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It was called the 'three-wrinkle rule' — a mythological magazine dictate that all covergirls cover up any signs of aging, save for three lines. That was then; this is now: An age when magazine editors face scrutiny over photo retouching, selfies rule the Internet, and celebrities eagerly line up for their make-up free close-ups. The most recent example is the 2014 Vanity Fair Hollywood Portfolio issue (on stands Feb. 11) featuring 20 stars without make-up or airbrushing. The spread, photographed by painter and photographer Chuck Close, reveals their every line, wrinkle, and blemish. We've come a long way from the tabloid version of the makeup-free photo spread. Now the bare-faced star shot has evolved into a high-fashion stunt and an empowering selfie statement. Let's take a look at how far we've come. -- By Elise Sole

Scarlett Johansson also bared her make-up free face, on Close's order. "I don't do glamour shots, and they're not airbrushed or whatever. So they can be, um … they can be rough. So I need to talk people through it," Close told VanityFair.com. "They have to give up a great deal of vanity in order to do it. And it takes a real act of generosity and faith on the part of the subject to go with it and to give me their image without having any control over what's gonna happen." The images may be stunning, but it's hardly the first time a celebrity has posed unmasked.

Gawking at stars without a smidge of makeup began with tabloid culture's snarky "Stars Without Makeup!" feature. The obsession to knock them off their pedestals and to prove they were "just like us" soon gave way to the malicious "Best and Worst Beach Bodies," forcing readers to match the cellulite with the celeb.

In 2008, People magazine one-upped the tabloids with its classier, "Stars Without Makeup: Most Beautiful" edition. It featuredDrew Barrymore lounging in bed and wearing a sleep mask, Jessica Biel showcasing her adorable freckles (who knew?), and a then-brunette Jessica Simpson, speaking out about feeling beautiful without cosmetics

It didn't take long for the fashion world to note the barefaced trend. In April 2009, French ELLE released a multi-covered issue featuring celebrities Eva Herzigova, Sophie Marceau, and Monica Bellucci "sans fards," (French for "without makeup"). Unlike the shock-and-awe approach of tabloids, the magazine celebrated the women's natural beauty as a status symbol. Yet, the idea was still novel and unlikely to take off. Would anyone really buy a magazine with untouched photos?

One year later, actress Marion Cotillard raised the stakes by appearing on the cover of Italian Vanity Fair with no makeup and wild, un-brushed bedhead.

Yet, in their private lives, celebrities still weren't ready to bare it all. Who could forget when Russell Brand, then-husband to Katy Perry tweeted a photo of the pop star having just woken up? Though no one knows what Perry thought at the time, Brand swiftly removed the photo soon after it hit news outlets.

The trend gained steam in 2011 when a black-and-white photo of Lady Gaga covered the October issue of Harper's Bazaar with the coverline "Lady Gaga Bares All." In the accompanying article, she asked, "Don't you think that what's on the cover of a magazine is quite artificial?"

This January, Beyonce shared a bedroom selfie on Instagram. In it, the star was tangled in sheets, squinting in the morning light. The photo was one of many bare-faced Bey-shots, which she has openly shared with fans on social media. If you didn't love her already, this kind of photo will make a fan out of anyone. It's honest, humble (sans the brag), and personal for a superstar. Don't think other stars, agents and executives aren't paying attention. No makeup? It's good for the brand.