There is nothing like a good old-fashioned love triangle to inspire love, jealousy and makeovers. Sabrina Fairchild (rightly named) played by Audrey Hepburn is the young, painfully shy, and adorably awkward daughter of a chauffeur. She is in love with a man who doesn't know she exists due to her lowly societal status. That is until she returns from Paris two years later as a gorgeous, sophisticated and elegantly dressed woman. She ends up falling for her previous desire's brother and drama, comedy and perfectly coiffed hairstyles ensue. There is no actual makeover montage in this movie per se, but the transformation from awkward teen to breathtaking beauty is magical. And c'mon, any makeover that ends up with two people sailing away together on a boat to Paris, you just have to love.
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Pretty Women
In this movie (Is it possible you've never seen it?), Julia Roberts trades in her boots, tank tops and trashy blonde wig for sexy dresses, classy pumps and gorgeous red curls. And, of course, we can't forget the fact that this is the movie that made us fall in love with her trademark hairstyle. Any makeover that can take you from the seedy streets of Hollywood to the posh pavement of Beverly Hills, is worth applauding, though we might not mention it to our daughters as a fool-proof path to happily ever after.
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Cinderella
It's every little girl's dream come true, and admit it, yours still to this day. You're living the poor life of a servant, when your fairy godmother comes along to magically turn your rags into a ball gown, slip on a pair of glass slippers and place a tiara on your head. No list of movie makeovers would be complete without this classic, agreed?
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Clueless
Probably the most popular makeover in the history of film -- or maybe it's just our favorite. Brittany Murphy plays Tai, the new, geeky and totally unfashionable student who is "toe-up" compared to Cher (Silverstone) and Dion (Dash). Where to begin? A makeover, of course, as "Cher's main thrill in life is a makeover. It gives her a sense of control in a world full of chaos." They take Tai from wearing boyish shirts and baggy jeans (along with that unnaturally bright red frizzy hair) to midriff tops, tasteful auburn curls, and a lot of blush. It's cinematic bubblegum at its finest.
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Princess Diaries
In this "real life" Cinderella story, Anne Hathaway is living a very ordinary life (complete with frizzy hair, thick glasses, and some seriously bushy eyebrows) when she is told she's actually a princess -- gasp! Well, actually hold your "ohhs" and "ahhs" because it isn't until she gets whisked away to a world of royalty, pretty dresses and a brand-new look when it really starts to get fun. Hathaway does have to undergo what looks like a painful (albeit humorous) makeover to get her glam style, but of course it ends up being worth it in the end. No pain, no gain Hathaway.
Cue the music. Hold your breath. Fight those tears. It's time -- time for the geek or the tough-girl or the under-privileged/secretly gorgeous duckling to swim as a swan. You know it's the best part of the movie. When the scullery maid gets transformed into a princess. When the tomboy FBI agent turns into a beauty pageant queen. When the nerd becomes the most popular girl in school. Despite being grown women, we all love a good movie makeover, don't we?
If you're anything like us, there is still undeniable excitement that bubbles up inside us as music gears up to speed, hair gets cut, blush gets applied and eyebrows get tweezed. Then, voila -- a striking, confident beauty is revealed to us walking down stairs, into a ballroom, out on the dance floor in slow motion, wind blowing. At this point we breathe a sigh of relief and smile in satisfaction.
Why are movie makeovers so secretly (or maybe not so secretly) fun to watch? Well, not to play psychologist and lay you down on the couch, but it comes down to loving all things self-improvement involved and seeing change for the better, right? Even the most straight-laced or serious-minded women like a little change now and then -- a new lipstick or an updated hairstyle. We all get a spring in our step after a salon visit. So naturally, we want to see the protagonist of a movie, who we identify with for a solid 90 minutes, transform and thus have her wildest dreams come true. Does chopping a bob or getting bangs change your life in the "real" world? No, probably not, but hey, this is Hollywood. So let's put all seriousness aside and have some fun reliving the best movie makeovers of all time.
