Local woman undergoes "Extreme Makeover"

10:54 AM EDT on Friday, October 8, 2004

Jeanene Maddox, 31, has never been one to shy away from a fashion statement.

“Let them judge me for me,” she says.

With her dreadlocks and 30 piercings, Maddox stood out in crowds but ultimately decided she wanted a change, so she filled out an application for “Extreme Makeover.”

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“I figured they would be like, ‘OK, freak,’ and throw it away,” she says. “I didn't think they'd pick me, whereas other people were like they're totally going to want to make you normal.”

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Jeanene Maddox, before her extreme makeover

ABC called back, and Jeanene spent two months radically changing her looks. She kept her dreadlocks after they were cut.

“I would say getting rid of the hair cutting the hair off was the most challenging thing. I had to set myself up for it for a week,” she says. “That, and walking in high heels I had never done that before. I had to practice for two weeks.”

Another reason for the makeover: Prior surgeries to correct her asymmetrical chest didn't satisfy her.

“It didn't work out, so when I saw that I was like, well, that's a way to get it fixed without shelling out money to have bad results.”

All of the major cosmetic procedures were done in one long nine-hour surgery. Maddox says her new nose is still a bit sore but is pleased with all the outcomes.

Jeanene had tried surgery on her breasts before. When she was younger, one breast was an A-cup and the other was a D -- but she wasn't happy with how those reconstructions turned out.

And remember those dreadlocks? She can't bear to throw them out. She's thinking about turning them into an art piece.

Web story produced by Jay Ditzer.