Short, Boyish (but not) Haircuts for Women

I'm kind of curious why straight men generally dislike and even hate short hair. Does it really masculinize an already feminine, pretty woman? I agree that it looks terrible on some women depending on their face shape, build, and weight, but on a pretty to beautiful girl it can really accentuate features bringing out the eyes and cheekbones making her even more attractive. It seems like it would be more sensuous than long hair with more softness and texture than strands and tangles. A lot of girls and young women tend to hide behind their hair or their looks are all about the hair that looks just like any other girl's. Very cookie cutter. Is there an intrinsic/evolutionary yuck factor involved or socialization. Or are some straight men so insecure about their sexuality that having a partner with short hair worries them that it might give others the "wrong" impression?

OP’s photo is slim and pretty.

Put that hairstyle on the average plain American white woman and she’d look dykier than Ellen and Rosie combined.

Very few women can pull off short or pixie style cuts. You need a very symmetrical and pretty face.

Or you need to look like HER:

The issue with short hair on a younger woman is it reminds guys of their Mother or Grandmother.

There are certain generations that do short hair. The Queen’s generation, for one. And then women who like Princess Diana and Kris Jenner who basically had short cuts from their early 20s onwards.

Charlize Theron and Halle Berry look stunning with short hair, and quite ordinary and generic with long hair. And

R1 It's socialization, the Western culture over the last 150 or so years turned long hair into a "feminine" attribute as sure as the skirt/tunic type clothing. So a lot of straight men are afraid to feel attracted to anything that's seen as not-femme.

Also an issue of visual habits. We are used to seeing femme styling with long hair, and femme styling is often very artificial looking, like bright makeup, high heels, etc. Short hair throws the viewer off and reminds the eye just how ridiculous some of it looks really.

....

I'm a 53 yr old blonde - female. - I'm trim and 5'2 - for years I rocked Ann-Margret long tossled wavy curls - God I had great hair - I used to love to pin it up - I had high cheekbones and a long neck - BUT damn gravity and age is a bitch. I almost never put it anymore - in the last few years my jawline has lost some definition as well as my cheekbones - plus the neck and shoulders are starting to get a little "crepey" - not to mention after a rough year my butterscotch colored hair has turned silver and white. I get it colored every 5 weeks but it is starting to grow out faster than I can keep up. I still have good hair - but it is hard when a woman gets older - you walk the line of looking fake trying to look like you used to or matronly ..... I went on a night dinner cruise and I felt this exciting attention from a friend's friend - he was in his early 30s and had a darling YOUNG wife in tow - but I noticed the "zing" I haven't felt in years - when someone attractive finds you attractive - I was flattered like crazy - but then I felt sick with the thought - he's being that charming to me because I'm old like a mother and he was being polite ... I'm so sorry. - not to high Jack the thread - it just has been on my mind ... I think that Winona Ryder used to look beautiful with short hair...

White women age like milk. Little can save the average fifty-something woman.

I thought most old people, not just white gals, started to smell bad and sour after a particular age. Could you share your metrics so the rest of us may avoid your craxy, R12? Much appreciated.

Short haircuts was more common in the 90s. But it's true that most women can't carry off a short boyish haircut. Long luscious hair is a symbol of youth and health. I can get why straight men prefer it. But it's also more the idea of having a typical "feminine" girlfriend that appeals to their ego, not that they aren't attracted to short haired girls.

Loryn Locklin from Taking Care Of Business

Occasionally these style threads come up, often bemoaning why certain styles died out and in every case the answer seems to be because American women are just so fucking fat.

That's why cute pixie cuts have fallen from face, because women are constantly getting fatter and fatter.

Madonna

I don't think that Demi Moore's hair looked good in GI Jane - Anne Heche looked great with short hair. Audrey Hepburn's hair was pretty in Sabrina,

Winona

[quote]Anne Heche looked great with short hair

Oh, I didn't think so. Way too dykey.

What you need is both bone structure and some softness.

But it's not just for American women that short hair styles have fallen out of favor for r16, it's the homogeneity that is everywhere.

