Televised Makeover
He had no idea what to expect.
The team had to work though 2 decades of appearance-neglect and with the permission they could do whatever they wanted. The only thing he had to go on was everyone else’s reaction as he walked out, and it was unbelievable.
Very Aware
Jeffrey Schultz knew he wasn’t the most dapper-looking man in town.
Even though his entire look started because of the early onset of a mid-life crisis, he had grown comfortable with his shabby appearance and grew accustomed to hiding behind the thick brown and grey mane. But not everyone was as comfortable about it as he was.
Young Love
52-year-old Jeffrey met his wife, Lori, 30 years ago. He was 22, in the process of taking over his dad’s garage, working as a mechanic and she was 23, studying in college.
After 2 years of dating, they got married. Jeffrey had wavy short hair and a clean shaven face. He looked completely different to what he looked like now.
Love But Longing
Jeffrey knew without a doubt that his Lori loved him deeply – just as much as he loved her.
She never nagged about his appearance, but any time they had date plans or were going anywhere nicer than the supermarket or hardware store, he noticed a pang of disappointment in her eyes.
Putting In Effort
Lori cared about her appearance and spent time getting herself ready in the morning and looked stellar every single day.
Jeffrey was very aware of the difference between them and felt the occasional stab of guilt like he had become complacent. But he had a small warning for her.
Too Nervous
He would tell her that he wasn’t ready. He was fearful that getting rid of all of his hair would make him look worse.
He wasn’t confident enough that someone could transform his appearance in a way that would make him comfortable with how he looked. But Lori couldn’t understand where all these insecurities were coming from. Was he hiding something?
Hiding Something
Jeffrey was lucky that he worked as a mechanic. Otherwise, he would have had to have cleaned up his look a long time ago if he worked in an office job.
But leaving behind his 20-year-old locks was much harder for Jeffrey then Lori realized. And it made her wonder why… The answer had her in tears.
Vanity
It's not surprising that many people place a sense of their own identity on their hair and overall appearance.
In fact, some people place their whole identity on their looks alone and although it seemed like Jeffrey was just the opposite of these people, that wasn’t all that true. And his wife was about to find out.
Sense Of Identity
From the outside, it looked like Jeffrey just didn’t care about his appearance but he used his appearance to hide and to disconnect from everything else.
His appearance was important to him, it sent a message that he was above vanity but the truth was, he was scared to change his look, because his look was how he identified himself.
Realizing His Fears
When Jeffrey told Lori of his fears of changing himself, she began to cry. He had this insecurity about himself and Lori had no idea why.
To her, he was the most wonderful man in the world. Now, she knew it was just fear holding him back and that he needed a nodge. So she planned a sneaky ace up her sleeve.
Favorite Show
“I sent an email to the Rachael Ray Show,” she said, a mischievous smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
“Oh, that’s a dirty trick!” Jeffrey said. She knew just how much he loved that show, and it wasn’t just because of the cooking aspect. She had used his guilty pleasure against him.
Guilty Pleasure
Jeffrey loved the makeovers they did! There were a few episodes that had amazing transformations.
But the one that stuck out in Jeffrey’s mind was the Southern-fried makeover that a couple from Concord, North Carolina, went under. When Jeffrey watched their transformation, he recognised a lot of himself in their image.
No Style
The couple, Stacey Collins and Brandon Helms, had very little care to give about how they looked.
The couple usually wore camouflage, denim jeans, hoodies and anything else that was comfortable. But one day, Stacey decided that she wanted to look pretty again but she just didn’t know how.
A Wife’s Words
Jeffrey watched the episode on the edge of his seat as style guru, Kyan Douglas, got to work. However, it took them a while to convince Brandon to cut his beard, and the words that did it were from his wife.
“I can’t say that I don’t like the beard, but then again, I can’t say that I love the beard. It’s his face…” she confessed. Jeffrey glanced at his own wife.
High Hopes
It was obvious that the wife on the show was just being nice. She obviously wanted the beard to go. He looked at his wife with quiet knowledge that she felt the same.
But for 20 years, she said nothing. He knew how much he loved her. Now it was time for him to do something for her. All he could hope is that she’d react like the wife on the TV.
Shocking Transformation
Jeffrey watched as the new couple walked out in front of the cameras. The transformation was incredible! The couple looked at each other in shock with a completely new admiration towards each other.
Jeffrey chuckled at their reaction. But could he really be so lucky as to be chosen for a national broadcasted makeover?
The Chosen One
Just when he thought there was no way he was going to be picked, they got a call for the two of them to go to New York.
Not only that, but the makeover team also they had lined up was out of this world. Jeffrey and Lori knew their world was going to change, but they had no idea how much.
Big Names
Kyan Douglas from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy would be seeing to the makeover!
Also, the owner of a two-year winner of best men’s salon in Miami would be helping. A mere two week’s later, Jeffrey found himself standing on the show’s set.
It Begins
It was like a dream. He got to see one of his favorite television personalities.
He jittered with excitement and fought the butterflies in his stomach as the cameras started to roll. He also noticed the same glint in his wife’s eyes. Then the scissor came out.
Do Anything
He had said, “She married me with nothing on my face, so I’m willing to go that far” and it seemed they were going to stick with it.
Piece by piece, snip by snip, he felt his layers fall away. Everyone around him seemed so enthusiastic. But what would the final result be?
New Clothes
Gone were his well-worn overalls, and in their place was a brand-new outfit that was fit for the posher streets of New York.
It was something he would have never bought himself, but even he had to admit it felt good. Then came the big reveal.
Everyone Else First
He wasn’t allowed to look at a mirror beforehand. All he could do was walk out when the curtains parted and see his wife’s expression.
Here eyes went wide, and she started crying tears of joy. He turned around and saw the final result.
Jaw Dropping
It was unbelievable. Not only had they cut away decades of hair, but they had also taken away at least 10 years off his face.
It was like looking at an entirely new person. But it was his wife’s next comment that made everything worth while.
New Person
“That’s not my husband. He looks like a model! He looks like a brother of John Wayne!!! Handsome devil, grrrr.”
Jeffrey couldn’t help but blush as he took his wife’s hand. Rachael Ray and the rest of the team gushed as the audience clapped and cheered with surprising enthusiasm.
No Longer Hiding
Yes, he had been hiding behind his appearance for years.
Seeing the new person in the mirror made him wonder why he hid in the first place. It was also another reminder of how wonderful Lori was and why he had decided to spend the rest of his life with her.