Behold the Horror: Nicole Richie Then & Now

And people were saying that a photo comparison of Avril Lavigne and Elvira (Mistress of the Dark) was f*%ked up. They ain't seen nothin' yet.

When the world was introduced to Nicole Richie in 2003, she was known as that harlot Paris Hilton's sweet, chunky sidekick from the hit reality TV series The Simple Life.

And we were cool with that. She seemed nice and harmless enough, despite the inherent awfulness of Paris Hilton and The Simple Life. We were Nicole Richie fans.

Fast forward three years, though, and the sweet youthful Nicole had been replaced with a svelte, fashion-forward model. And by svelte, we mean freakish. Anorexic. Gaunt. Yeah, this lack of sustinence puts Keira Knightley to shame.

Here's Nicole Richie, circa 2003 and 2006. Prepare to gasp in abject terror ...