17-Year-Old’s Uncanny Transformation Into Vintage Characters Earns Crowds of Followers

Annelies van Overbeek transforms into Audrey Hepburn and Vivienne Leigh.

ByABC News
May 16, 2016, 12:57 PM
Annelies van Overbeek, 17, of Belgium, recreates famous vintage characters on Instagram.
Annelies van Overbeek, 17, of Belgium, recreates famous vintage characters on Instagram.
Courtesy Annelies van Overbee

— -- Annelies van Overbeek may only be 17 years old, but she certainly appears wise beyond her years in her whimsical recreations of famous vintage characters.

The teenager, from Puurs, Belgium, said she’s always loved using makeup and hair to transform into different pop culture icons, but the fascination really began to take off about a year ago when she cut her hair into a pixie cut and people started comparing her to Audrey Hepburn.

“I wasn't very familiar with anything old Hollywood related at all, but when I looked her up I fell in love with the elegance of vintage silver-screen glamour,” van Overbeek told ABC News of her inspiration for the photos.

PHOTO: 17-Year-Old Recreates Famous Vintage Characters
17-Year-Old Recreates Famous Vintage Characters

Her portraits have garnered 16,000 followers on Instagram -- many of whom have expressed admiration for her ability to manipulate her facial expressions to completely turn herself into characters such as Daisy Buchanan, Vivienne Leigh and Disney princesses, just to name a few.

PHOTO: 17-Year-Old Recreates Famous Vintage Characters
17-Year-Old Recreates Famous Vintage Characters

She says there is no rhyme or reason to choosing which looks to recreate, but “It's really important that the character in question looks similar to me at least a little bit though, because although makeup, hair and the right outfit can do a lot, it's not going to work if you have a completely different face.”

PHOTO: Annelies van Overbeek, 17, of Belgium, recreates famous vintage characters on Instagram.
Annelies van Overbeek, 17, of Belgium, recreates famous vintage characters on Instagram.

The elaborate photo shoots take van Overbeek about an hour or two to pull off, depending on the complexity of the hairstyle.

The most difficult part?

“Eyebrows!” she explained. “They make such a difference to the look! Luckily I have pretty good eyebrows, because they're very long so I can brush them into any shape I want. I have used face tape on one occasion though, for my Sherilyn Fenn look, because there was no way I could have achieved that arch otherwise!”

PHOTO: 17-Year-Old Recreates Famous Vintage Characters
17-Year-Old Recreates Famous Vintage Characters

The teen refers to herself as “Just a girl with big dreams and a vivid imagination,” and it seems that couldn’t be more accurate.

And as for her next ornate endeavor?

“Many people have been telling me I should do Ava Gardner or Liz Taylor, though it will probably be Ava, because unfortunately I don't have the striking blue eyes to pull off Liz!” she said.