She Is Not Like She Used To Be – Vanessa Hudgens Is Transforming Her Appearance

The Hollywood star Vanessa Hudgens seems to be going through some drastic transformations.

First she revealed a new cropped haircut which she revealed she cut herself for her new film ‘Gimme Shelter’, in which she plays a pregnant teenager.

Vanessa Hudgens Before and After

The 22-year-old is barely recognizable after undergoing the dramatic haircut.

On set, she’s been dressed in shapeless dark clothes, with greasy, scruffy hair, no make-up and facial piercings and tattoo – a far cry from her usual glamorous style.

‘Oh man, it’s really intense, I’m still getting used to it,’ she told Access Hollywood.

‘Honestly, I kind of feel a bit like a soccer mom, but we’re going to let that go.

‘There’s nothing wrong with soccer moms, but I’m only 22! I miss my hair believe me, I do. But there’s nothing I can do about it.’

Unlike many A-list stars who went to the chopping block before her, Hudgens didn’t enlist a celebrity hairstylist for her new look.

‘I grabbed the scissors and started cutting my actual hair,’ the High School Musical star revealed.

‘Then my director decided that he was going to grab the scissors, and he grabs a chunk of my hair and just chops it.’

Vanessa discussed her new film role on her Facebook page last week. She wrote: ‘I have been so stupidly busy working on Gimme Shelter.

Vanessa in her new movie Gimme Shelter

‘I’m so excited and proud of the work I’ve been doing and let me tell you, you all are going to be SHOCKED with how I look in this movie.

‘It’s crazy sauce. Lol only one more week of shooting till I’m done! Xx V.’

The new movie, which will be released next year, sees Vanessa take on a different role than her High School Musical fans are used to.

The film, co-starring Brendan Fraser and Rosario Dawson, sees Vanessa play a pregnant teenager who seeks out her biological father after leaving her abusive mother’s home.

Vanessa has also always been known for her petite appearance but lately she has been seen with a fuller figure as she headed into a gym in Studio City, California.

Vanessa is a little heavier than she used to be

The star displayed her curvier physique in an all-black workout outfit of tracksuit bottoms and a thin strapped vest top which bared her stomach.

Vanessa recently opened up to E!Online about her relationship philosophy, saying: ‘It is fun to go look at cute boys. But at the same time, I like being single.’

‘I feel like I have all this time for myself to be able to do these roles,’ said the actress, who split from boyfriend Zac Efron in December 2010 after five years of dating.

‘I think it’s really important to love yourself and truly just be happy with yourself and just kind of let the rest of it fall into place,’ she added.

Vanessa out shopping

Later in the day Vanessa hit the shops for a spot of retail therapy with her mother Gina and sister Stella.

The actress hit the West Field mall in Sherman Oaks, California where she picked up a few items from Bloomingdales.

Vanessa and her sister Stella

Vanessa, normally famed for her short skirts, covered up in a black maxi dress with a long black cardigan over the top.

Meanwhile her sister Stella stole the limelight from her older sister in a tiny pair of denim shorts and huge white wedge heels.

She completed the outfit with a floral print vest top and a brown cardigan.

The star also has been seen with some new bad habits when she was spotted puffing on a cigarette as she and a friend cruised through Hollywood.

Vanessa Hudgens seen smoking

Vanessa Hudgens quickly got rid of the cigarette

While cruising down La Cienega and Santa Monica, photographers caught the actress having a puff on a cigarette while in the passenger seat of a companion’s car.

It’s not the first time Vanessa has seen her image tarnished.

In 2007, private photos she’d taken of herself in the nude were leaked online causing huge embarrassment to the star.

Further pictures hit the net and she later admitted to being deeply affected by the exposure which is thought to have been the handiwork of a celebrity hacking gang.

‘I think it has made me stronger. But it still hurts,’ she told Glamour magazine. ‘It sucks because they were supposed to be private, but at the same time a lot of actresses do it [nudity].

‘Eventually, I’m sure that I will [on screen]. But I don’t know if I would be able to do it now.’

Vanessa in High School Musical

Vanessa, who poses with a pair of kittens on the cover of the new issue of America’s Glamour magazine, also tells how she gets scared on the red carpet.

She added: ‘When I was younger, I used to be super, super shy. I still find myself being scared of things.

‘Going to events gives me such anxiety,’ she told the publication.

Vanessa with short hair

‘I get hot flashes! I can’t breathe, and I get claustrophobic. It’s a very odd business. I do it because I love acting, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.’

Sounds like the star is taking the time to discover herself.