Woman Reveals Her Dramatic New Look, Then Her Husband Began To Choke Up

For three long decades, Monaya had been disguising her natural color with a dark brown dye. By the time she arrived at the Makeover Guy Appearance Studios, though, her real hair was a silvery hue. And while Monaya had spent years trying to hide her graying locks, it seemed that she was finally prepared to embrace them.

The transformation would be a big change for Monaya, so she was lucky to have a supportive husband at her side. The pair had first met back in high school. And from the video posted to the Makeover Guy YouTube channel, it was clear to see that the couple were still besotted with each other.

We first meet Monaya in the Makeover Guy’s YouTube video documenting her transformation. She’s sitting against a dark backdrop wearing a black hairdressing gown, and this makes her light-gray roots appear even more noticeable. Introducing herself directly to the camera, she says, “My name is Monaya, and I’m from Moorhead.”

Further on in the clip, Monaya explains her reason for visiting the Makeover Guy. She says that she wants “to feel fun” and “look different.” Monaya also hints that her appearance has left her feeling deflated in recent times. “I just felt kinda ‘blah’ in the last couple of years,” she admits.

So, being the transformation expert that he is, the Makeover Guy Christopher Hopkins seemingly took Monaya’s brief and ran with it. Sharing his thoughts on the makeover on YouTube, Hopkins wrote, “Monaya had grown out her white hair that she has colored to dark brown for over 30 years. I loved her natural color, so this is what happened.”

But before viewers get to see Monaya’s transformation for themselves, the YouTube video first shows how her husband reacts to her makeover. And he’s seen staring at his wife, who is at this point off camera, in apparent disbelief. “Oh my God,” he utters before lifting his glasses onto his head in order to wipe away his tears.

As Monaya’s husband wells up, an unidentified woman asks her, “How do you feel?” And her response makes it clear she’s thrilled with the Makeover Guy’s handiwork. “I love it!” she confesses. To which the lady replies, “It’s really cute.” And as her husband nods in apparent agreement, the newly transformed Monaya concludes, “It’s a nice change.”

When Monaya’s new look is finally revealed on camera, her transformation is certainly impressive. Gone are her lackluster brown locks, and in their place is a youthful, icy-gray pixie cut that frames Monaya’s enviable bone structure and glowing complexion. All at once, it becomes clear why her husband is so bowled over.

Mocking her former hairstyle, Monaya jokes, “I got rid of that witch hair.” And as he gazes lovingly at her, Monaya’s husband tells her, “You look beautiful!” She thanks him for the compliment, giggling as he struggles to take his eyes off her. “I knew he’d like it,” Monaya says.

Monaya’s husband proves his wife's point to be true when he says, “I kind of had this in mind, to be honest!” Struggling to find the words, he continues, “I was hope… yes. I think she’s going to be so much more comfortable.” And as her husband looks on at her adoringly, it appears that Monaya only has one question for her beau.

“Do I look sexy?” Monaya asks her clearly smitten husband. “Come on, say it!” Ever the dutiful spouse, he then replies, “You look very sexy and sophisticated.” Continuing to praise his wife, he adds, “Yeah, it does. I know she’s beautiful. I’m very fortunate. I’m an overachiever.” Aww. Though the way Monaya gazes back at her husband suggests she doesn't agree.

Later on in the video, Monaya reveals that her new look actually stirs up memories of happy times for her and her husband. “When we first dated in high school…” Monaya begins. And knowing exactly what his wife is going to say, Monaya’s partner interjects, “This is how short her hair was.” But if Monaya wanted to look like her high school self once again, she’d have to dig out some old pieces from her closet!

Remembering what Monaya used to wear when they first met, her husband then jokes, “So now we need a Ramones T-shirt and a short black miniskirt.” Smiling in agreement, Monaya starts to laugh. And as she giggles, she looks as happy as can be — not “blah” at all, as she’d described herself before the makeover.

It’s on this happy note that the video of Monaya’s transformation comes to an end. Yet that wasn’t actually the end of the story. That’s because, after appearing on the Makeover Guy YouTube channel in June 2019, the heartwarming clip amassed close to 250,000 views in a matter of weeks. Loads of fans could see Monaya’s transformation for themselves!

A description beneath the video — presumably written by Hopkins himself — reads, “This is love… Of course, there was much more to this process, but here’s one minute of the wonderful day with her.” And after watching Monaya’s transformation on the channel, some viewers also felt compelled to leave their own thoughts in the video’s comment section.

One complimentary comment read, “Oh my gosh! Her hair is beautiful! She looks like a supermodel! Such beautiful bone structure, the cut and color perfectly complement it! Fabulous!” And another user agreed, adding, “She is gorgeous and sexy with the new short cut. Her husband’s reaction is so touching. Another home run by Christopher and company.”