Linda Evangelista

I had a similar style to the OP in the 90s. I kept it until my late 20s, since then I've worn it either long or a jaw length bob, lately a fringe has been a staple because I'm getting on a bit and can't afford regular botox.

The fat thing has some truth to it, I'd quite like it short again but realistically I need to drop some weight or I'll just look matronly. I'm getting too old for cute pixie unless I do a whole body and face makeover. I'm not massively fat but I don't have the defined jawline of my youth, maybe I can get it back but it's going to take some commitment.

I think for the younger generation the pornstar/Kardashian look has taken over so virulently femininity is associated with masses of hair to the extent most young women look like clones. At the risk of sounding like an old fart I miss the 80s/90s where there was so much variance in appearance.

Well, women are getting fatter everywhere, R21.

Everyone thinks French women are so chic, but after living there, I have to wonder if they have never actually seen real French women. Because outside of Paris and Nice, the go-to hairdo for almost all women over 45 is a prisonesque pixie cut. Considering that they are nearly all overweight, or if not, they are severely wrinkled emaciated smokers, this is probably the least flattering haircut in the entire world, pitilessly exposing their neck and chin(s). This is invariably accessorised with hideous expensive eyeglasses and tunic-style clothes.

Chynna Phillips

Most women look better with shorter hair. On young women long straight hair looks generic and on older women it often looks desperate. If you’re fat you look fat anyway and often fat women look better with short hair because of their massive body those few straggly long strands look even stragglier.

Also - what‘s wrong with looking dykey? This is a gay board, right?

Question to r23. Did gay women (assuming you are gay yourself too) flock to you more when you had the pixie haircut?

I'm not gay but no they didn't. I wouldn't take that as evidence of anything though, I lived in a small UK town in the 90s that wasn't exactly party central or much of an LGBT hub.

Right thanks for answering , r23. It does for me. Guess I ping too much.

It looks bad on fatties.

Shirley MacLaine looked great in her pixie cut in the 50s/60s - 'Some Came Running" & The Apartment - She looked like a kooky, lean dancer - but she has worn the same style and color for 70 years! Her face has melted like a candle under that hair do,

i still think a woman has to change up her hair every few years - if you keep it the same way from your 20s to 60s - you are just going to look old. Annette Bening has worn the same cropped cut forever - I think she looks like Elizabeth Warren these days!

If the woman has a short boyish haircut she needs to wear a shitload of make up or she will look like a dyke.

What's wrong with a woman looking like a dyke? This is a gay and lesbian message board, isn't it?

Some guys will call a woman a dyke (or say she looks like one) as if that's the ultimate insult. Don't be that guy.

R25 is correct about the French lady rubes.

Also, in Paris, no woman likes to have a high maintenance haircut like most short cuts. They favor “bed head” looks, with natural-looking coloring. They want you to believe they roll out of bed looking fresh and fuckable.

Straight women would be mortified if they got a short boyish haircut and looked like a dyke. They want to look feminine not like their high school gym teacher.

Jean Seberg owns this thread

Nothing wrong with looking like a dyke if you are one, or you want everyone to think you are.

All the women in the photos on this thread are wearing a shitload of make up. A woman with a short haircut without make up will look like a 12 year old boy.

[quote]This is a gay and lesbian message board, isn't it?

No. This is a gay men's message board.

Judi Dench has had the same cut forever and it suits her.

No, it’s not r41. It’s a site for homosexuals. Lezzie sisters have as much right as you.

Mia Farrow.. late 60s.. You need a pretty face, preferably with delicate features and large eyes. Eye makeup should always be worn. I love the look... but, I wouldn't be able to pull it off. I always preferred short hair on women... it's very chic and shows confidence.

I love this cut, too..

Sophia Loren - the ultimate

Alternatively,

Mia Wasikowska - recently divorced 47- year-old geography teacher.

Short haircuts are just not flattering unless the wearer is slim, young-looking ,and attractive.

The divine Halle Berry

Jennifer Lawrence as a suburban mom dying to show of her new “emo” inspired do on her girl’s night out!

The effortless famine of Anne Hathaway

Of course there are always those people who look great regardless of what they do like the woman pictured in OP's picture, but I am talking about the average person. Normally women do not look their best with men's haircuts, just as men don't look their best with a woman's hair cut.

