The Manic Pixie Dream Cut

When Naomi Campbell’s Steven Meisel-lensed Vogue Italia cover [27] crossed our desks, nearly all of our hands crept up to our necks with one single shared thought: pixie cuts! They’re definitely "happening" in 2013—forget the Daria, just feast your eyes on the Jean Seberg-reminiscent wigs from Dior Couture, but beyond that; check out Jean Seberg (and Natalie Portman, Kate Moss, Rihanna, Carey Mulligan, Mia Farrow...you get the picture). Once you start looking for the chic-and-short cut of your dreams, well, it’s pretty hard to stop. So if you’re in the market for a major change (and hey, why shouldn’t you be? It’s just hair, right? It grows [...right?]), check out our crop of lovely ladies rocking what else? The crop.

[1] Carey Mulligan, [2] Mia Farrow, [3] Agyness Deyn, [4] Winona Ryder, [5] Natalie Portman, [6] Audrey Hepburn, [7] Carey Mulligan, [8] Winona Ryder, [9] Lena Dunham, [10] Agyness Deyn, [11] Jean Seberg, [12] Demi Moore, [13] Audrey Hepburn, [14] Dior Couture SS 2013, [15] Dior Couture SS 2013, [16] Carey Mulligan, [17] Emma Watson, [18] Halle Berry, [19] Mia Wasikowska, [20] Shannyn Sossamon, [21] Mia Farrow, [22] Kate Moss, [23] Carey Mulligan, [24] Lena Dunham, [25] Mia Wasikowska, [26] Michelle Williams, [27] Naomi Campbell, [28] Mia Farrow, [29] Natalie Portman, [30] Agyness Deyn, [31] Kate Moss, [32] Merethe Hopland, [33] Carey Mulligan, [34] Rihanna, [35] Mia Farrow, [36] Twiggy, [37] Christy Turlington.

http://twitter.com/ladydangerlips Natalie Lane

Mia Farrow was such a fox..
lasvelvis.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/Occhineri23 Suzanne

I loved having a pixie cut, but I HATED having to get it cut every three weeks. Growing it out isn't any fun either.
http://nomadic-d.blogspot.com/ Nomadic D.

Oh man, SO many good photos here! Bookmarking this nor for future inspiration. I just recently went waay shorter than I'm used to with bangs:

http://bit.ly/Zh5MLS

but I get the feeling like I'm working my way up to something really daring like this. Because yes, it's just hair. It will grow again if it doesn't work. And with so many amazing examples, why wouldn't it work? Right?

http://www.nomadicd.com
Casallina

I've always loved Carey Mulligan's cut!
http://casallina.wordpress.com/
http://thecornerapartment.com/ Elizabeth @ TheCornerApartment

I could never do it in fear of looking like a teenage boy. But goodness, it would really cut down on my getting-ready time in the morning!
Laura

Where's Anne Hathaway???
http://www.ofstrangersensibilities.com/ Joy Of Stranger Sensibilities

I can't get enough of hair coverage on this blog. I'd love it if Emily would talk more about her hair style and how she styles it so perfectly every goddamn time. It'll be cool to see more "hair profiles" alongside the beautiful profiles you guys already do. Just a suggestion
Lori Santos

Why is there no shot of Charlize?
Lana

I love the amount of pictures on the slide. Love these ladies!!
Kaelani

I always loved Carey Mulligan's cut and Michelle William's cut also....so when Lena Dunham cut her hair I was like "THAT'S IT, I'M GOIN FOR IT"....unfortunately I look like an Asian Moe from the three stooges. You win some, you lose some.
andria

Did you know that Mia Farrow cuts her own hair and always did? She actually gave herself the pixie cut, not Vidal Sassoon. She wrote the NY Times a letter to the editor of the Style section to clarify that. Pretty brave.
Cole

I'm surprised that out of all the pictures you could have posted of the gorgeous Halle Berry, you chose that flipped out style she had for like 5 min lol. Her pixie cut is so iconic. I always reference her when going for a chop. Great post!
Xinyi

More short hair cuts here

http://pinterest.com/xinyipins/short/
Sara

I really want to cut my hair into a pixie cut, but I have curly hair,but not kinky and I'm kind of young (15 years old). Would it be a mistake to cut my hair that short?? Right now my hair is kinda long... Help?
- Jen
  
  I have curly hair, and a pixie, and it just makes it much more interesting. I love it so much more than dealing with wild curls... go for it!
  - Sara
    
    ok! Thank you!
Ignorant Male

I am a male with no fashion sense whatsoever, and I stumbled onto this post because sometimes people take wrong turns on the Internet. I am in no way trying to troll. As a fashion layman, I need this question explained.

Why is this a look? What about it is aesthetically pleasing?

