From the Archives: This story was last updated in November 2019
A makeover can help transform a person both physically and emotionally. It also has the power to turn a person’s life around by making them look younger and help those who have low confidence in life to regain their self-esteem.Jose Antonio, a homeless man, had been living on the streets for 25 years in Majorca, Spain. One day in 2015, a local salon gave him a free makeover, which made him completely unrecognizable.
Jose’s beautiful transformation was shot in June 2015 by Filmmaker Santi Oliva but was only posted in March 2017.
The heartwarming video shows Jose’s long disheveled white beard and tangled hair being beautifully trimmed, styled, and dyed. After a few hours when the stylist was done, Jose could not help but shed tears seeing his incredible transformation.
“This is incredible, is this me?” Jose asked the salon stylist.
Before the makeover, Jose is seen sitting on a chair in front of the mirror explaining to the cameraman, “Leave the doors over the mirror open for the moment so I can see myself for the last time like this.”
He further added: “Then close them to see if when they open again, it’s as if something else really opened up in my life, like a symbol.”
Right after the transformation, not only was he surprised with the incredible look, but he also exclaimed, “I’m so different, no one’s going to recognize me unless I tell them who I am.”
The video then follows Jose as he walks around the neighborhood donning designer pants, a white shirt, and stylish shades. Some of the people who knew Jose also expressed their surprise upon seeing his look. Some women complimented his looks. Jose then ordered a drink at a restaurant nearby, and the steward didn’t recognize him.
After the transformation, Jose maintained a clean shave and healthier appearance, although his gray hair has grown back. According to media reports, after the makeover, Jose was off the streets and started to live in a shared place with financial assistance from a company that remains anonymous.
In an interview with a Spanish television channel, Jose shared, according to The Daily Mail: “It wasn’t just a change of look. It changed my life. What I want now is a proper job.”
“Before filming we interviewed him and we saw he really wanted to change his life,” filmmaker Oliva told La Vanguardia. “He wasn’t an alcoholic or drug addict, only a person with bad luck.”