You take the average overweight house frau, who has a men's haircut, to me just looks like they have completely given up. I saw a older couple the other day and the woman had shorter hair than the guy. I can't tell you the number of times I have wondered whether someone is a man or woman. Thankfully they mostly have big boobs to answer that question.

Long hair is now associated with feminity so when women get a short hair cut it's often seen as she's not interested in attracting men (without necessarily been a lesbian). That pisses some straight men off. Where I live a lot of women have longer hair but they keep it tied up or in some sort of loose bun or twist for easy maintainence. But it's quite a casual sort of place for both men and women.

You don’t need to be young and thin for short hair, but you do need the bones.

Rihanna has the bones.

Kate does not.

Straight men prefer women with long hair, so that's the way it will be until something changes.

It’s not a popular opinion, but Kathy Griffin looked great with the pixie cut as opposed to the big Real Housewife extensions.

No she’s not a delicate beauty and it didn’t turn her into one but she is thin and her features weren’t hidden. And weirdly made her look her age or a bit younger, as opposed to mutton dressed as lamb.

Gender appropriation!

This looks best on Jamie Lee Curtis. I like the salt and pepper/grey, also.

I prefer Viola Davis with her natural short Afro instead of those awful wigs and weaves she wears.

I was looking through some old photos, old like the 70s-80s, and what surprised me is how often I changed my hair. Short, long, medium, streaked, dyed, whatever. Nowadays all girls wear their hair the same way. Long, parted in the middle, flat ironed. We used orange juice cans for volume and a real iron if you wanted it smooth. Now a chin length bob because I’m old and I think I’m hiding my sagging chin but I’m only fooling myself.

Oh man, R49. That short hair on Jennifer Lawrence emphasizes how weak her bone structure is

Oh remember Season Hubley on "Family" she played Gary Frank's girlfriend Salina - she looked beautiful with short cropped hair ..... There are 2 or 3 early seasons of Law and Order SVU - Mariska Hargitay was very thin - wore tight pants and sweaters and a beautiful leather coat - she wore her hair very short and she looked great. She's gotten older and heavier - not fat - just heavier - she would look awful in that haircut now - but for a brief time ...... After 50 if your face has fallen or you aren't trim - it's not that short hair is dykey - it just makes a woman invisible or look like she is bouncing back from illness.

Damn , Rihanna is GORGEOUS, as proven at that pic at r53. She's also a badass on the Red Carpet, too. I love her daring style.

That hair was great on Mariska. I don't think she should go back to a pixie cut at her age and weight, but she needs to do something else with her current style. It's so stingy and limp looking, it just hangs there, and the way it's parted doesn't suit her. She needs a good chop, maybe down to chin or shoulder length. Right now, she looks like an older woman clinging desperately to a hair style suited for younger women. Don't get me wrong, I think she's gorgeous, but yeah, her hair needs updating.

R64 for R62.

Season Hubley... adorable.

Sigh. A smart, engaging discussion that references Season Hubley. This is one of the reasons I keep coming back here.

IMHO, actresses who look uniquely beautiful and appealing in short hair:

The aforementioned Charlize T. and Halle B. Both exceptionally beautiful women, but I think longer, more conventionally "pretty" hair (or wigs or extensions) bland them out. Shirley Maclaine, of course. (Did anyone ever accuse Shirley of lack of femininity? If so, I'd like to hear about it.) Joanne Woodward, who also made short-ish styles a trademark.

Meg Ryan has done as much/more interesting work with longer hair (and she has a glorious head of curly hair), but I find her much more interesting to watch with shorter hair. Same with Winona: wonderful hair, but better short.

OTOH, other ladies (wisely) make short hair their signature, if only because they lack naturally glorious hair: eg, Sharon Stone, Emma Watson, Michelle Williams. Stone's hair is pin-straight and baby fine, but that fabulous face.... enough said. I prefer Emma in short, boyish cuts that suit her andro-energy and intelligence. Annette Bening should update her style, but she's been wise to emphasize her wonderful, expressive face. Her hair simply doesn't look good long.

