History Main / BeautifulAllAlong

* [[Pretty Little Liars]]: Hanna was overweight when part of Alison’s gang, but after Alison went missing Hanna worked extra hard to lose weight and weigh less than Alison, which by the start of Sophomore year she managed. After this, Hanna took the missing Alison’s place as the most popular girl in High school.

* {{Pretty Little Liars}}: Hanna was overweight when part of Alison’s gang, but after Alison went missing Hanna worked extra hard to lose weight and weigh less than Alison, which by the start of Sophomore year she managed. After this, Hanna took the missing Alison’s place as the most popular girl in High school.

* ''Literature/{{Burned}}'' reveals [[spoiler:that if Rephaim chose good and became human, he would look "hotter then an Oklahoma blacktop in the middle of the summer". Just how attractive he could be is the only thing Aphrodite and Stevie Rae can agree on]].

* Subverted in ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' when Lane stops wearing her glasses to look better to Zach, who prefers her with them. Agreeing that she looked better before and imploring her to switch back is actually how he and her disapproving mother first start to get along. Though she wasn't trying to appeal to Zach. She was unhappy with how her glasses came out in pictures the band had taken. And even after Zach tells her she looks better with the glasses, she does occasionally wear the contacts afterward, and the subject is never dwelt on again. So really the subversion comes in by the show just ignoring the "makeover" baggage that usually shows up when a girl takes off her glasses.

* In "One Lonely Night" Literature/MikeHammer is infiltrating a ring of DirtyCommunists, one of whom is a dowdy, plain looking girl whom he flirts with to get information. She later turns up at his apartment in "a dress that looked like it had been painted on" -- it turns out she's a case of Drop Dead Gorgeous Underneath.
* In ''Literature/AWrinkleInTime'', Meg Murry wears glasses and has mousy hair. After an emotional talk with Calvin, one of the most popular guys at her school, she cries and Calvin takes off her glasses, and comments that she has "dream-boat eyes." He then tells her to not let any other guy see her pretty eyes. Later in the series, she actually became prettier, and married to Calvin.

* Played with in ''Literature/HowlsMovingCastle''. Sophie never saw herself as pretty and lacked the confidence and self-esteem to see it, though many characters would argue with her that she was. In fact, a curse that turned her into an elderly lady that helped Sophie gain confidence and appreciate herself for who she was.
** She also felt that her two sisters are more prettier than her.

* There's a touch of this in Lawrence Block's ''Literature/ArielBlock''. Ariel and klutzy Erskine are PuppyLove in the making (although they'd both disagree, because they're friends). Ariel notes in her diary, after describing a warm, funny conversation they've had, "What he should really do is get contact lenses when he's older. His eyes are really quite attractive."

* Mary Brown's fantasy novel ''Literature/TheUnlikelyOnes'': The amnesiac "Thing". She has been cursed and enslaved by an evil witch, who forces her to hide her face behind a leather mask whenever she is out among people. The mask, combined with the fact that she's usually walking hunched-over due to terrible stomach cramps brought on by the witch's curse, causes the general population to think she's a hobgoblin in service of the witch. The only ones allowed to see her without her mask are her four {{Animal Companion}}s, who have no concept of human beauty and honestly can't tell whether she is ugly or not. Of course, any reader who has even ''remotely'' paid attention can guess that the girl is stunningly gorgeous behind her mask, but for most of the novel Thing really has no reason to think of herself as anything but ugly.

** The (initially) unnamed protagonist of ''Literature/TheBirthgrave'' awakens in strange circumstances with no memory of who she is ([[spoiler:she later discovers that the mysterious name "Karrakaz" that she's been hearing for a while is in fact her own]]), and believes she must be hideous because of the startled reactions she sees on the faces of the first few men she meets. For this reason she wears a mask for most of the book. It's only toward the end that she is finally persuaded to remove it, and discovers what the reader has probably already guessed.

* Elena in ''Literature/TheNeapolitanNovels''. As an adolescent, she has quite a bit of angst over not being as attractive as her childhood friend Lila. Once she moves away to college, gets better clothes and loses the acne, however, everyone in Naples and elsewhere seems to agree she's very pretty. Remarkably subverted, however, in that rather than the narrative dwelling on how her looks have improved, she seems to simply stop being so concerned about her appearance, except when she's trying to impress Nino, her long term crush.

