A makeover is a radical change in appearance. When the word is used to describe a change in

human physical appearance Human physical appearance is the outward phenotype or look of human beings. There are infinite variations in human phenotypes, though society reduces the variability to distinct categories. The physical appearance of humans, in particular those a ...

, it may imply a change in

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natura ...

, haircut, or

cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protec ...

. A personal makeover might also include

weight loss Weight loss, in the context of medicine, health, or physical fitness, refers to a reduction of the total body mass, by a mean loss of fluid, body fat ( adipose tissue), or lean mass (namely bone mineral deposits, muscle, tendon, and other co ...

plastic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...

, dental veneers, or

contact lens Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmeti ...

es. Sometimes a makeover is used to refer to non-physical things, such as a makeover of character,

personality Personality is the characteristic sets of behaviors, cognitions, and emotional patterns that are formed from biological and environmental factors, and which change over time. While there is no generally agreed-upon definition of personality, ...

attitude Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value * Metaphysics of presence * Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a propo ...

. It can also refer to a dramatic change in construction, such as when a building is renovated or is refurbished. Makeovers are usually referred to in a positive manner, as a way to start fresh or improve your life.

In media

Television

Makeovers are often popular

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

subjects. Long a staple subject of daytime

talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...

s, they have recently moved into the

limelight Limelight (also known as Drummond light or calcium light)James R. Smith (2004). ''San Francisco's Lost Landmarks'', Quill Driver Books. is a type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illumination is created whe ...

in television shows such as '' Queer Eye''. Other popular makeover shows include '' What Not to Wear'', ''

How to Look Good Naked ''How to Look Good Naked'' is a television program, first aired on British Channel 4 in 2006, in which fashion stylist Gok Wan encourages women and men who are insecure with their bodies to strip nude for the camera. The programme is unique amo ...

'', '' Plain Jane'', '' Extreme Makeover'', ''

MADE Made or MADE may refer to: Entertainment Film * ''Made'' (1972 film), United Kingdom * ''Made'' (2001 film), United States Music * ''Made'' (Big Bang album), 2016 * ''Made'' (Hawk Nelson album), 2013 * ''Made'' (Scarface album), 2007 *''M.A.D.E.' ...

'', ''

Ambush Makeover {{Infobox television , image = , caption = , alt_name = , genre = Reality TV , creator = Benjamin RingeChris Deaux , developer = , writer = John ...

'' and '' Pimp My Ride''. There is also a category of reality TV based on giving makeovers to homes, such as '' Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'', '' 60 Minute Makeover'' and '' Property Brothers''. See makeover reality television series. Computer software and online tools can also be used for performing what are known as Virtual Makeovers. Using a photograph of a human face, software can apply cosmetics, hairstyles, and various eyewear such as contact lenses and sunglasses in order to allow users to visualize different looks without physically trying them on. Today, virtual makeup works in real-time using phone camera tracking, and examples are Visage Technologies's MakeApp, L'Oreal's Makeup Genius, and Oriflame's Makeup Wizard.

Film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

In film there is a

trope Trope or tropes may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Trope (cinema), a cinematic convention for conveying a concept * Trope (literature), a figure of speech or common literary device * Trope (music), any of a variety of different things ...

of a character, usually a girl, undergoing a dramatic makeover in appearance or personality. Some examples include: * ''

Now, Voyager ''Now, Voyager'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, and directed by Irving Rapper. The screenplay by Casey Robinson is based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty. Prouty ...

'' (1942) * ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' (1950) * ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play '' Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons ...

'' (1964) * '' Grease'' (1978) * ''

The Breakfast Club ''The Breakfast Club'' is a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The ...

'' (1985) * '' Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985) * '' Moonstruck'' (1987) * '' Clueless'' (1995) * '' Miss Congeniality'' (2000) * ''

The Princess Diaries ''The Princess Diaries'' is a series of epistolary young adult novels written by Meg Cabot, and is also the title of the first volume, published in 2000. The series revolves around Amelia 'Mia' Thermopolis, a teenager in New York who discovers ...

'' (2001) * ''

Mean Girls ''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried (in her film debut), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler a ...

'' (2004) * '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006) * '' The House Bunny'' (2008)

Books

There is also a series of books, aimed at teenage girls, called ''The Makeover Series'', written by Suzanne Weyn. There are several experts who perform the art of makeovers. Usually makeover artists specialize in hair styling, make-up or clothing. "The Makeover Guy" is a registered trademark for author and makeover expert Christopher Hopkins who is known for his television head-to-toe makeovers. He has a book called "Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45".

References

External links