I demand to speak to the manager! R54

Post-script: have we discussed Jean Seberg? (Sorry, the bourbon is kicking in and I grow weary.)

Iconic mid-century international beauty. But ultimately, a sad, complicated, badly used gal from Marshalltown, Iowa. Endless thread material, but then, this is about short hair.

Anyway.... she really rocked short hair in 1960.

Still gorgeous, but less interesting, less herself with long "girly" hair.

Emma Watson has fivehead regardless of the cut. Very pasty looking and very plain.

She played Saint Joan, but still.... some seriously short, ungirly hair.

Here's a better one...

I will just mention as a Bi guy, I don't particularly like short hair on women, there are exceptions of course but it just isn't attractive on most women. Plus, when kissing, I like to have hair to run my fingers through, not to mention grabbing a fistful during sex, it is also why I prefer men to have at least medium length hair.

Anna Wintour has had the same bob for decades.

R75 I don't consider a bob to be short, the pixie is short.

Twiggy... cute pixie cut with her huge eyes. A style icon back then, and can still apply today.

Edie Sedgwick

Evan Rachel Wood

Janine Turner had this down to perfection.

even an average older woman looks better with the right short style.

Ah, Maggie was a beauty, r80.

Keira Knightley appeared in DOMINO with essentially the same short haircut that Jennifer Lawrence later got; Keira has the bone structure to make it look like magic.

However, Keira has Charlize And Halle Syndrome.

Those same features that are strengthened by short hair and updos are swamped by long hair.

I think short hair looks fabulous on young women with small features. Lori L. In R15 is an excellent example.

R80 - Janine was stunning then.

I think it looked good on Morena Baccarin (from Deadpool and Homeland). She had her hair short like this when she played the alien leader on V.

[quote] it looks terrible on some women

....

Sinead O’Connor rocked it before she went to crazy town.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

Kristen Stewart looks great with short hair

Annie Lennox was sublime.

Not the best shot, but no looked better than 1980s era Siobhan Fahey with her tousled short hair.

Didn't I Love Lucy already do this topic?

Keri Russell

Tina Chow

And a little longer

Natalie Imbruglia

Not all young women can pull them off. You don’t have to be a sloppy fat old frau to look bad in one of these cuts. Gennifer Goodwin, Michelle Williams, Gwyneth Paltrow - none have the face for a pixie cut, try as they might. Though, Paltrow looked better with short hair than the dreadful middle part and longish, lank hair she’s been wearing for years.

Joanna Lumley

I was going to bring up Natalie r97. I resembled her quite a bit in my younger years. I had that Demi Moore Ghost cut. In the early 90s I was a mid twenties extremely fit with a hot little body/boobs, heterosexual woman in the Navy and let me tell you everything wanted to fuck me. I lived in Boston, women followed me around and opened doors for me, men followed me, gay men even made comment about the almost beautiful twink I would have made. It worked for me at that time in my life and there were a lot more women obviously during that time working that look. Youth doesn't last forever. I am not as delicate and fresh by any means so I keep a little length now to soften things. I also hate the one length do nothing part in the middle thing that seems to be the style now for over a decade. There is not much fresh stuff going on. Its tired we more diversity. I like the 1920s ladies hair and hats. Look at some google images, from young to old the ladies looked nice with that style of kind of chin length loose bobs.

Two Single White Females — who wore it better, Jennifer Jason Leigh or Bridget Fonda?

Queen Elizabeth

Some gay men like women to look like twinks. The pretty young women with short hair look like twinks just like some gay men like them. Many female fashion models are tall slim with no tits and short boyish haircuts because of gay male fashion designers taste.

I'm not into twinks and like buff masculine guys like me.. Women want to attract the attention of straight guys not their gay male hair stylist. Its your gay eyes that make you like short boyish hair on women.

I disagree, R98. I think Ginnifer Goodwin and Gwyneth Paltrow look/looked lovely with short hair, although I will grant that longer is an even better look on Gwyneth.

And, for Michelle Williams, I'd say a short cut is actually her one and only good hair option. If you look closely at old photos from her teen years, her hair is both fine (the strands) and thin (there's not a lot of it on her head). Someone upthread said that, if you lack a glorious head of hair, going very short and staying that way can be a strategic choice. That's what Williams has done: the blonde pixie is her signature look now.

