The makeover section, where a tatty subject is given a physical reconstruction as a pleasant way of saying "you are a total barker, get your life in order", is good viewing. It's been mooted that a refreshing change would be to see the reverse operation; a sort of
makeunder.
Ms Hutton or Ms Bailey could be perfect subjects, with a "before" snap of them in their designer gear and expensive hairdos, followed by a ceremonial removal of makeup, a bad perm job from a smoking, trainee barber, and the donning of a sloppy joe and tracksuit pants.
—Tony Squires, "While daggy Clive does the Big Apple, Deb does Dior," The Sydney Morning Herald, July 30, 1994
The "Jamie Lee" mentioned in the example citation is actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who, in the September issue of More magazine, appeared in "before" and "after" pictures. The
before picture showed her in all her Hollywood glamour, with perfect makeup, stylish hair, haute couture dress and shoes, and being fussed over by three assistants. The
after picture showed her "authentic self," as she called it: no makeup, no fancy coif, and an outfit consisting of a simple sports bra and spandex briefs that showed off a bit of pudginess. She had had, in other words, a
makeunder.
The fuss that followed the publication of these pictures made it seem as though the makeunder was a new phenomenon, but it has been around for a while. Jane magazine has had a "Makeunder" feature since at least 1997, and the Mirror newspaper has had a similar feature since 1999.
