It's been a week now since Justin Bieber's editorial spread for Interview Magazine came into our lives. Do you still remember how you felt when you first saw it? Shocked, probably, right? I mean, this is the kid who got famous singing in front of a Bart Simpson poster, and now he's shirtless, posing with a giant knife in his mouth and weird cupping bruises all over his back. (!!!!!!?!) A little shock (or, TBH, even a lot) is totally justifiable.

Growing up is hard enough, but try doing it in the public eye and keeping a viable career as an international pop star afloat. IDK about you, but that sounds daunting AF. And yet, Justin Bieber has been shape-shifting from adorable, swoopy-haired everymanboy to *achem* troubled youth to (IMHO) seriously heartthrobby young man without falling that far off the tips of our tongues.

How has he managed to do this? My theory is that it's because he's been stretching the "coming of age" narrative over the course of the last three years. Oh, you thought that Interview spread was the first time you thought to yourself, "Whoa, is Justin Bieber really all grown up now?" NAHHHHH. Magazines have been spinning that boy-to-man story to you since 2012. Don't believe me? Just watch me break this down.

V Magazine, January 2012

It's the top of 2012. Rihanna's (still perfect) single "We Found Love" is dominating the pop charts, and a one Mr. Justin Drew Bieber is about to turn 18. This is the age people most often associate with "adulthood" even though you're actually still a teenager and still have a lot of life experience ahead of you but whatever. Thus, editorial teams rally around it. The YouTube generation's biggest star at the moment, the latest "Prince of Pop," is about to become a "man" (sort of), so the magazine industry jumps at the chance to photograph him in better clothes and moodier lighting. First up is V Magazine with an editorial styled by former stylist to Lady Gaga and fashion wunderkind, Nicola Formichetti. Nicola gives Justin a little crown; it's all very Joffrey.

Complex, March 2012

A few months later, for the magazine's 10th anniversary, Complex enlists The Biebs as cover dude to show how much the brand and the boy-man himself have both grown. Pegged with a "Growing Pains" cover line, Complex photographs Justin in a boxing ring with a cute lil bow tie and movie magic chocolate syrup blood streaming out his nose. Poor guy even has a black eye (via makeup) he has to nurse with steak! This kid's not a baby anymore, that's for sure. Who would do that to a baby???

Forbes, May 2012

Hear me out on this one. I genuinely think Forbes had a really interesting business story to tell here with Justin Bieber's surprising move (alongside and presumably guided by his manager Scooter Braun) to invest in burgeoning social media startups. Did it come just after he turned 18? Yes. Did they also dress him up in a suit? Sure. Is that as much a "Know your audience" thing as a "Show a surprising visual of this boy-man everyone loves talking about" one? I think so. But the BIGGEST reason I'm including this is: This is the magazine shoot that marks when Bieber started learning what hair product was. IT'S THE PUSHED-UP JOHNNY BRAVO LOOK'S FIRST COVER! History, man. So crazy.

GQ, June 2012

Just when you thought a suit and a new hairstyle was enough, GQ puts Bieber in a better suit with better hair! Also, Justin propels the "coming of age" story further and refers to himself as a "swaggy adult" in this feature, a detail that should never be overlooked or forgotten. Ever.

Rolling Stone, August 2012

Now we're in the thick of the summer of 2012. We've been graced with "Call Me Maybe"—thanks, in part, to Bieber himself—and it's the BEST. Also, Bieber has nabbed his second cover of Rolling Stone, only this time he's "Hot," "Ready," and "Legal"—a cover line once used to describe another child-turned-adult star you might have heard of before: Lindsay Lohan.

And then, all of a sudden, it's 2013, and Bieber is generally absent from any such magazine spreads. Probably because 2013 is the year of that mop bucket, that monkey, all that shirtlessness, and many other controversies that otherwise took up his time, energy, and attention.

Rolling Stone, March 2014

Following a very public arrest, Bieber resurfaces on the last magazine he graced, now as a "Bad Boy," according to Rolling Stone. Alas, it should be noted that this is not a complete revival because this cover is the result of event photography rather than an exclusive, consented to photo shoot.

Men's Health, March 2015

Jump a full calendar year to 2015. Justin is 21 years old, has grown out his hair, laid pretty low for a while, and has a Comedy Central roast on the books. Oh, and also he's been hitting the gym. A LOT. Perfect timing for Men's Health Magazine's "Reinvention Issue," right? Right. Stick that "It's time for me to grow up" quote right on the cover, and rise like a phoenix, young Bieber.

Hero Magazine, April 2015

Believe it or not, there is still growing he's capable of doing just a month after that Men's Health cover! What's that? You'd like to see Justin take another stab at being taken seriously by the fashion community? And his little face under the word "HERO"? And maybe you'd like less Joffrey and more Ryan Gosling circa "A Place Beyond The Pines"? Enter Hero Magazine and a v v artsy photo shoot by Saint Laurent's Hedi Slimane. Now #BlondBieber is forever immortalized in print (even if it is black-and-white), and for that, we should all be very thankful.

L'uomo Vogue, June 2015

Next up: the cover of L'uomo Vogue. Not only is it the next logical step in a quest for world fashion domination, it's another magazine shoot that confirms, yes, he is still growing. STILL! Look at that slicked hair! Look at how well he wears a wool coat in June! (And perhaps most importantly...) Look at how the word "l'uomo"—which translates to "the man" in Italian—is positioned over his head! Bieber, the man. Here he is, tiny mustache and all.

Interview, July 2015

Which brings us to the Interview feature—the lastest level-up in Bieber's public evolution. The photos are taken by Steven Klein (who is also responsible for these images of Justin Timberlake just before his first solo album). Biebs is shirtless and wields a weapon. He's pictured with (benign) injuries sustained by alternative medicinal treatments, and there are arguable S&M undertones. Fringy!

The Interview spread is the most "grown-up" of the whole bunch, but as you can see now, we've been saying that over and over with each new photo shoot for the last three years. And until Bieber releases his next musical project, I don't foresee this being the last.