Making the Cut: The Politics of Women and Short Hair

Picture a stereotypical attractive woman. While most people’s individual preferences or ideals of beauty might vary in terms of hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, height, and build, there is one standard that remains relatively consistent: women are not generally expected to have hair shorter than, at most, a chin-length bob. In fact, shorter hairstyles, such as a pixie cut or a shaved head, can result in women being treated quite differently from those with longer hair.

Cut Off? Short hair in the 2010s

In her opinion piece for i-D magazine, What does it mean to get ‘woman’d’?, cultural critic Rayne Fisher-Quann refers to Anne Hathaway, Britney Spears, and Millie Bobby Brown as examples of women who have been ‘sentenced to death in the court of public opinion for the crime of being too visible, too successful, too proud, not good enough at performing humility or coolness or whatever new mode of womanhood is enforceable that week.’ Notably, these women all experienced public backlash or condemnation when their hair was cut short or shaved off. While I’m not suggesting that these women’s short haircuts are the sole ‘motives’ behind the press and public’s treatment of them, it does seem like more than a coincidence that perceptions of them shifted with this prominent change in their physical appearances.

In fact, there are many examples from the 2010s of famous women experiencing backlash or a drop in popularity after shaving their heads or cutting their hair short: Emma Watson, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Brie Larson, and Kristen Stewart, to name a few. But I think two of the best examples of this treatment are Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lawrence.

Anne Hathaway won ‘Best Supporting Actress’ at the 2013 Oscars for her role as Fantine in Les Misérables. Hathaway wore a baby-pink Prada dress and had the fringe of her glossy brown pixie cut pushed to the side. Complete with her doe-eyed expression and breathless exclamation that “it came true” during her acceptance speech, she appeared to be the picture of innocence, humility, and earnestness. The public decided they didn’t like that, of course. A Vanity Fair article from 2013 described the online onslaught against Hathaway, with article titles including ‘How Annoying Is Anne Hathaway: A Scientific Inquiry’ and ‘Why Is Anne Hathaway So Unlikable?’. 

The same Vanity Fair article pointed out the popularity disparity between Anne Hathaway and that year’s ‘Best Actress’ winner, Jennifer Lawrence, writing that ‘If Jennifer Lawrence created the litmus test for likeability […], Anne Hathaway has for some reason lowered the curve. In any other awards run-up, her respectfully delivered acceptance speeches and air of earnestness may have come across as charming and dignified. But, perhaps in contrast with Lawrence’s candidness, the once widely beloved Hathaway has somehow struck the wrong chord in the media.’ It’s true that while Anne Hathaway was receiving a tirade of hatred from all sides, Jennifer Lawrence was being praised for her easy-going and ‘relatable’ personality. Her public persona was of the funny, chilled-out cool girl who trips over at awards shows and talks enthusiastically about eating pizza and taking shots. The public and press lapped it up, making it seem that this personality type was a safer route for female celebrities to take. 

However, this public goodwill towards Jennifer Lawrence didn’t last. In November 2013, she debuted a new short hairstyle, and for the next few years, she experienced a similar reaction to Anne Hathaway. Her popularity soured, her ‘charm’ turned to ‘cringe’, and the same traits that endeared her to the public became the very criticisms that were thrown her way. So it wasn’t really Lawrence’s personality that was beloved, if the public turned on her as soon as her long blonde hair was out of the picture. If anything, this suggests that women really can’t win in society based solely on their character. Their credibility, success, and popularity are always at risk of being lost as soon as male attraction to them wanes. 

It hasn’t always been this way

Short hair wasn’t always associated with women being too loud, too cringe, too earnest, or too fake. In fact, it was a popular look at various stages throughout the 20th century, and some of the most iconic female celebrities were known for their short hair. From the flapper looks of the 1920s to the short hairstyles of the 90s worn by big names such as Princess Diana, Winona Ryder, and Halle Berry, short hair came in and out of trend every two or three decades. 

A particularly notable example of an iconic figure whose short hair was a part of her style is Audrey Hepburn. Her roles in films such as Roman Holiday and Sabrina popularised the look on-screen and paved the way for it to fully emerge in the 60s. Style icons of the late 60s, such as models Twiggy and Edie Sedgwick, and actress Mia Farrow, sported short ‘boyish’ haircuts which were in line with the more androgynous style of the period. Similarly, many films of the French New Wave featured chic female characters with short hair, such as Cleo From 5 to 7, Breathless, and Vivre Sa Vie. 

Overall, it was undoubtedly stylish to wear a short hairstyle at various points throughout the twentieth century. Although short hair became associated with annoying or unlikable women sometime between the late 2000s and early 2010s, it seems to be experiencing a resurgence in popularity. 

The Short Hair Revival

Within the last year or so, I’ve noticed more and more famous women getting short haircuts, suggesting that the style might be experiencing a cultural revival:

Anok Yai, who was pronounced model of the year by the British Fashion Council in 2025, has styled several variations of the short-hair look, including at four of the last five Met Galas. 

Oscar-winning actresses Emma Stone and Jessie Buckley have both worn their hair short, and so far, neither of them has received the kind of simultaneous dip in popularity experienced by Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lawrence.

Other actresses who have embraced short hair recently include Florence Pugh and Zoe Kravitz, who have starred in major films such as Dune: Part Two and The Batman. 

Meanwhile, some of Gen Z’s favourite actresses and singers currently have very short hair, such as Taylor Russell, Gracie Abrams, and Zendaya. 

The trend has extended to include influencers, too. Emma Chamberlain is one of the most popular influencers among Gen Z, with 14 million Instagram followers and 12 million YouTube subscribers. She cut her hair short in 2024, and by early 2025, it had been cut even shorter into a full pixie cut. Meanwhile, cool-girl nepo baby Iris Law has been trying out various short or shaved hairstyles since at least 2021. 

As we know, fashion trends are cyclical. My prediction for the short hair look is that it will remain ‘in’ for a few years as the trend cycles run their course. However, I think the tides will turn just as quickly, and we might unfortunately see a return to the treatment that women such as Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Lawrence were subjected to when their hair was ‘different’ from the norm. 

I also don’t think short hair will ever align with Western conventional beauty standards, so it will always be perceived as ‘other’ by many people. However, the important thing to remember is that these restrictive beauty standards, including hair length, are enforced by a patriarchal society that prioritises female desirability while thriving on women’s insecurities. Women should be able to have hair of any length without the fear of being treated differently if they choose to cut their hair short, and temporary fashion trends should not be treated as more important than true personal expression.

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