History Main / AdrenalineMakeover

* [[spoiler: Homura Akemi]] from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', who [[LettingHerHairDown lets her long hair down]] and [[TheGlassesGottaGo gets rid of her glasses]] [[spoiler: after going though several different timelines and failing to save her beloved Madoka in every single time]]. This is a plot point: [[spoiler: she changes her looks ''specifically'' so Madoka won't recognize her as the quiet {{Meganekko}} with long braids that she befriended at the beginning. In the Rebellion Story movies, this is definitely sealed when she switches to EvilWearsBlack after here FaceHeelTurn, opposite Madoka's [[LightIsGood white-clad]] {{Physical God}}dess]].

* Chi-Chi of ''Franchise/DragonBall'' undergoes this in order to meet with Goku again. Starting from [[Manga/DragonBall the original series]], she goes from a scared twelve year old with a knack for accidentally vaporizing anything that threatens her to a skilled martial artist able to make it to the finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament. Unfortunately, this would last up until her [[CurbStompBattle defeat]] to Goku, as after he proposes to her in the arena, she undergoes instant {{Chickification}} during ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' (which is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] as that's the lifestyle she always intended to have with Goku in the first place).

* Mousy lawyer Jennifer Walters becomes the 6'6" green supermodel superhero ''Comicbook/SheHulk'', though it's not adrenaline that does it so much as [[ILoveNuclearPower deadly radiation]]. It's played with in more recent stories, where she starts taking her normal meek persona more seriously and comes out of shell as Jen as well, ''without'' letting her hair down or taking off the glasses.

** As of ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragonTheHiddenWorld'' the entire gang has full blown combat armor [[CraftedFromAnimals made from their dragon's scales.]] Previously, only Hiccup had armor.
* Jane Porter's clothes and hair change in ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' over the course of the film. It starts with her wearing her hair in a bun and in a large yellow dress. When she brings Tarzan back her hair is loose, and she starts wearing a shirt and skirt and occasionally goes barefoot. When she falls in love she's wearing loose fitting clothing, and by the end of the film she's wearing animal skin like Tarzan[[note]]the shirt/skirt is more a practical matter, as full English dress is highly impractical in a jungle, but does go to show her loosening standards as to keep up with Tarzan. Her wearing animals skin at the end is this trope in full effect[[/note]].

* ''Film/FantasticFour2005'': Sue Storm, a.k.a. the Invisible Woman. She was acknowledged as extremely beautiful from the very beginning but she was the "hair in a bun, glasses on the face" science girl. Starting from the moment they get back to Earth, she starts wearing the hair down and ditches the glasses. The movie progresses through her reconciling with Reed, and by the end of the movie they're an AdventureDuo plus two. By the [[Film/FantasticFourRiseOfTheSilverSurfer sequel]], she's [[TookALevelInBadass way more skilled with her powers]] and takes no crap, even from Reed.

* ''Film/TheMummyTrilogy'': Evy is a dressed down HotLibrarian as the [[Film/TheMummy1999 first movie]] begins. She's prim, easily offended, and rather stiff, but brainy. But because she's the object of desire for the CardCarryingVillain, of course she has to be dressed up properly to be a VirginSacrifice (or the closest thing to it). Along comes Rick, and along the way they fall in love. By the end of the movie, she's completely calm about all the insanity she's encountered and [[RescueRomance madly in love with her rescuer]]. By the [[Film/TheMummyReturns sequel]], she's [[TookALevelInBadass leveled up]], and she and Rick are a BattleCouple, which carries over into the [[WesternAnimation/TheMummyTheAnimatedSeries animated series]]. Not only that, but she is a MamaBear as well.

* ''Film/TheSaint1997'': Emma is a shy, nervous nuclear physicist who is brilliant enough to have invented Cold Fusion. She meets Simon in one of his aliases, and it's LoveAtFirstSight. Once she gets over being astonished that a man like him would notice her, she's so worked up she has to take [[DisabledLoveInterest her heart medication]] before they go to bed. But he betrays her. Incensed, Emma throws off the meek mouse persona and tracks him down. Along the way, they're pursued by the Russian Mafia, and by the end of the movie, she can do a 100 yard dash, and doesn't need her pills anymore. In the original ending, she was going to die of heart problems, but test audiences didn't like it.
* Sarah Connor in ''Film/TheTerminator'' is a simple young woman who has a waitress job at a family restaurant. By her own admission, she can't even balance her own checkbook. She's meek, and mild-mannered, but smart enough to know bad things are happening when people with her name start dying. Then Kyle shows up. Once she's done being scared to death of him, they fall in love, and by the time the movie ends, she's got the first few experience points toward [[TookALevelInBadass taking her level in badass]]. By the time of the [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay sequel]] she's a full-fledged MamaBear you don't want to mess with. In the [[Film/TerminatorGenisys Genisys]] timeline, where she was raised by a T-800 from the age of 9, she doesn't sport her 80s' waitress hair and instead has a 2010s ponytail.
* Helen Tasker in ''Film/TrueLies''. The meek housewife ditches the glasses, the hairdo, and the frumpy clothes that concealed her incredible physique, notably in her "seducive mission" at the hotel where she does all the previous to make herself more attractive. By the final scene, she and her husband are apparently a BattleCouple.