For the above reason, I also disagree that a woman has to be beautiful to "carry off" short hair. It's funny that no one ever talks about whether a man's face is suited to a short cut, even though men's looks vary as widely as women's. I think it's better for a homely woman to commit to a stylish short cut and have it be a real "look" than to go around with lackluster longer hair just because other people feel more comfortable with it.

Deborah Mitford

Diana Mitford

Miley Cyrus looks better in short hair than in long hair.

Jennifer Hudson looks good with short hair, too.

R104 - Ginnifer Goodwin and Michelle Williams look good with shortish hair, but not pixies.

Another point is that you not only need to be thin but also have a relatively small head like Kristen stewart and winnona ryder do.

[quote]Not all young women can pull them off. You don’t have to be a sloppy fat old frau to look bad in one of these cuts. Gennifer Goodwin, Michelle Williams,

Are you kidding me? Michelle Williams didn't look great in a pixie cut?! Michelle rocks the pixie cut- I always thought she was plain until she cut her hair very short. She looks fantastic with short hair.

Hairdresser here and I agree. I HATE super long hair and prefer anything above the shoulder. Always have. Long hair is boring and I get so tired of the beach wave look.

Shorter cuts are so much more fun and there’s more you can do with them in my opinion. Women don’t want to put any effort into their hair anymore. I’d love to go back in time and do hair in the days of roller sets and perms. From the 40s all the way up to the 80s.

Yes, Miley does look better with a pixie cut. I also think Sandra Bullock looks better in shorter hair. That long dark jet black hair she's had in recent years does nothing for her. I do think she believes it makes her look younger.

Frau invasion.

You need to learn your place.

Always stylish.

And r114? Fuck off you rancid cunt. This isn’t a closed Facebook page, anyone with internet access can and does post here.

Or is it dykes?

I actually didn't care for Madonna or Anne Heche with short hair, Meg Ryan either

Wonder how long Mika can pull her short hair off?

I thought Natalie Portman looked stunning with short hair.

R4 is absolutely correct it is only an option for the symmetrical and the beautiful sadly. I tried a pixie cut hoping for an Anna Friel look but ended up like this

Goldie Hawn, back in the day..

Marisa Tomei in "Only You".

Robin Wright in "House of Cards". Though sometimes she wore it too short and it looked too severe.

Audrey Hepburn

Aimee Mann

Marisa Tomei definitely looks better with short hair.

The pixie looks the best on those who are skinny, oval faced, small jaw, high cheekboned with large eyes. Winona ryder, goldie hawn, twiggy, mia farrow, rihanna.

Agyness Deyn

Inès de la Fressange

Maggie Cheung

Alexa Singer

I have no idea what to do with my long hair R122 but I fear going above the shoulder isn’t the best option because of my weight and my face. I hate the way I look right now and think my face looks more tired & puffy & jowly than usual because of my hair.

I have a ‘big’ oval face & cheeks on a big head with small features (snub nose, almond eyes, purse lips etc) and my tawny gold-ish hair (I appreciate its colour and don’t want to dye it) is coarse-curly and tends to static or puff out from my head (so I can’t atraighten it without it breaking or matting/frizzing). I usually part my hair at the left side and ‘flip’ it Clueless style (I will say the wave it creates is nice). I am also kind of ‘healthy’ in build, like 5-10lbs overweight but with sturdiness - flab locates specifically in my gut, handles and face sadly, which makes my cheeks chin and my chin/jawline virtually nonexistent unless starter-Jowls count.

I’ve had long mid-back length hair for years at a time through my life, mostly for convenience as it weights the bushiness. It gets braided or put in a bun a lot which I worry ages me (I’m nearly 30) but is a must to stop my face breaking out in spots. I once cut it to collarbone length and got compliments, but couldn’t keep it down often due to my work and aforementioned acne issue plus ended up with damage because I had to blowdry & straighten a lot.

As a kid my mom gave me a variety of bangs from wispy mid-forehead to full eyeskimming block and I did look very different - could that be a key? I can’t be bothered or really afford bang upkeep, but..

