Holmes was scheduled to begin her prison sentence in late April, but a last-minute appeal has stalled her surrender date. Back in November 2022, the 39-year-old was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison after she was found guilty of wire fraud and conspiring to commit wire fraud, per The New York Times. As News AU stated, her “true offence” was much worse: the fact that she deceived patients with medical technology that didn’t work.

Over the past few months, Holmes has seemingly swapped out her previous “power dressing” – Steve Jobs-like suits and a deep voice – for a new persona involving her new mum life in an attempt to instigate a rehaul of her public image.

The former biotechnology entrepreneur has drawn criticism for this, as many were hoping that she’d take this opportunity to own up for the dangers she could have caused with Theranos.

To add fuel to the fire, The New York Times recently posted a 5,500 word profile piece about “Liz” in what’s been described as an “overly empathetic” angle surrounding the Stanford drop out.

Here’s what we know about Holmes’ controversial “transformation” – but not everyone’s buying it.

Why is Elizabeth Holmes going to jail?

Late last year, Holmes was sentenced to a 135-month sentence after a jury convicted her of four federal charges of fraud. These charges were based on Holmes’ now-defunct start-up Theranos, and the fact that the former CEO knowingly defrauded investors out of millions of dollars by misleading them into the capabilities of her company’s blood-testing technology, as per The Motley Fool.

According to the source, Holmes was promoting her “revolutionary” fingerstick blood tests even though she knew they provided inaccurate and unreliable results – thus risking many patients’ lives in the process. During her time in the limelight, she was named the youngest self-made billionaire in the world by Forbes, with a staggering net worth of US$4.5 billion. This all came tumbling down when The Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou blew the lid on Theranos’ struggles with the technology in 2015, as per Insider.

Goodbye, power dressing

When Holmes was starting out, many were quick to comment on her choice of attire, which bore a close resemblance to that of late Apple founder Steve Jobs. As Theranos grew, Holmes would dress in all-black outfits – and her signature polo neck – ticking all the boxes of what a Silicon Valley tech guru should look like.

According to The Guardian, Holmes is a mastermind in branding and her wardrobe played a huge part in building her “tech visionary” image. Now, she’s swapped out the suits for more casual, feminine silhouettes, wearing dresses, jeans and baggy jumpers, as seen in recent pics.

What’s more, her famously deep voice was all part of the facade. According to her interview with the NYT, it was part of “a character [she] created” to be taken seriously as a woman in tech. Her and her husband (hospitality heir William “Billy” Evans) now laugh about it, according to the interview.

Hello, “mum” jeans and bucket hats

The New York Times’ profile piece paints a pretty picture of Holmes, now “Liz”, and her life as a loving mother wearing a “bucket hat and sunglasses” while walking through San Diego Zoo. The writer describes Holmes as speaking in a “soft, slightly low, but totally unremarkable voice”.

It later goes on to say that when the journalist interviewing her gets dog drool on her shoe, Holmes is quick to wipe it off for her.

So who is the “real” Elizabeth Holmes?

According to the NYT, there are two sides to Holmes. First, the Holmes who is celebrated in the media as an inventor and whose criminal trial captivated the world and, second, Liz, who volunteers for a rape crisis hotline and “can’t stomach R-rated movies”. Holmes, overall, was described as an authentic and sympathetic person.

Many netizens and journalists quickly took to the internet to remind the world of the crimes that Holmes committed in the first place. While it’s unclear whether this profile will change the public’s perception of Holmes, or even the prison sentence itself, Holmes’ case continues to be the subject of plenty of intrigue.

Holmes currently lives in San Francisco with her husband and two babies, the second of whom was born sometime in the last few months, per Cosmopolitan.

The power of the wardrobe

Similarly, at Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s trial, their outfits were the subjects of speculation.