* Somewhat of an inversion with Annie from ''Film/TheInvisible''. She starts out brutal, violent, and dressed in guys' clothes, no to mention the leader of the school bullies. As she realizes the consequences of her violent life, her bad choices, and the fact that Nick was more like her than she gave him credit for, she feminizes -- beginning to wear her hair down, and her clothing less gender neutral.

* Arguably the original version of this was Creator/GraceKelly in ''Film/HighNoon'' who fires a decisive gunshot despite being a pacifist (and openly telling Gary Cooper's sheriff to get out of town) through most of the film. While it may not be as adrenalin charged as other examples above it is a pretty major shift in terms of the character!

* ''Film/InnerSpace'' has a literal example. Tuck in his tiny ship literally stimulates Jack's adrenal gland. But the harrowing adventure he has gone through cures him of his nervous hypochondriac tendencies, and turns him into a full on Action guy ready to take on the bad guys without hesitation.
* ''Film/IndependenceDayResurgence'': A male example that plays with the trope. It's love and action that fuel the makeover, but not romantic love. Former President Thomas Whitmore is badly battle scarred from the events of the invasion 20 years ago. He's shaky, easily agitated, suffering nightmares and visions. He can barely stand without his cane. But when the aliens come back, he struggles from bed and goes to warn the current President. As events progress he rapidly goes back to his old self, first abandoning his cane, and finally shaving his BeardOfSorrow, suiting up and getting behind the stick again to defeat the aliens in order to protect his adult daughter.
* Marci Eyre from the 2000 film ''Film/{{Spiders}}'' is a young scientific reporter is forced to survive giant spiders, she pretty much starts with more curlier hair, glasses and wears more clothing, but during the movie after she's forced to survive against the spiders her hair becomes more wavy, loses the glasses and loses most of her clothing, remaining in just a tank top.

* ''{{Series/Sherlock}}'': John started off as a meek, quiet, shy, depressed doctor and than as the series continues, winds up as an [[BadassAdorable adorable]] adrenaline junkie that you ''do not'' want to mess with. Oh, and, possibly pre-Series 3, he was practicing medicine ''when he thought his best friend died.''

* Scaramouche gets one in ''Theatre/WeWillRockYou'' when she and Galileo make it to the Bohemians. However she started out as a DeadpanSnarker and became a stripperiffic deadpan snarker after the makeover.

** Yuna in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' is very shy, quiet, and is almost ready to apologize for anything that happens to people, even if it's not her fault at all (she even apologizes for being ''kidnapped''!). After spending her journey with Tidus and seeing how far he is willing to go to make a difference in the world, Yuna sheds her shy personality for a much more outgoing and cheerful one in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' and is also willing to take a stand for what she believes in. Yuna's appearance changes as well; she goes from a summoner with a staff and very modest clothing to a sphere hunter with more revealing clothing, has a long ponytail, and uses guns in combat (which is a huge deal since guns were seen as complete evil in the past).
* ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'': As seen in ''Tenchu 2'' (a prequel), Ayame never took ninja training seriously, and thought of it all more of a game than anything. But then [[spoiler:the guy she loved got amnesia, killed the whole village where she was trained in, killed his master (who was also her foster father), fell in love for another woman; and Ayame was forced to kill him]]. Some years later she became a DeadpanSnarker ActionGirl, naturally.

* Elizabeth from ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' undergoes three. She starts out in a white blouse and full-length skirt, matching her status as a naive GirlInTheTower. After killing Daisy Fitzroy and getting covered in her blood, Elizabeth changes into a [[OfCorsetsSexy corset]] and getting a haircut. In the ''Burial at Sea'' {{D|ownloadableContent}}LCs, she has changed her outfit to fit in with the aesthetics of Rapture. Her much more ruthless personality is reflected by her HotterAndSexier outfit, which includes a tight white shirt, a tight skirt, fishnet stockings and heels.

* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', Connie gets this in the opening titles. In the first season, when she was mostly defined as Steven's {{Adorkable}} best friend, she was shown with a dress and big floppy hat, carrying ''Literature/AWrinkleInTime''. In the revised second season titles, starting with "Sworn to the Sword" (in which Pearl trains her in swordfighting), she's wearing shorts, a sleeveless top, no hat, and the book is replaced with Rose Quartz's sword, which is nearly as large as Connie herself.

The Adrenaline Makeover may be seen as a FamilyUnfriendlyAesop by way of contradicting the BeYourself trope. This trope can also be viewed as implying that a woman is not desirable just as she was; she was not worth noticing or the hero's interest until her adventure-triggered transformation took her from plain to pretty.

* Juliet from ''Series/{{Lost}}'' had many traits of someone before the makeover: meek and [[ExtremeDoormat somewhat of a pushover]]. Her hair was even styled very intricately. Then she joined [[GoingNative the Others]]. Flashforward to her introduction in the series where she [[LettingHerHairDown let her hair down]] and was the badass [[TheStoic Stoic]] who didn't take crap from anyone. [[HeelFaceTurn Not even]] [[MagnificentBastard her boss]].

* ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'' features the spear counterpart: 25th Baam, after taking a level in badass during the time skip, changes his appearance quite a bit. Most notably, he has become a TroubledButCute anti-villainous AgentPeacock. The motivation behind this change is darker than the usual examples.

* Sarah Connor in ''Film/TheTerminator'' is a simple young woman who has a waitress job at a family restaurant. By her own admission, she can't even balance her own checkbook. She's meek, and mild-mannered, but smart enough to know bad things are happening when people with her name start dying. Then Kyle shows up. Once she's done being scared to death of him, they fall in love, and by the time the movie ends, she's got the first few experience points toward [[TookALevelInBadass taking her level in badass]]. By the time of the [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay sequel]] she's a full-fledged MamaBear you don't want to mess with.

* ''Film/TankGirl'' has a LesYay example. Jet Girl is meek and mousy, and lets the Water and Power mook push her around until she makes friends with Tank Girl. By the end of the movie, Jet has quit stuttering, is telling off people on the radio, cowing the Reavers when they cross her, and even killing the mook who sexually harassed her.

* Creator/GuyPearce in the remake of ''Film/{{The Time Machine|2002}}''.

* In ''Film/JurassicWorld'', Claire goes from stiff and sleek to a disheveled woman of action during the course of the film.

* ''Film/TheBabysitter'': At the start of the film, Cole is a nerdy kid who wears glasses and gets bullied at school. But after spending the night defending himself and his 12-year old neighbor (Melanie) from his babysitter, who leads a Satanic cult, Cole ditches his glasses for a T-shirt and jeans. It becomes his new "look" by the film's conclusion, to reflect his newfound confidence in himself. Plus, he now has a girlfriend: Melanie.

[[quoteright:250:[[Disney/{{Tarzan}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adrenaline_makeover.jpg]]]]

* ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'' is a reverse example of this, [[SweetPollyOliver as in order to become a kickbutt swordswoman she has to hide her beauty]], but that doesn't stop her from looking fantastic in the final battle with Shan-Yu where she wears a simple but still cute dress and has her hair down.

* Jane Porter's clothes and hair change in ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}'' over the course of the film. It starts with her wearing her hair in a bun and in a large yellow dress. When she brings Tarzan back her hair is loose, and she starts wearing a shirt and skirt and occasionally goes barefoot. When she falls in love she's wearing loose fitting clothing, and by the end of the film she's wearing animal skin like Tarzan[[note]]the shirt/skirt is more a practical matter, as full English dress is highly impractical in a jungle, but does go to show her loosening standards as to keep up with Tarzan. Her wearing animals skin at the end is this trope in full effect[[/note]].

* [[spoiler: Homura Akemi]] from ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'', who [[LettingHerHairDown lets her long hair down]] and [[TheGlassesGottaGo gets rid of her glasses]] [[spoiler: after going though several different timelines and failing to save her beloved Madoka in every single time]]. This is a plot point: [[spoiler: she changes her looks ''specifically'' so Madoka won't recognize her as the quiet {{Meganekko}} with long braids that she befriended at the beginning. In the Rebellion Story movies, this is definitely sealed when she switches to EvilWearsBlack after here FaceHeelTurn, opposite Madoka's WomanInWhite {{Physical God}}dess]].

