FROM GLASSES SMURF TO BEAUTY

– 10 make-overs in movies –

When we talk about schuldig plezier then watching romcoms – romantic comedies – is high on my list. And preferably those high school movies that I can almost sync after 15 times because they are quite easy to watch, but still very entertaining time-killers. And not to forget that the biggest clichés make watching them quite fun. Because movies in which high school nerds are transformed into princesses, that makes my beauty heart beat a little faster. And yours probably too.

I view Lindsay Lohan purely in the movie, because she was still quite cute there and botox didn't seem to be invented yet. She started as a village girl, got sucked into the popularity story by ‘The Plastics’. And she didn't become a Barbie, because she remained beautifully true to that pretty face she still had back then.

Hilary Duff was always the prettiest in the movie because the stepmother had gone a bit overboard with the botox, but well, the Cinderella fairy tale had to be reenacted, of course. So where she first was just cleaning in worn-out pants and hand-me-downs, she later hoisted herself into the most beautiful dress to be the princess of the ball.

A little less of a high school story, but definitely metamorphosis-proof. Eliza Doolittle, played by Audrey Hepburn, went from the poor girl from the slums to high society nobility with the accompanying lipstick, jewelry, and perfectly articulated sentences.

I admit: I have never seen the movie because it is quite a bit old, but according to my colleague Charlene, this movie is one of the classics among make-over movies. The girl is first a nerd but the braces come off, the glasses are taken off, and she becomes the prettiest in school. And dad finds that a bit difficult because his cute daughter suddenly becomes quite wild.

One of the funniest high school movies ever made revolves around the metamorphosis of Brittany Murphy, a ‘clueless’ skater girl who is taken under the wings of the most popular girls in Beverly Hills. The outfits are to die for, the one-liners epic if you ever missed this...

The classic story about a bet in which a boy can transform an unattractive girl into the princess of the ball. A bit cheesy, because the girl has a ponytail and glasses, and boom, when that is thrown overboard, she is incredibly pretty. Look, that's how easy it goes these days.

When I visited the queen I really put this movie on as preparation. Because hey, no one undergoes a better make-over than the Princess of Genovia and there were quite a few tips in there that I could use for that royal visit.

Apparently, it's written on Anne Hathaway's forehead, because she knows how to handle all the make-overs in movies quite well. So also in The Devil Wears Prada. The ‘fat girl’ transforms into a woman who navigates the fashion world smoothly to the devil herself. Crocs are exchanged for Loubou's and the Mason Pearson is run through her hair. My favorite movie because it is quite relatable.

Another favorite here in the editorial office and a make-over doesn't get clearer than this. Julia Roberts transforms in the movie from street prostitute to lady with the necessary arm candy and designer dresses.

So we find it a very funny movie. Police officer Gracie Hart, brilliantly played by Sandra Bullock, goes undercover at a beauty pageant. There are necessary preparations to be made because she makes pig noises when laughing, doesn't even know what a brush is, and her posture could also use some improvement. And just like that, you see, those beauty queens suddenly have real competition.