unwanted designer clothes for as little as £15 on platforms such as Depop.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede previously told The Sun‘Molly-Mae has transformed into a gorgeous mum who has ditched her glamorous model look for a more relaxed and natural look.’
She added that this more “real” look would win over more fans, as it shows a “softer side.”
Rochelle also believes that this change in style is due to becoming a mother. “I think she wants her daughter to be able to look up to her and be proud of her,” she says.
No doubt she wants her daughter to be able to look back at the photos and not ask, “Who is that or why do you look different?”
Molly-Mae used to wear a lot of make-up and fillers on her face, but has since simplified her look. Pictured left in 2019 and right in May.
Molly Mae now opts for a more natural look after having her fillers dissolved
Molly-Mae Hague attended a red carpet event at the Cannes Film Festival in May this year.
‘I feel like she’s at a different stage in her life and her old look and style no longer serve her.
‘I also feel like she’s aware that she’s raising a daughter and she definitely wants to be a mother that her daughter will be proud of and set a standard for from now on.’
‘It’s very similar to what Kylie Jenner said when she talked about the beauty standards she had imposed on herself and also on society and the impact that would have in the future.’
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, who is a year older than Molly-Mae, opened up about her procedures on the show and expressed regret for having them done.
She said: “I don’t want my daughter to do the things I did. I wish I had never touched anything.”
Molly-Mae has also repeated this and changed her face through cosmetic procedures in the past.
The mother of one now opts for more neutral ensembles, usually wearing black, white, gray or tan.
Molly-Mae Hague was spotted leaving the Mayfair Hotel in August 2019 wearing a colourful snake print ensemble.
She continued to get fillers in her face after appearing on Love Island, but explained it was time to stop after posting a video on YouTube after a date.
She reportedly paid £5,800 to have the filler dissolved and was left with a completely new face in an attempt to reconnect with her authentic self.
Speaking on The Diary of a CEO with Steve Bartlett podcast, Molly-Mae said she decided enough was enough after seeing photos of her “swollen” face following the procedure go viral.
She said: ‘I wouldn’t say I became addicted to it, but by the time I was 21 I didn’t seem like the same person anymore.
‘She literally looked like a different person. When I look at the photos now, I’m terrified. I’m like, ‘Who was that girl?’ I don’t know what happened.
‘But there was a pivotal moment where I put a ton of filler in and I posted a video on YouTube and I hadn’t let the filler set and I was really swollen and a screenshot of that video was trending on Twitter for weeks.
“It was horrible. It was absolutely horrible. My face was literally like… just horrible. That was the moment where I thought, too: I think things need to change.”
Rochelle believes the reaction to Molly-Mae’s infamous puffy face image played a big part in her more natural attitude and predicts she was inspired by the “clean girl” aesthetic, which is loved by other stars such as Hailey Bieber.
Molly-Mae Hague attends a celebration of women in business in London earlier this year
Molly-Mae has opted for a more classic look in recent years as she moves away from her reality TV image.
Molly-Mae used to wear her hair in a big bun on Love Island, but now opts for a sleek, wavy updo.
She said: ‘Sometimes when things like this happen, it’s like a wake-up call. She started to see herself in a more natural way and that led her to take out her hair extensions.
‘There’s a “clean girl” aesthetic going around, and while I don’t think she followed that trend, I do think she might have inspired it.
‘I also think her goal of being a social media influencer was achieved and as she got older, she wanted to move away from that.’
In October 2021, Molly-Mae and Tommy were burglarised at their Manchester home whilst in London, losing around £800,000 worth of belongings.
Rochelle also believes this experience may have contributed to her posting more basic clothing items online, to keep her wealth a secret.
‘I think anything like that is a (warning) to be careful about what you show online and what you wear,’ she said.
“It’s a scary experience and it has an impact. I think she’s toned it down and created a style that still feels like she’s giving her fans what they want, but in a more careful and calculated way.”
