History of the Pixie Cut

Mention the pixie cut and the chances are your mind turns to Twiggy or Beyonce! With short hairstyles very much on trend for 2014, the team at Afrotherapy Hair Salon in Edmonton check out the history of the pixie cut and study some of the celebrities who’ve hit the headlines for their super short locks.

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What is a pixie cut?

A pixie cut is a short women’s hairstyle that is usually short at the back and sides and worn slightly longer on the top.  It can be as short as half an inch in some places to two or three inches long in others.  Ask your Afrotherapy Hair Salon stylist for advice on how to wear your hair short. Pixie cuts are very easy to maintain and can be worn casually, or dressed up for special occasions.  Wear it slicked back, spikey, with a quiff, curled close to the head or just wash and go!

Who had the first pixie cut?

Josephine BakerAudrey Hepburn in Roman HolidayAlthough difficult to pinpoint exactly, our research tells us that the pixie goes back to the 1930s when the sensational American entertainer and actress Josephine Baker burst onto the scenes. The style grew in popularity in the early to mid 1950s when actress Audrey Hepburn wore the style in her debut film Roman Holiday The crop was part of the film’s storyline about a princess who goes incognito to get a break from her royal duties.  A hairdresser transforms her looks by chopping off her long hair.   Bear in mind that the 1950s also gave us the beehive, the flip and the poodle (pictured below) and you can understand how women embraced a new hairstyle that was chic and easy to maintain.

Celebrity pixie cut hairstyles

It’s interesting to see how many famous women have seen their fame and fortunes rise after having a pixie cut. Twiggy Lesley Hornby was an unknown 15 year old hoping to make it as a model.  After her hair was coloured and cut into a pixie style in 1966… supermodel Twiggy emerged! Actress Halle Berry says her acting career really took off after she cut her hair short in the late 1980s. She said: “I am my best self when I have super short hair. That’s when I feel most like me and most confident.” Actress Emma Watson could no longer be mistaken for her Hermione Granger character in the Harry Potter films after adopting the pixie cut in 2010.

At Afrotherapy we  love the short hairstyles seen on BeyonceRihanna, Toni Braxton, Alicia Quarles, Cassandra Freeman and Nicole Mitchell.  If you are looking for a short hairstyle for afro or mixed race hair, come and visit our expert stylists for a high quality, precision hair cut.  Call the Afrotherapy team at our London Hair Salon on 020 8345 5621.