* Elphaba from ''Literature/{{Wicked}}'' is an odd-looking, bony woman with green skin, made worse by her terribly bland fashion sense. At first, Galinda can't find anything interesting about her aside from her silken, black hair. Later on, Galinda coaxes Elphaba to put on one of her hats and realizes out that there is something to Elphaba after all. She describes it as a "strange exotic quality of beauty". It is later mentioned that Elphaba does resemble her DudeMagnet mother Elphaba a lot. It's unsurprising that Fiyero, and Galinda herself, fell for Elphaba.

* ''Literature/AirAwakens'': Vhalla, a modest library apprentice, is not very feminine, likes wearing leggings and a tunic, never makes up and has trouble with her frizzy hair. And then a prince invites her to a ball. Following her makeover at the hands of servants, not to mention a tailor-made dress, she turns out to be stunning.

* ''Series/That80sShow'' actually managed to do this right by taking the very attractive Creator/ChylerLeigh and putting her in so much heavy goth punk rocker make up that she truly did become unrecognizable, allowing her natural beauty to shine more effectively for the rare occasions where she was seen without the punk make up.
* ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'': In the non-canonical ''The Beginning'' (released as a made-for-TV film in 2005), 18-year-old Daisy is portrayed as a mousy nerd, complete with unkempt hair, bifocal glasses, heavy sweaters and plaid clothes along with baggy jeans. Then she applies for a job at the Boar's Nest and decides to shed all this for her trademark tight short-shorts, her hair let down and no more glasses.
* An episode of ''Series/MacGyver1985'' ("Twice Stung") references the cliche- for his next trick, Mac needs a woman's glasses, her hairpins and the top three buttons of her shirt (upper cleavage level). She complies and it turns out to be part of the con that they're pulling.
* ''Series/{{Jake 20}}'' featured an almost painfully ridiculous invocation of this trope in episode 6 "Last Man Standing", wherein Diane Hughes (the NSA doctor tasked with monitoring Jake's nanite functions) accompanies an ailing Jake to a wedding to look after him. Despite the fact that Keegan Connor Tracy (the actress portraying Diane) is almost unfairly good looking, they pull this trope with her by straightening her hair and removing her glasses. The reveal is impressively goofy.

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' when beautiful human Princess Fiona is transformed by a kiss into her true form, an Ogre. Arguably, the words of her curse can be interpreted to mean she would transform into the form of her true love. Also played straight: Shrek finds Ogre!Fiona beautiful.

* Midna in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'' who turns out to not ACTUALLY be a small imp creature but instead a beautiful princess. She transforms at the end of the game but pretty much all spins offs/sequels keep her in tiny elf form.

* In the 1962 film ''Theatre/{{Gypsy}}'', when tomboyish Louise first gets beautiful clothes and has her hair done, she looks in the mirror, and incredulously says: "I'm pretty. I'm a pretty girl, Mama."

See also SuetifulAllAlong and FanServicePack. Contrast IronyAsSheIsCast, where this is always the potential, but it is never tapped. ProgressivelyPrettier is applying a similar change to a character without much in-universe reaction (it's for the audience's benefit), because it's done either gradually or between adaptations.

* ''Film/ShesAllThat'', a modern SpiritualAdaptation of Creator/GeorgeBernardShaw's ''Theatre/{{Pygmalion}}'', updated the Eliza Doolittle character from a LowerClassLout to the [[HollywoodNerd nerdy art student]] Laney Boggs, played by Creator/RachaelLeighCook. The protagonist Zack, challenged in a bet with his friend Dean that he can make Laney into the prom queen within six weeks, obliges. The result is an example of this trope so famous that it provides the page image, and many parodies of this trope will likely reference it in some form.

* Annie in ''Series/{{Community}}'' seems to be undergoing an on-going process of this trope; it's suggested in her backstory that, as well as being a rather neurotic HollywoodNerd she had problems with weight and acne which she's only overcome relatively recently, which coupled with her various neuroses and self-esteem issues mean that she doesn't fully realize exactly how attractive she really is.

** And, ironically, played straight with ''Marigold herself''. Her appearance issues mostly stem from [[HollywoodNerd bad hygiene and grooming]], and [[IAmNotPretty even worse self-esteem]]. When she does clean herself up, ''everyone'' is impressed.

While the trope is usually considered AlwaysFemale, male examples do exist, along the lines of a slob or nerd cleaning up his act, getting a haircut and trading in the dirty wifebeater or ''Franchise/StarTrek'' T-shirt for Armani or Savile Row [[SharpDressedMan items]]. Or, in more recent works, an unhappy CampGay and/or {{transgender}} character may get a classic makeover just like the typical female ugly duckling, and then be just as beautiful at the prom in a PimpedOutDress.

