[caption id="attachment_68374" align="aligncenter" width="607" caption="Britney "singing" her heart out in the September 2012 issue of Elle."][/caption]

We've grown up -- and down -- with Britney Spears, seeing her from the heights of "...Baby, One More Time" to the lows of her marriage and divorce from Kevin Federline. Who could have guessed the former Mouseketeer would be a star for the ages? But here we are, more than a decade after her prodigious appearance on the scene, still talking about what she wears, who she's marrying and whether or not she'll put another album out.

It appears that after negotiating an air-tight, kick-ass contract, she'll be a judge on this season of The X-Factor, which means your prime time television is about to be a whole lot more Britney-fied. In honor of that, and her impending nuptials to manager dude Jason Trawick, Brit-Brit's on the cover of this month's Elle magazine.

Her newest cover's inspired us to take a look back at some of her past cover looks.

Left: In 2010, on the cover of Cosmopolitan, in a nondescript black frock. Right: In 2011, solidifying her love for the gays on the cover of Out.

Left: In 2008, heralding her post-breakdown return with an impossibly flat stomach on the cover of Rolling Stone. Right: A 2009 cover for the Greek edition of Cosmo features a photo of Brit from 2003.

Left: Ah, the Federline years, before the eventual split up -- and obese blow up -- of K-Fed. Right: She's shaved her head and is wearing not-very-convincing extensions and wigs for covers. Like this one for Allure. This is in the midst of her crazyvention.

Left: A demure Glamour magazine cover. Right: A preggo Britney with a terrrrrible hairdo on the cover of Elle.

Left: A sexy-ish teen pose on a 2002 cover of Entertainment Weekly. Right: A rather, um, exposed sexuality on a 2003 cover of Rolling Stone.

Left: Putting it all out there in red leather on a 2000 cover of Rolling Stone. Right: Playing "I'm not that innocent" on a 2001 cover.

What's your favorite Britney era?

Julie Gerstein prefers crazy head-shaving Britney. Follow her at @havethehabit.