I do not know what it is, but I just absolutely adore makeovers. I never really realized it before; but, after I read the 1913 play Pygmalion, by George Bernard Shaw, and the 1956 musical play My Fair Lady, by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe, I started to think about why I loved these plays so much. The 1964 cinematic version of My Fair Lady, directed by George Cukor, has
been one of my favorite movies for a long time. Another favorite movie of mine is Pretty Woman, directed in 1990 by Gary Marshall. Then I also realized that I can never wait to get home from my 2:30 class just in time to catch A Makeover Story on TLC. So what is my obsession with makeovers? To tell you the truth, I am not really sure.
In my opinion, the definition of a makeover is helping someone who feels down about her appearance. Change certain things until she feels like a million dollars. When I was in the seventh grade, I felt terrible about my appearance. I had plenty of friends and was happy with who I was, but I felt disgusting on the outside. I had glasses, braces, a chipped front tooth, and stringy hair that was way too long for my oval face. My mom knew how I felt, so the day I got my braces off she took me to go get contacts. Soon after that I went to the dentist to get my tooth fixed and got a new shorter, more stylish haircut. So maybe that is why I love makeovers so much. I know from personal experience that they can make one feel like a new woman. Some people like to argue
that makeovers are totally artificial and should not matter. They argue that it is only what is on the inside that counts. That is true, but feeling wanting to feel pretty does not make one a bad person.
In My Fair Lady and Pygmalion, Eliza does not want to completely change who she is on the inside; she just wants to feel good about herself on the outside and feel good about what people think about her. She goes to Henry Higgins; and, though he is a stubborn, insensitive man, he helps her attain this goal. She goes from a dirty, uncivilized flower girl off the street to a beautiful woman that is mistaken for royalty. She learns how to talk properly and learns to carry herself in an appropriate manner. This is the classic makeover story, and I love it. She stays the same strong independent woman through the physical change on the outside, yet gains a confidence that allows her to truly feel like the princess that she is mistaken for. That is what is so wonderful
about makeovers. So as I said before, wanting to feel pretty on the outside does not mean that one is not already a beautiful person on the outside.