Deborah Mitford

Women really need to up the make-up when they go very short.

[quote]always preferred short hair on women... it's very chic and shows confidence.

It all depends upon the woman, the cut, and her overall styling. I agree that a short ‘do often suggests confidence because it goes against the status quo and societal pressures – particularly, for women who identify as straight.

[quote]I also disagree that a woman has to be beautiful to "carry off" short hair. It's funny that no one ever talks about whether a man's face is suited to a short cut, even though men's looks vary as widely as women's. I think it's better for a homely woman to commit to a stylish short cut and have it be a real "look" than to go around with lackluster longer hair just because other people feel more comfortable with it.

Nicely expressed. I agree with all of this.

[quote]Women really need to up the make-up when they go very short.

This is often case. However, when done well (particularly, the eyes), they can look striking. Someone linked a pic of Linda Evangelista upthread. Her modeling career was almost dead and she was ready to throw in the towel until she chopped off her hair (because she had nothing left to lose) and then went supernova. Longer is not always better.

^^ This is often THE case.

R132 You will appreciate the fullness in your face in a few years.

When I retire I’m going short. I’ll be hideous but won’t give a flamin’ shit.

Audrey Tautou (Amélie)

Milla Jovovich:

Isabella Rossellini - bold features, angular jaw.

Here she is

Versus a bad haircut on Rossellini

This is why straight men prefer longer hair on women. It looks youthful; gives the illusion of fertility.

Wow. This does NOT work.

Now, THIS works. Can you really narrow it down to certain features when deciding if short hair will work on a woman?

Sometimes ( see Pam Anderson, above), long hair just hides ugly.

I want to hear from the DL stylists ( former and otherwise).

When my sister was modelling ages ago, her agent told her she wouldn't work with her unless she cut off her long wavy hair. The agent's reasoning was to compare photos of sis with hair up and pulled back ( wow on the bone structure) with hair down photos ( hides bone structure). Still a good rule of thumb?

This

Vs. This re: bone structure hidden

N. Kinski looks more Butch with long hair.

Julia Roberts looked horrid with short hair.

Julia Roberts doesn't have stunning bone structure.

Here is the test according to r146.

Sorry Jules, keep it LONG!

Shari Belafonte

Nicole deBoer

One thing I also miss, along with short cuts, is HEIGHT in hairdos. That was such a 60s thing - short but piled or poofed up high, often with long dangling earrings. It was so glamorous. I don't understand why some female celeb doesn't bring it back, she'd really stand out.

Halsey

Please, stop posting automatic download links. I don't want your viruses, thank you very much.

Turn off link preview r157

R144... I note the sarcasm, but Susan Lucci would be a great candidate for short hair... and I don't mean because of her age. She has beautiful features, on a small , delicate face. Her hair now looks fine, but I would love a shorter cut on her. She would look great.

Rita Moreno... one of my favs.

R155..

Erin Richards

Not ONE WORD about Liza?!! NOT ONE WORD?????!!!!

R162 - Really suits her.

One of Polly Bergen's bouffant pixie styles.

R147 Nastassja Kinski looked great with short hair.

[quote]Michelle Williams didn't look great in a pixie cut?!

No, she looks increasingly duck-like, especially with her post-Creek ski-jump nose.

She looks good with a bob or a shorter cut, but her eyes are too dead for the pixie.

You think her eyes are dead? What about me!

I had a pixie cut as a kid. But it just looked like a Brillo pad.

unless you have board straight hair, short hair is a pain in the ass. The relaxers, the gels and sprays, the straightening you have to do every day to keep it under control. It is an endless hassle.

Fuck that. Ain't nobody got time for that shit.

She looks nothing like a duck to me. Good grief. And her eyes aren't dead, they're just dark in photographs, which I think gives her an introspective look.

Countess Raine Spencer (Princess Diana's stepmother)

R155 Amy Winehouse's signature style was a bouffant.

Occasionally celebrities wear a beehive on the red carpet.

Big hair requires time and lots of product and at the end of the process the woman ends up being compared to Snooki. Hairstyles with height have moved from 1950s elegance into early aughts dumpster fire.