She Cleans Up Nicely: Difference between revisions

** A male example occurs with Ranma, in a brief storyline in which Kodachi brings him as her date, to be compared to her rival's date. When said rival sees Ranma for the first time, he'd just been run over by a herd of cows and hardly looked his best. When he shows up at the actual date, cleaned up and looking awesome in a suit, the rival actually is impressed.

** In the same arc, [[Hypocritical Heartwarming|Akane becomes very offended]] when the rival insults Ranma. So, she helps make him look handsome for the date and mentally lampshades this trope while doing it.

* Similarly, in ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'': Ryūnosuke, who is easily the [[Bifauxnen|most manly]] character in the show, has an episode dedicated to her struggle to become feminine. She really only wished to wear a sailor suit, but in the end ends up wearing the same dress as seen in ''[[My Fair Lady]]'' -- yes, it is the dress you are thinking of -- and looked amazing. In fact she could easily be the [[Trope Codifier]]. [[media:ryuunosuke1_4524.jpg|Before]] and [[media:ryuunosuke2_8055.jpg|After]]. Yes, it is the same girl.

* Misty of ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'' fame has done this from time to time. The infamous example of her wearing a kimono at the [[Festival Episode|Summer Festival]] and actually rendering Ash speechless comes to mind.

* In ''[[Record of Lodoss War]]'' Deedlit, wearing an extravagant white gown, walks down the stairs with Parn, who is having a LOT of trouble looking her in the eye. Subverted slightly as he spends most of the ball ignoring her advances and [[Ho Yay|swooning]] [[The Knights Who Say Squee|over a famous hero.]]

** And Deedo is so uncomfortable that she whines quite a bit at first, too.

* Subverted in ''[[Private Prince]]'', where female lead Miyako looks extremely good but is ''terribly'' uncomfortable and trips over her high heels and long dress... [[Meet Cute|in front of Will, the lead male.]]

* Asuna in ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]!'', once she lets her hair down and stops being overly violent for a bit.

* Oscar in ''[[Rose of Versailles]]''. She dressed like a man every day of her life, except one, at a ball, where she decided to go as a woman, in order to impress Fersen. It will work in a kind of way, but before it worked even more on her manservant {{spoiler|and future lover}} Andre. The idea of Oscar in dress made him furious in manga, burst into laughter in anime... but in both, he stopped and looked amazed when Oscar showed up at the top of stairs in her white odalisque dress. And so were the guests at the ball later.

* ''[[Kimi ni Todoke]]'': normally Sawako's look wavers between scary or rather plain (except when she smiles from the heart). After a surprise makeover and a [[Hair Decorations|butterfly hairclip]] from Yano and Chizu, though, she broke the pretty barrier.

* In ''[[Berserk]]'', [[Hot Amazon]] Casca, who usually goes around in men's clothing, short hair and non-[[Stripperiffic]] armour, is seen for the first time in a very nice, feminine dress upon {{spoiler|Griffith's brief triumph after defeating Midland's king's rivals}}. [http://www.mangareader.net/96-1128-163/berserk/chapter-8.html Guts' priceless blank stare] upon seeing her dressed this way is one of the series' very rare [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Crowning Moments Of Funny]].

* ''[[Area no Kishi]]'': Kakeru notices this when he reunites with childhood friend Seven. She appears far more feminine than [[One of the Boys|he remembered]] from their days in elementary school.

* Miranda Lotto in ''[[D.Gray-man]]''. It was a shock for most readers when they saw her for [http://read.mangashare.com/D.Gray-man/chapter-019/page004.html the first time]. Only for Miranda to become like [http://read.mangashare.com/D.Gray-man/chapter-026/page017.html this] after she gained her Innocence and self-confidence for the first time in her life.

* [[Played for Laughs]] in episode 85 of ''[[Shugo Chara]] Doki''. The Guardians go to a fashion event, so the girls wake up early to pick stylish outfits for the occasion. However, [[Dropped a Bridget On Him|Nagihiko]] shows up a little late, and once he arrives, the others are in shock when they see him [http://images4.fanpop.com/image/forum/72000/72015_1283260323979_full.jpg in clothes that manage to be even more stylish than the girls'], complete with [[Bishie Sparkle]]. His justification makes the scene even funnier.

'''Amu:''' And it looks like we have a winner... }}

* Pai in the first chapter of ''[[Sazan Eyes]]''.

* The beginning of the ballet scene in ''[[Anastasia]]'' (ends in the "what are you staring at?" vein).

* Odette in ''[[The Swan Princess]]''.

** ... [[Foreshadowing|well before]] she's literally [[Involuntary Shapeshifting|turned into a swan]].

* Tanya Mousekewitz gets this kind of effect in ''[[An American Tail]]: Fievel Goes West'' after a makeover from Miss Kitty. Even the cats in the saloon take notice.

* In ''[[Watchmen (film)|Watchmen]]'', Laurie Jupiter walks down the stairs to the Owl Cave in her Silk Spectre outfit, in slow motion with music and Nite Owl open-mouthed.