There were also a number of comments that praised Hopkins and Monaya for embracing her natural hair color. “So glad they did not cover over her gray like they normally do,” wrote one user. “What amazing hair she has naturally.” And another viewer added, “Even though she has gray hair, she looks so youthful and beautiful! Great job, everybody.”

Revealing why he believed Monaya’s makeover had captured his audience’s imagination so much, Hopkins wrote, “It’s likely because it takes all the elements that make people react. A dramatic change. All the gray hair advocates (burn your bra) revolutionaries, and a woman others would aspire to emulate. And of course, a person who loves her, and it shows.”

Describing his passion for physical transformations on his “Makeover Guy” Facebook page, Hopkins writes, “Creation of human physical beauty is what I do. I love the process. It borders on obsession. And one of his friends seconded Christopher’s passion. She said, ‘Christopher doesn’t see women for what they should be, he sees women for who they can be.’ I think that says it all.”

According to Hopkins’ YouTube channel description, he helps “people express their inner spirit through their outer image.” In short, he helps people feel more comfortable in their skin through the power of makeover. His approach has earned him thousands of fans. Since starting his Makeover Guy channel in 2007, he has earned close to 50,000 subscribers, while his videos have achieved more than 40 million views. And among his admirers was a lady named Mary Johnsen.

In April 2016 Johnsen had set out on a weight loss journey. As a result, by July 2017 she’d lost an impressive 30 pounds. So she decided to treat herself. She contacted the Makeover Guy to see if he would transform her look even further. The new look would be the perfect reward for all of her hard work.

Hopkins agreed and before long Johnsen was at his salon. For moral support, she brought along her granddaughter, who gave an insight into her grandma’s predicament. “She doesn’t really think that she’s pretty, and she is,” she said. “I just want her to be able to see that in herself.”

When Johnsen sat down in Hopkins’ makeup chair, she told him about some personal struggles. Cumulatively, it seemed that the tragic events had taken their toll on her. “My mother passed away in November. So that was hard,” she revealed. “Last year has been really stressful, a lot of deaths of family and people we know from church. We have a good friend right now who’s in hospice.”

All the emotional upheaval she’d experienced had left Mary feeling a little lackluster. “It’s been all these changes,” the weary grandmother reflected. But now she was ready to move on. “I want a good change,” she said. And that good change was going to start with her appearance. She’d heard about the Makeover Guy and his seemingly magic abilities.

With that in mind, she relinquished creative control on her appearance to Hopkins. At first, she suggested that they might keep the gray in her hair. But when she spotted the Makeover Guy’s reaction she decided to let him take the lead. While gray was right for someone like Monaya, the Makeover Guy clearly thought something else would suit Mary better.

And it turns out she was right to let Hopkins take control. That’s because, after a day in his chair, Mary looked like a completely new woman. The Makeover Guy had tamed her salt and pepper tresses, cutting and coloring them into a stylish highlighted bob. She also had her makeup done and was positively radiant.

Mary’s transformation made her look like a new woman, but the grandmother certainly liked what she saw. In fact, in the video of her transformation, she describes the Makeover Guy as a “magic man.” Now all that was left to do was show her granddaughter her new look. Would she approve of the Makeover Guy’s decision to ditch the gray?

Mary’s granddaughter could see the difference in her grandmother straight away. When asked to summarize the change, she concluded that Mary seemed “bubbly.” Thanks to her new appearance, Mary felt ready to take on the world. And she decided there wasn’t a minute to lose when it came to enjoying herself. “I think we’re going to go out and have dinner at least,” she revealed.

Later, when Mary had processed her makeover, she wrote to Hopkins to tell him what his work had meant to her. “I can’t thank you enough,” she said. “I woke up this morning and looked in the mirror and liked what I was seeing! That hasn’t happened in a very long time.”

Mary added, “Feeling pretty in the morning, right after I wake up, no makeup… THAT is a miracle! Don’t know if you’ve watched any of the footage yet, but wanted to let you guys know my hubby LOVES it too! And tonight he called me beautiful.”

The grandma admitted that she’d been a little nervous about visiting Hopkins’ salon. “I walked into the salon not feeling very attractive, and walked out feeling pampered and pretty,” she said. “You guys are fabulous!”

Now that Mary had regained her confidence, there was no way she was letting it go again. In fact, she promised Hopkins that she would be paying more attention to her appearance from now on. “You can bet I WILL be keeping up the styling and makeup,” she wrote.

But there was no escaping the fact that it had been Hopkins who had handed Mary her identity back. For that, she will be forever grateful. Speaking of her makeover, she said, “It was such a fun day! I just fell in love with you guys. All of you!”

So for the Makeover Guy, Mary’s transformation marked yet another job well done. But it wasn’t the grandma’s outwardly appearance that was most important to him, it was how she felt on the inside. “When who you are inside expresses itself in how you appear, you are beautiful,” Hopkins concluded.