A little makeover never hurt anybody, yeah?
Makeovers and transformations are an all-time Hollywood favorite narrative. There are countless retellings of ugly-ducklings turned swan lake beauties in so many films, it's almost impossible to keep track.
There is just something so satisfying when we see these characters turn into entirely different people just by changing clothes and hairstyles. Here are some of the most unforgettable makeovers in movies.
When Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), an Australian immigrant and ingénue, realizes she is still in love with the gang leader Danny (John Travolta), she underwent a major transformation from square lady to the female greaser.
She has traded her pastel ensemble with a smoldering black outfit and trouser in what is now regarded as one of the most iconic transformations in cinema.
In the classic rom-com, Julia Roberts plays Vivian, a free-spirited Hollywood hooker who gets hired as an escort by Edward (Richard Gere), a rich corporate raider and playboy from New York. Of course, Vivian must trade her thigh-high boots and blonde wig if she wants to attend the upscale and lavish events in Edward's world. After Vivian was told by a saleslady to leave thinking she can't afford the expensive stuff in a luxurious Rodeo Drive store, Edward took her shopping. And what's a better way to shop for a new wardrobe than to get everyone (literally everyone) in the store scurrying to get all the pretty things for the pretty woman herself? It was such a satisfying moment when a more stylish Vivian returned to the store on Rodeo Drive carrying all her shopping bags and telling off the incredibly rude salesperson that she committed a "Big mistake!" when she disregarded her earlier. Ugh!
Most little girls who saw The Princess Diaries in the early 2000s at some point in their lives certainly wished they were a princess too.
Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is a frizzy-haired, geeky, and unpopular high-schooler. After finding out that she is the heir to the throne of Genovia, the royal team went to refining her into a stunning princess. Welp, we admit she still looked cute even with the nerdy glasses, though.
The OG transformation! The Disney princess went from being the bullied step-daughter wearing rags to being the most beautiful face that captivated the prince during the royal ball. It's too bad fairy godmothers don't exist in real life, it would have been nice to receive a fairytale transformation too.
Anne Hathaway's back with another iconic transformation flick. She plays Andrea "Andy" Sachs, a not so fashionable fresh graduate who ironically lands a job as junior personal assistant to Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-chief of Runway magazine.
After deciding to take her job seriously, she realizes she must dress up to belong in the intricate fashion world. She asks Nigel for help to revamp her look. Nigel takes her to the company's ginormous walk-in closet with all the clothes, shoes, bags from the world's biggest brand. The next day, she walks into the office looking highly fashionable and chic, leaving her co-workers in utter shock. Where can we sign up for a job with free stuff like that?
When Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) became part of The Plastics (the most popular clique in the school), she has slowly adapted their style and was almost blinded by fame. She's traded her baggy clothes with skimpier outfits and paid more attention to her appearance. Luckily for Cady, she soon realizes that not all transformations are good. After going through intense school drama that ended in a campus-wide open forum, Cady and the rest of the plastics realized that there are more important things in life than being popular. Now, that's Fetch!
To achieve her dream of playing soccer at Illyria, Viola Hastings (Amanda Bynes) enters her brother's new boarding school, Illyria Prep, in his place and pretends to be a boy. To be fair, she did a good job looking like a legit prepubescent boy in this get-up. Albeit, it looks weird that the rest of the boys in the boarding school were all too ripped for high school that Viola looks like a little nugget walking amongst them.
A modern take on the Cinderella story, Maid in Manhattan, follows Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez), a hotel maid who catches the eye of politician Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes) while she tries on a wealthy guest's Dolce & Gabbana coat. Instead of telling him the truth, Marisa decides to hide her true identity and even wore a fancy dress and a spectacular diamond necklace when she meets him again for dinner.
Tai (Brittany Murphy) is a spunky Beverly Hills newcomer who was totally clueless about the lifestyles of her affluent friends. Thanks to her "It Girls" new BFF Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and Dione (Stacey Dash), she becomes almost a different person after undergoing a magical make-over.
Sassy and rough, Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) goes undercover as a beauty pageant contestant. The problem is she has no idea how to act and look like a refined beauty queen. Luckily, pageant consultant Victor Melling (Michael Caine) got her back. He and his team spent an entire night waxing, plucking, styling, and grooming. When Gracie comes out of the hideout the next day, she looks fabulously ready to win a crown, and Melling was pretty proud of himself. Unfortunately, learning to act like a true pageant contestant doesn't happen overnight. Right before we finished marveling at her transformation, she trips, and we felt like she still has a long way to go.
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