Rarely Seen Photos of Paula Abdul as a Teenage Girl

Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. As a teenage girl, Abdul was an incredibly driven, multi-talented high-achiever who balanced intense dance training, leadership roles, and top-tier academics. Long before she became a global pop sensation, her teenage years in the late 1970s and early 1980s were defined by her fierce determination to overcome physical setbacks and rejections.

Growing up in California’s San Fernando Valley, Abdul attended Van Nuys High School. Far from being just a dancer, she was a standout honor student and served as class president, proving her leadership skills early on. She also landed a role in an independent low-budget musical film titled Junior High School in 1978 when she was just 15 years old.

Inspired as a child by Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain, Abdul was consumed by dance. However, she faced massive personal hurdles. She was born three months premature, which led to lung complications. She suffered from hip dysplasia, meaning medical professionals routinely told her that her body was not built for professional stage dancing. Despite years of disciplined ballet training, she abandoned ballet as a teenager because she realized she was too short to meet traditional industry standards. She pivoted her focus toward jazz, tap, and contemporary theatrical styles.

Instead of letting her height or medical history stop her, she channeled her athletic precision into cheerleading. She successfully became the head of the cheerleading squad at Van Nuys High School, creating sharp, high-energy routines that would eventually shape her signature commercial choreography style.

Her teenage years culminated in an iconic act of sheer persistence when she auditioned for the Los Angeles Lakers cheerleading squad. At 17 and a half years old, she lied about being 18 to enter the audition. Facing over a thousand taller, blonde candidates, she was immediately cut twice without even being allowed to dance. Refusing to leave, she hid in the arena bathroom to change her clothes, alter her hairstyle, and swap her identity multiple times. Within a single year, she rose to become the head choreographer of the Laker Girls, setting off her historic career in the music industry.