A Makeover That Changed This Homeless Man's Life Forever

Life treats everyone differently. Some have the luxury of having a family, friends, a good job, a roof over their head, but some on the other hand have absolutely nothing. One of these unlucky ones was João Coelho Guimarães. He is 45 years old and has spent 3 of those years living in the streets without a roof over his head.

Surprisingly his life took a drastic turn only by a haircut.

Roaming the streets trying to find food and a roof to spent the night, one day he had another need he needed taken care of.

“He came and we asked him if he was hungry and if he wanted something to eat. But he refused and asked if we had a razor so he could trim his beard. That’s when we had the idea and everyone who was at the store decided to help him in a different way, providing him with a day of beauty,” said Alessandro, the owner of the barbershop who transformed João.

More info: Padoooficial | Marianosantosbarbearia | Alessandro Lobo

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Seeing how much he needed a good trim, the barbershop not only gave him a haircut, trimmed his beard, and washed him up, but also gave him clothes: three shirts, a pair of pants, a jacket, and new shoes.

Image credits: padoooficial

They shaved and cut his hair, trimmed his beard and washed João up.

It took two hours to complete this transformation. After they gave him the makeover, Alessandro said João had the sweetest reaction. He was genuinely surprised and really grateful. He didn’t say much, but the tears were enough. “We were surprised to see that he was also beautiful on the outside, not only in”- he added.

Image credits: padoooficial

His look changed completely, but little did anybody know that his luck was about to change too.

João’s sister saw the pictures of the transformation that the barbershop posted and contacted him immediately, after 10 years of thinking he was dead.

Image credits: padoooficial

As was told later, she offered him to stay with her, but João felt more free on the street and he refused her offer to go home.

“We have some social aid projects, and for us, it is very gratifying to be able to help people, whoever they are. In this time of the pandemic, many people lost loved ones and others were left with financial difficulties. A little help is always welcome in such a difficult time,” Alessandro told us when asked if they help homeless people often.

Having that in mind, let’s hope that this transformation will mark the start of another life for João.

In class, I learned that when I don’t understand something, someone else probably does. It’s more useful to learn someone’s perspective in a field than to force your perspective and fail miserably.

That’s the moral lesson to be learned in this viral Twitter thread by Gennifer Hutchison. For her, there are things that male historians and anthropologists get wrong because they usually don’t involve women’s perspectives in their research.

More info: Twitter