Pixie cut

A pixie cut is a short hairstyle, generally short on the back and sides of the head and slightly longer on the top, with very short bangs. It is a variant of a crop. The name is derived from the mythological pixie.

History


Pixie cuts were popularized first in the 1950s, when Audrey Hepburn wore the style in her debut film Roman Holiday (1953). Jean Seberg also sported a pixie cut for Otto Preminger's Bonjour Tristesse (1958) and Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless (1960). Further in the 1960s, the look was worn by actress Mia Farrow (notably in Rosemary's Baby in 1968), British model Twiggy, and Laugh-In (1968–73) star Goldie Hawn.

The pixie became fashionable again in the late 1970s and 1980s, with one of its most notable wearers being the actress Jacqueline Pearce in the British TV series Blake's 7 (1978–81). The pixie also was big in the mid 1990s, as worn by waif model Lucie de la Falaise and Madonna in her world tour "The Girlie Show" (1993). Halle Berry appeared in the James Bond film Die Another Day (2002) wearing a pixie. Pixies are very easy to maintain and can be worn casually, or dressed up for special occasions.

In December 2023, Eve Gilles, while sporting a pixie cut, became the first woman with short hair to be crowned Miss France, which led to media attention both in France and internationally regarding the cyberbullying she had received due to her hairstyle. "While long hair has traditionally been associated with femininity, short hair challenges conventional beauty standards, allowing women to redefine their notions of beauty, femininity and strength," explains celebrity hairstylist Jordan Jay Brumant.

In popular culture
Columnist Pamela Hutchinson notes that the pixie hairstyle is often portrayed in films in a negative way, usually had when actors play characters that have been traumatized, imprisoned or are undergoing cancer treatment.