Baum: Perseverance key to ‘Makeover’

Kirk Baird

Friday, Jan. 14, 2005 | 8:23 a.m.

For 32 years Aimee Baum lived in the shadows.

Ashamed of her appearance, the wife and mother of two preferred little contact with the outside world.

Baum was missing 13 teeth, and those that were left were stained yellow from years of smoking. In addition, her gums were slowly decaying. At 5 feet 4 inches tall and 100 pounds, she was overly thin -- her body type more akin to a lanky teenage boy than a woman.

"I was always hiding behind people," she said. "I was just really unhappy" with the way she looked.

The feeling of inadequacy about her appearance cost her jobs, she said. It cost her a social life.

And it cost her self-confidence.

"I tried to teach my daughter confidence and it was real hard," Baum said. "I've never really had much confidence at all, which made it real hard for me."

But there was hope.

Each week on ABC's reality series "Extreme Makeover," Baum would see miraculous physical transformations of men and women just like her -- individuals who were ashamed of the way they looked.

With the help of skilled plastic surgeons and dentists, as well as wardrobe, hair and makeup stylists, these participants' lives were changed.

Baum could only dream of such a metamorphosis for herself.

When "Extreme Makeover" came to Las Vegas earlier this summer to audition applicants, she waited in line with her daughter and husband -- along with a thousand other "Makeover" hopefuls -- for a chance to be a true-to-life Cinderella story.

After several interviews -- including a flight to Los Angeles to meet with the show's producers -- Baum's wish for an "Extreme Makeover" came true.

On Sept. 1, Baum left her family to spend two months in L.A. for a grueling series of surgeries to her face, chest and mouth, as well as hair, makeup and wardrobe makeovers.

Among the procedures: a brow lift, a nose job, breast augmentation and having her ears pinned back. She also worked with a physical trainer to increase her weight by adding muscle to her slender frame.

Midway through her stay, Baum, stressed by being away from her family, began smoking again, jeopardizing the healing process of the tissue in her face and causing her decaying gums to worsen.

Her dentist said he might not be able to replace and repair her teeth and gums.

Baum considered leaving the show, even though none of her dental work had been performed.

A call to her daughter, as well as the possibility of being in violation of her contract for leaving the series early (which meant having to reimburse the network for all of the plastic surgeries), convinced Baum to stick it out.

"And I did and it was worth it," she said.

The additional dental work on Baum, whom the series billed as one of their "most difficult" participants, also required her to stay an additional two weeks.

At her "reveal" at Liberace's old Las Vegas residence, aired Thursday on Channel 13, Las Vegas Villa, when Baum walked out from behind a screen to see her family and friends for the first time since leaving for the show, everyone was stunned by her transformation.

Her hair lightened and styled, wearing a strapless red dress to show off an additional 15 pounds of muscle, Baum looked more Hollywood star than confessed tomboy.

"Everybody's jaws kind of dropped," she said. "My daughter was speechless for about 15 minutes. She kept staring at me and touching me and (finally) saying, 'Is that you?'

"They were all shocked and surprised, but at the same time, really, really happy. They kept saying, 'You're beautiful, you're beautiful. And now you believe you're beautiful.' It was a wonderful reveal."

Since her "Extreme Makeover," Baum's appearance isn't all that's different about her. She enjoys wearing makeup now and buying clothes she dared not try on before. She's quit smoking.

She also has a job as a lease agent for an apartment complex, in which she gets to show off a toothy smile that would make Tom Cruise envious.

"Before being on the show, I had a really hard time getting a job," she said. "Every time I went on a job interview, I covered up my smile with my hand. I didn't want my teeth to be visible. Now, I'm sitting right at the front door; I'm the first person they see.

"I can smile at them and shake their hand with confidence, whereas before I wouldn't do that. I'm like, 'This is how it feels. This is great.' "

Not surprisingly, Baum suggests auditioning for "Extreme Makeover" to anyone who is unhappy with their appearance.

"I would do it again and I would recommend it to anybody if they wanted to change things that way," she said. "What have you got to lose? It's worth it." She kept staring at me and touching me and (finally) saying, 'Is that you?' "