* In ''FanFic/TheSecretLifeOfTheBackyardKids'', [[VideoGame/{{BackyardSport}} Achmed]] gives Sam a "rocker chick" makeover in chapter 9, however, [[SubvertedTrope she's never seen in that look for the rest of the story.]]

* In ''FanFic/TheSecretLifeOfTheBackyardKids'', Achmed gives Sam a "rocker chick" makeover in chapter 9, however, [[SubvertedTrope she's never seen in that look for the rest of the story.]]

* FanFic/AGrowingAffection: Hinata is nearly killed, losing a big chunk of her hair and her jacket in the process. Afterwards, she embraces Naruto's emotional support, gets an ImportantHaircut and a more revealing (though not Stripperiffic) uniform.

* Chi-Chi of ''Manga/DragonBall'' undergoes this in order to meet with Goku again, going from a scared twelve year old with a knack for accidentally vaporizing anything that threatens her to a skilled martial artist able to make it to the finals of the Tenkaichi Budokai. Unfortunately this would last up until her [[CurbStompBattle defeat]] to Goku, as after he proposes to her in the arena, she undergoes instant {{Chickification}} (which is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] as that's the lifestyle she always intended to have with Goku in the first place).

Sometimes she's secretly, unknowingly, the HotLibrarian, or a case of [[SheIsAllGrownUp late blooming gorgeous]]. Sometimes she's gorgeous but shy, mild-mannered, aloof or standoffish because she has to work twice as hard to be [[YouGoGirl thought of as half as good in a male-dominated field]], being sexy equals not being taken seriously, and [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon women are punished for displaying any aggression]]--at least, in this part of the story. If the woman is used to being overlooked for being mousy and plain, this can also result in ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe at some point during the transformation.

Sometimes she's secretly, unknowingly, the HotLibrarian, or a case of [[SheIsAllGrownUp late blooming gorgeous]]. Sometimes they're gorgeous but shy, mild-mannered, aloof or standoffish because they have to work twice as hard to be [[YouGoGirl thought of as half as good in a male-dominated field]]; and being sexy equals not being taken seriously; and [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon being aggressive is considered a negative trait for a female]] -- at least, in this part of the story. If the woman is used to being overlooked for being mousy and plain, this can also result in ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe at some point during the transformation.

* In ''Series/{{Angel}}'', Fred is first seen as a dowdy librarian, eventually gets her kicks, and ends as Illyria.

Summing up: Adventure is good for you. It makes you more active and attractive. Falling in love is good for you. It makes you less uptight. Put 'em together and you got a shiny new LoveInterest for the hero.

* After [[spoiler:she saves Athrun's life and ends up having to defect from ZAFT as a consequence]], [[BridgeBunnies Meyrin]] [[NaiveEverygirl Hawke]] from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'' switches from a rather modest cadet uniform and GirlishPigtails to a tighter jacket/pants combination and [[ExpositoryHairstyleChange wearing her long hair loose]]. [[spoiler: Subverted in the GrandFinale, when she puts on her cadet uniform again when she hops back into a ship as a BridgeBunny for Lacus and Kira's groups.]]

* In ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'', when Hikaru Makiba decides to [[TookALevelInBadass toughen up]] and become an ActionGirl, her wardrobe changes from flowing dresses to miniskirts and boots.
** Inverted with Maria Grace Fleed. When she appears,, she wears skin-tight bodysuits; when she properly joins the cast, she keeps them as fighting clothes and begins wearing dresses and flowing skirts as civilian outfits.

* ''Manga/{{Monster}}'': Tenma is a rare male example as he grows his hair long and gains a PermaStubble, which is odd, considering that the hotter he gets, the more the other characters will tell him that he looks [[InformedAttribute awful and too skinny]].
** Actually, this is FridgeBrilliance at it's finest. For the circle Tenma is in (doctors, people of great importance, and educated fellows) a guy with long hair and a beard is seen as uneducated and ugly, however, for normal persons like us. It's the opposite. We find it attractive because it's not acceptable as social norm, but, in part, [[EscapistCharacter what we wish]].

* In FanFic/TheSecretLifeOfTheBackyardKids, Achmed gives Sam a "rocker chick" makeover in chapter 9, however, [[SubvertedTrope she's never seen in that look for the rest of the story.]]

