Jose Antonio, affectionately known as Josete by locals, has spent the last 25 years of his life living on the streets of Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The former electrician, who lost his job in an accident, suffered from a long period of depression and was working as an unauthorized parking attendant to save money for a room when fortune came his way.
Every morning when Salva Garcia, the owner of La Salvajeria hair salon, let the 55-year-old park his car, he joked with him about cutting his long, unruly hair. Eventually, realizing a change in his appearance could help him secure employment, Jose Antonio agreed. What happened next is incredible.
The entire transformation was captured in the short film, El Espíritu de la plaza (The Spirit of the Square), which aims to show how altruism can be life changing.
Jose Antonio had been living on the streets of Palma di Mallorca for 25 years after losing his job and a long battle with depression.
In order to get a full-time job, he knew it was time for a change in his appearance. Luckily, La Salvajeria hair salon offered to help tame his unruly hair and beard.
The salon, which was celebrating three years in business, wanted to use their talents to do something special for the man locals call Josete.
They even dyed his hair brown to give the 55-year-old former electrician a more youthful appearance.
Jose Antonio, who didn't look at himself until the makeover was complete, couldn't believe his eyes. “My God… Is this me?” he exclaimed.
Complete with a new white shirt and pair of red pants, he transformed into something of a hipster, with locals not even recognizing him.
The miraculous transformation took place in July 2015, but is going viral thanks to a recently released video about the makeover. “It wasn't just a change of look. It changed my life,” Jose Antonio shared with reporters.
Currently, Jose Antonio is still looking for work, but is no longer on the streets. The salon revealed that a private company, which wishes to remain anonymous, has provided financial assistance.
h/t: [Bored Panda, A Plus]