* Male example in the first ''[[George of the Jungle (film)|George of the Jungle]]'' movie;

'''George:''' Pretty darn good! }}

* Parodied in ''[[Not Another Teen Movie]]''. Jenny goes downstairs in her new dress and without glasses, with her family and Jake just unable to believe their eyes, then suddenly a tread breaks and she falls to the bottom of the stairs.

* Played straight in ''[[My Big Fat Greek Wedding]]''. Toula starts off frumpy, and then later on she [[The Glasses Gotta Go|ditches the glasses]] in favor of contacts, and starts wearing makeup, proving she was [[Beautiful All Along]].

* Jane's reaction to {{spoiler|a fully restored Thor}} in ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]''.

'''Jane''': It's a good look. }}

* Played subtly near the end of ''[[The Journey of Natty Gann]]'', when Natty and Harry reach Seattle after days of hopping trains and hiking cross-country and Natty gets the chance to actually wash her face and comb her hair. Harry is visibly startled the first time he gets a good look at her after she's cleaned up.

* In ''The Rivers of Zadaa,'' the sixth book of D. J. MacHale's ''Pendragon'' series, Bobby is rendered drooling and speechless at the sight of [[Hot Amazon|Loor]] in a red dress, the first time she's not wearing her fur-and-leather warrior garb.

* In [[Gene Stratton Porter]]'s ''[[Freckles]]'', Freckles does not recognize the bird woman at a party, because she has dressed for the occasion.

Noticing his bewilderment, she cried: "Why, Freckles! Don't you know me in my war clothes?" '' }}

* In ''[[The Fangs Of Kaath]]'', Sandhri manages to finagle herself into the palace to find her love, Prince Raschid, and finds herself washed up and beset by tailors who manage to create a dress that best flatters her underweight figure. When Sandhri sees herself in the mirror, she is stunned and delighted to see herself transformed into the stuff of [[Arabian Nights]] sexual fantasies.

** Played straight with Willow and Xander in the Homecoming episode, although without the staircase. Later spoofed in a callback to that same scene when Xander is about to get married, Willow in her bridesmaid's dress looks at him in his tuxedo and comments "Good thing I realized I was gay, otherwise, you, me, formal wear... bad combination."

** Subverted again in "Inca Mummy Girl" in which the gang are having a world cultures themed costume party and Willow turns up wearing an eskimo costume and Xander of course only has eyes for the [[Monster of the Week]] Ampata dressed to the nines. Willow remarks that maybe she should have worn something sexy instead but Oz is playing on stage and this following exchange happens:

'''Oz:''' No, not her. The eskimo. }}

* Inverted on ''[[Taxi]]'': Elaine asks Jim to go to a fancy party with her (out of concern for his feelings and with major reservations). He shows up at her door groomed and shaved, in a neato tux. Elaine gasps "You're gorgeous!" He replies in his quavering burnout voice "Yeah, I never get tired of hearing that."

* Played completely straight in ''Calamity Jane'', with all attendants being shocked at seeing Jane in a dress.

* ''[[A Very Potter Musical]]'' has the song [http://teamstarkid.bandcamp.com/track/granger-danger ''Granger Danger''], which consists of Ron and Draco singing about how beautiful Hermione is now that [[The Makeover|looking good has become important to her]]:

''Beautiful to me...."'' }}

* A variant is done in ''[[Les Misérables (theatre)|Les Misérables]]''. While Marius is bowled over by Cosette's beauty, he doesn't know how she used to like when she was a starved, abused child (the last time we see her in the musical). It is Eponine, raised throughout her childhood with Cosette, who gapes in amazement.

* Deliberately played by Agatha in a non-canon ''[[Girl Genius]]'' short story; they didn't have stairs in the right location so she brought her own.

** Then there's the crossdressing Jägermonster, Maxim.

* Helen complains that she has been cheated out of this effect in [http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic_plus/series.php?view=archive&chapter=37592&name=narbonic_plus#strip3 this] ''[[Narbonic]]'' strip.

* ''[[Teen Girl Squad]]'' -- (It's sortof comic-like, right?) -- The Ugly One isn't so ugly after all at her party... So much So, Strong Bad prevents the "Arrow'd Guy" from, err, Arrowing her, and proceeds to make out with the piece of loose-leaf she's drawn on. "Whoa! Did I draw that new hotness?"

* Done in an episode of ''[[The Weekenders]]'' where Lor develops a crush on a boy and starts acting more girly to impress him including wearing dresses and makeup and even Tino is shocked at how good she looks.

* In ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'' episode "Octi Gone", the girls all wear party dress versions of the normal clothes. Bubbles and Buttercup are even [[Hair Decorations|decked out in hair bows]]. Of course, [[Tomboy|Buttercup]] is the one to complain:

'''Buttercup:''' No! Cuz I have to wear this stupid girly party dress and I look like a dork! }}

* In ''[[Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends]]'', Frankie was never lacking in the looks department, but when she dressed up for a date, Mac and Bloo began fighting for her affection.