While the trope is usually considered AlwaysFemale, male examples do exist, along the lines of a slob or nerd cleaning up his act, getting a haircut and trading in the dirty wifebeater or ''Franchise/StarTrek'' T-shirt for Armani or Savile Row [[SharpDressedMan items]]. Or, in more recent works, an unhappy CampGay or {{transgender}} character may get a classic makeover just like the typical female ugly duckling, and then be just as beautiful at the prom in a PimpedOutDress.

While the trope is usually considered AlwaysFemale, male examples do exist, along the lines of a slob or nerd cleaning up his act, getting a haircut and trading in the dirty wifebeater or ''Franchise/StarTrek'' T-shirt for Armani or Savile Row [[SharpDressedMan items]]. Or, in more recent works, an unhappy CampGay or transgender character may get a classic makeover just like the typical female ugly duckling, and then be just as beautiful at the prom in a PimpedOutDress.

** There were casting calls for a local production of the play in Argentina. Even thought the ad for the casting calls clearly demanded overweight teenagers for the role of Tracy, some skinny/normal girls ignored this and auditioned for the role anyway.

* Doug Stone's No. 1 country hit from 1991 "In a Different Light," which featured an outwardly ugly female co-worker of an office boy -- her hair worn in a bun, thick glasses and unfashionable business suits. The guy fantasizes about taking her out and one night actually does. When the two have sex, he sees her in all her beautiful glory -- with no glasses, "your hair falling down, and love in your eyes."

* In ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'' episode ''Somebody Has to Play Cleopatra,'' Miss Harding is a kindergarten teacher that goes from HollywoodHomely to stunning in ten seconds flat by discarding a baggy blouse, losing her eyeglasses, and LettingHerHairDown to get into the role of Egyptian Queen. It works so well that none of the wives will let their husbands play Mark Antony, and Laura later says she's going to have Miss Harding banned from any role except script girl.

* Male example in ''Film/DeathRace2000'' [[spoiler: Frankenstein is dressed in all leather to disguise his supposedly horrific scars and burns and has a [[TheMask mask]] where you can [[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/56/3c/e0/563ce0d48a371aa86d24907a54a95d38.jpg see the damage]] around his eye. His LoveIntrest removes his mask and discovers... he [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcRNCZ4V0KpvwWbhOOEBxsDUeghabSInfwuGWQUmdENcoFhvN-mo looks]] completely fine, the horror getup was a act for Frankenstein’s racing career]].

* Subverted in ''Manga/DetectiveConan''. An IdolSinger is killed through poison by his beautiful soon to be ex-manager, who is also his ex-girlfriend, because he treated her like garbage and lots of his abuse was about her physical features. Turns out he did this because she had cosmetic surgery to please him, but [[JustTheWayYouAre he liked her "ugly" original face better]] and heavily blamed himself for her change.

* [[Webcomic/{{Narbonic}} Helen Narbon]] finds herself complaining: "Leave it to me to live in a [[GenreSavvy defective fictional universe]]." Of course, the real problem is that [[http://www.webcomicsnation.com/memberimages/110602.jpg she did not lose the glasses]].

* Parodied in an episode of ''SeansShow''; "Tie your hair up. Now, put on these glasses. My God, you're beautiful!"

While the trope is usually considered AlwaysFemale, male examples do exist, along the lines of a slob or nerd cleaning up his act, getting a haircut and trading in the dirty wifebeater or ''Franchise/StarTrek'' T-shirt for Armani or Savile Row [[SharpDressedMan items]]. Or, in more recent works, an unhappy CampGay or {{Transgender}} character may get a classic makeover just like the typical female ugly duckling, and then be [[AttractiveBentGender just as beautiful]] at the prom in a PimpedOutDress.

* The title character in the ''Anime/LupinIIIRedJacket'' episode [[Recap/LupinIIIS2E28 "Revenge of La Nerd"]] is a female detective flirting with the oblivious Zenigata. She usually wears a formal outfit. with thick glasses and her hair tied in a bun. When she plans to infiltrate Lupin's hideout, Zenigata objects that she's not pretty enough for Lupin to invite her inside. Cue her going inside her car, changing into a more revealing outfit, takes off her glasses, puts on makeup, and lets her hair down. Zenigata was shocked by her beauty.

* Beautifully averted in the episode, "Beauty and the Wildebeest", of ''WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa'' where Rafiki helps an ugly wildebeest improve his looks and manners so that he can romance a beautiful gazelle that he has a crush for. In the end the gazelle, touched when the wildebeest is willing to reveal his hideous visage to scare off a rival at her birthday party, removes her makeup and reveals herself to be just as ugly as he is and they both share a kiss before the end credits.