This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

LGBTQ Twitter Users Are Sharing Their Coming Out 'Glo Up' Photos And They're So Special

One teen inspired it all.
|
Open Image Modal
Canva/Getty

One teenager's spin on the "Glo Up" Twitter trend has sparked an influx of equally heartwarming photos.

Florida native Caitlin Crowley hopped on the social media trend of posting "glo up" photos, aka juxtaposing photos of people looking dorky and awkward before and during puberty with photos of them looking attractive and confident afterwards.

She shared a photo of herself at a freshman dance with her male friend Dylan and and another with her current girlfriend, Kirrin Chew, on Twitter on Oct. 22.

"Freshman to senior year, does this count as a glo up???" she captioned the photos.

The 17-year-old's tweet went viral and inspired other LGBTQ people to share their own, equally powerful "glo ups" with the hashtag #gloup.

Some shared similar photos of themselves with their current partners.

Others wrote that when they were single, embracing themselves led to them "glowing up."

And some transgender users shared photos of themselves before and mid- or after transition.

Crowley, who has been dating her girlfriend for a year but only came out fully around six months ago, told Buzzfeed that she had posted the photos as a joke between her friends.

"It was meant to be a funny joke between my friends and I, because Dylan and I are still friends and laugh at our freshman year selves very often," Crowley said.

She wasn't expecting the post to blow up as much as it had but told Business Insider she hoped the hashtag would have a positive impact on people.

"I hope all the posts from this thread echoes to all the young people still in the closet letting them know they're not alone," she said. "I think the thread of posts served as a form of community and validation through representation to all who participated, and the rest of the audience."

Also on HuffPost:

Celebrity Coming Out Stories
Gillian Anderson, 2012(01 of05)
Open Image Modal
The "X-Files" actress revealed she's had numerous relationships with women in a 2012 interview with Out magazine.The 43-year-old mother of three, who's long enjoyed a sizable lesbian fanbase, told Out that she first had a relationship with a woman while still in high school, after moving from her native England to suburban Michigan."If I had thought I was 100 percent gay, would it have been a different experience for me?" Anderson, who was voted "Most Bizarre" and "Most Likely to Be Arrested" in high school, ponders. "Would it have been a bigger deal if shame had been attached to it and all those things that become huge life-altering issues for youngsters in that situation? It's possible that my attitude around it came, on some level, from knowing that I still liked boys." (credit:AP)
Matt Bomer, 2012(02 of05)
Open Image Modal
The 34-year-old "White Collar" hunk thanked his partner Simon Halls and his three children during Saturday's Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards, where he received the New Generation Arts and Activism Award for his work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. "I'd really especially like to thank my beautiful family: Simon, Kit, Walker, Henry," he told the crowd. "Thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment." (credit:AP)
Anne Burrell, 2012(03 of05)
Open Image Modal
"Secrets of a Restaurant Chef" host Anne Burrell confirmed she's a lesbian and in a committed relationship with a woman, just days after "Chopped" host Ted Allen made a reference to her sexuality in a radio interview. "Anne doesn't feel she was outed," Burrell's rep told Page Six. "She has made no secret of her relationship."The rep went on to note, "Her significant other is a very private woman. They have been together for a couple of years and spend a lot of time together." (credit:AP )
Jim Parsons, 2012(04 of05)
Open Image Modal
New York Times scribe Patrick Healy confirmed "The Big Bang Theory" star's sexuality as part of a profile.The revelation came late in the article, when Healy describes the 39-year-old actor's role in the 2011 revival of Larry Kramer's HIV/AIDS crisis drama, "The Normal Heart." Wrote Healy: '"The Normal Heart" resonated with him on a few levels: Mr. Parsons is gay and in a 10-year relationship, and working with an ensemble again onstage was like nourishment, he said."Though the Times didn't identify Parsons' partner, he has been romantically liked with art director Todd Spiewak (pictured). (credit:AP )
Sean Maher, 2011(05 of05)
Open Image Modal
Sean Maher, known for his roles on "Firefly" and "Playboy Club," confirmed his sexuality in an Entertainment Weekly interview, saying, "This is my coming out ball. I’ve been dying to do this.” (credit:Getty Images)
-- This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.