All these women are beautiful, but in my view this hairstyle in my opinion makes every person pictured look worse. Furthermore, I don't know a single male who prefers this look to a normal hairstyle. I know that everyone here will pounce on that comment as misogynistic drivel, and I am NOT trying to imply that women's fashion is about looking good to men. It is not, but if every person I know agrees that this haircut is a terrible idea, what am I missing that makes it good/desirable?

Again, I do not know what I am talking about. I'm not trying to start a fight, and I know that style is inherently subjective. I am simply ignorance personified, and I want to be informed why anyone would go with this look.

Please don't kill me.
- Abbie
  
  I find it hard to believe that every male you know doesn't find it attractive, as many of my guy friends constantly lust after girls with short hair (to my dismay - I would look terrible with super short boy hair).
  
  I can't really explain the attraction from a male's perspective, but from a female's, it connotes a level of confidence and eccentricity that is intriguing, even if it's purely superficial. I think it works best on girls who have very simplistic, pretty features, rather than those that are exotic, because it can differentiate them and make them stand out more.
  
  PS. I'm not mad at you, you made your point eloquently and it's understandable... "ignorance personified" is also amazing.
- Hannah
  
  First off, you have made legitimate points and none of us here are going to kill you (not me anyway). DISCLOSURE: I don't have a pixie cut. My only experience with short hair is when I played a bad ass in a play and had to wear a pixie cut wig.
  
  I would encourage you to google images of the females included in the slideshow and do a little compare and contrast session. Then make a decision on whether "all" of them look "worse" (with all due respect). Note: one thing to pay attention for (if you decide to compare and contrast) is how the pixie cut has brought out their features more.
  
  Pixie cuts make some dudes uncomfortable because it is unexpected. She has control, she doesn't give a shit, and she's pretty and could kick my ass (appearances can be deceiving). On another note, a women with short hair is essentially, re-defining what "beautiful" can look like. It mixes you up for a second. You're either attracted or you're not. Honestly, if you're not, there may be a 50% chance you're supporting my previous claim: you're uncomfortable (or maybe I'm just pulling shit from my ass). But lets forget about re-defining for a second. This isn't some crazy new revolution, Mia Farrow and Audrey Hepburn (both 1960s babes) are both pictured in the slide.
  
  However, the majority of women in the 21st century, I guarantee you, are not intentionally trying to re-define beauty. (Women from the 1920's were intentionally rebelling. This haircut is timeless as shit.) If anything, the woman with the cut just likes how it can be both chic and no fuss. Hope this made it clearer for you.
- sally
  
  I don't think all women think short hair looks better than long hair, just like not all men like long hair better than short hair. That said, I think the males tend to identify long hair with femininity and femininity with beauty. But women find beauty in a masculine version of femininity more than men. Does this makes sense?
  
  Conversation I had with my 15 year old on his way to drop him off at a gathering of his friends as he was telling me that he was only going cause a girl he liked, Samantha, was going to be there. Among the questions I asked: So does she have long hair? Of course, said my son. M, you have to go for the short hair girls. Long hair might look pretty but pretty only takes you so far. It takes confidence to have short hair, said me the mom. (Disclosure: I've always had short hair.) Sez the son: pretty is far enough for me mom .
- Klk
  
  I have a pixie cut. My husband prefers it over longer hair. For me, I am very petite and long hair overwhelms my frame. Pulling the hair away from the face brings out the bone structure and features. You have to have confidence to wear it though. And you should wear makeup. For those concerned with looking like a teenage boy, if u have boobs and a butt and u throw on a slinky dress and heels, no on will think you're a boy.
goddammitmrnoodle

I have rocked a version of the pixie cut for a few years now. Full disclosure, I am 46 and I look great. (For those on the fence: it is just hair. It will grow back.) I feel way more confident when I have short hair. My boyfriend loves it, always has, and I get tons of compliments, and this comment, "I wish I were brave enough to do it." It is not, however, necessarily easier to style nor does it take less time. It can, but don't assume that it will.
heidi

I am just now growing out a pixie, which I loved. During the pixie phase I was struck by the number of men that complimented my hair...but they would whisper the compliment to me! As if to say, I really like it, even though I've been told by others that I shouldn't. I took the compliment and felt a little bad for their own insecurities.
denisa

thank you Lischelt for this link. I enjoyed it a lot. Very well written piece.
Else

I shaved my hair off little over a year ago. Since then my go-to cut is a pixie cut, after the first cut I let it grow out for some months and when I cut it a second time... it hit me, I LOVE having short hair... I'm not sure I will ever grow my hair out again.

So, how about a hair-colouring post, pretty please... (with short hair/pixie cuts). I love the funky freedom of a pixie cut but would love to step it up to another level. And styling ideas for short/-er hair? I agree with one of the comments below that asks for more hair posts... I second the suggestion!
Eric P.

I think pixie cuts are very attractive, which is a bit unusual for most men for social and cultural reasons