* Hiccup in ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' suits himself up with dragon-riding gear, gains some confidence, and finishes out the movie looking even more hardcore with [[spoiler:a prosthetic limb]].
** [[http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/35000000/Hiccup-from-HTTYD-2-how-to-train-your-dragon-35062225-1223-1920.jpg Taken even further in]] ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2''.

* ''Film/TheSaint1997'': Emma is a shy, nervous nuclear physicist who is brilliant enough to have invented Cold Fusion. She meets Simon in one of his aliases, and it's LoveAtFirstSight. Once she gets over being astonished that a man like him would notice her, she's so worked up she has to take [[DisabledLoveInterest her heart medication]] before they go to bed. But he betrays her. Incensed, Emma throws off the meek mouse persona and tracks him down. Along the way, they're pursued by the Russian Mafia, and by the end of the movie, she can do a 100 yard dash, and doesn't need her pills anymore.
** In the original ending, she was going to die of heart problems, but test audiences didn't like it.

* Film/IndependenceDayResurgence: A male example that plays with the trope. It's love and action that fuel the makeover, but not romantic love. Former President Thomas Whitmore is badly battle scarred from the events of the invasion 20 years ago. He's shaky, easily agitated, suffering nightmares and visions. He can barely stand without his cane. But when the aliens come back, he struggles from bed and goes to warn the current President. As events progress he rapidly goes back to his old self, first abandoning his cane, and finally shaving his BeardOfSorrow, suiting up and getting behind the stick again to defeat the aliens in order to protect his adult daughter.
* Marci Eyre from the 2000 film ''Film/{{Spiders}}'' is a young scientific reporter is forced to survive giant spiders, she pretty much starts with more curlier hair, glasses and wears more clothing, but during the movie after she's forced to survive against the spiders her hair becames more wavy, loses the glasses and loses most of her clothing, remaining in just a tank top.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', Princess Garnet starts off very shy, awkward around commoners, and unsure of her future status as Queen. She's still beautiful and useful in combat (especially after she gains her summons), but has this whole Franchise/DisneyPrincess thing about her. But about 3/4 through the game, she decides to be more daring and uses Zidane's dagger to [[ImportantHaircut cut her hair short]], and her personality becomes more forward. Even her profile pic changes to a front-facing smile instead of the previous distant stare.

* ''VideoGame/{{Tenchu}}'': As seen in ''Tenchu 2'' (a prequel), Ayame never took ninja training seriously, and thought of it all more of a game than anything. But then [[spoiler:the guy she loved got amnesia, killed the whole village where she was trained in, killed his master (which was also her foster father), fell in love for another woman; and Ayame was forced to kill him]]. Some years later she became a DeadpanSnarker ActionGirl, naturally.

* Anya from ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar''. In the first two games, she was MissionControl and wore a non-combat outfit. In the third game, she becomes an ActionGirl and wears combat armor while fighting on the frontlines. {{Justified|Trope}} because humans are going extinct, and WordOfGod states that every available body is needed for battle.

* Elizabeth from ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' undergoes three. She starts out in a white blouse and full-length skirt, matching her status as a naive GirlInTheTower. After killing Daisy Fitzroy and getting covered in her blood, Elizabeth changes into a [[OfCorsetsSexy corset]] and getting a haircut. In the ''Burial at Sea'' {{DLC}}s, she has changed her outfit to fit in with the aesthetics of Rapture. Her much more ruthless personality is reflected by her HotterAndSexier outfit, which includes a tight white shirt, a tight skirt, fishnet stockings and heels.

* In ''Webcomic/NightmareFactory'', Emai's braided hair get loose during her confrontation with Phirre. And depending on the reader, [[spoiler: after she kills him, she can even make being drenched in green blood somehow look good.]]

* Helen Tasker in ''Film/TrueLies''. The meek housewife ditches the glasses, the hairdo, and the frumpy clothes that concealed her incredible physique. By the final scene, she and her husband are apparently a BattleCouple.

* Jane Porter's clothes and hair change in ''Disney/{{Tarzan}}'' over the course of the film. It starts with her wearing her hair in a bun and in a large yellow dress. When she brings Tarzan back her hair is loose, and she starts wearing a shirt and skirt and occasionally goes barefoot. When she falls in love she's wearing loose fitting clothing, and by the end of the film she's wearing animal skin like Tarzan.[[note]]the shirt/skirt is more a practical matter, as full English dress is highly impractical in a jungle, but does go to show her loosening standards as to keep up with Tarzan. Her wearing animals skin at the end is this trope in full effect[[note/]]