The ranks of short-haired chicks in this city have swelled, as cropped cuts have finally become cool again.
I miss my short hair.
My hair is now well below the shoulders, and I am forever flicking it off my skin and yanking it off my neck in irritation when the Humidex soars. I dream of using my current, less man-repellent longer hair to lure in a dude…and then chop it all off once we’re together. But just four summers ago, I was rocking a shockingly short pixie cut. I was, at the time, one of few who did—and I loved it. There is something about short hair that’s magical. It is powerful. It is rare. It is the unicorn of lady haircuts. Or, at least, it was.
Hair length cycles in and out of fashion like hemlines, and this summer, the ranks of short-haired chicks in this city have swelled, as cropped cuts have become—at long last—cool again. Thank famous folk like Emma Watson, Evan Rachel Wood, Ginnifer Goodwin and Michelle Williams, who’ve recently lopped off their locks, giving less gutsy girls the courage they need to go short.
“There are always short-haired vixens out there; sometimes, however, the long-haired girls go short, and then suddenly it makes fashion headlines. I believe this is what is happening right now,” says Marilisa (one name only), artistic director for Marc Anthony Hair Care, at Bloor and Avenue in Yorkville.
Short hair is the ultimate fashion accessory. Right away, other people can see that you’ve made a very conscious style choice. And as close-cropped Urban Outfitters department manager Lorena Agolli says, “Your hair sometimes makes the outfit more than a pair of shoes does.” Those long ’70s-esque layers are waves of shining boring. Where is the risk? Where is the transgression? It’s the same as dressing like your best friend…and the next girl, and the next.
“I think there is boldness to short hair that some women are intimidated by. There is nothing to hide behind. If you flirt, you flirt with your eyes, smile and body; no hair-tossing for this sort of woman,” says Marilisa. If you’re up for the cut, she’s the stylist to see, having worked on short-haired celebs like Tilda Swinton and Martina Sorbara of Dragonette, both incredibly sexy women who’ve embraced no-frills femininity. If a woman is adventurous and confident enough to go short, the thinking goes, she might be adventurous in other areas of her life, including the bedroom.
“I feel that having hair this short can sometimes make me look a bit more androgynous, but I like that and will sometimes play it up,” says Emma Allister, a 34-year-old University of Toronto research scientist who has the Jean Seberg look. “With that said, throwing on some bright red lipstick will always counter that.” That worldly, winking tension between sex-kitten-scarlet lipstick and a tomboyish cut is sexy and sophisticated at the same time.
Andrea Beechey, the 40-year-old owner of cleaning and concierge service Citizen Frances, says that other women approach her to compliment her Rosemary’s Baby-ish pixie. Sometimes they tell her about how they wish they could go short, or about how they miss their shorn locks. “And the men that I am interested in get my hairstyle and love it,” she says. “The other men? I don’t care!”
To feel that confident, you need the most bangin’ haircut for your face (because, let’s face it, a bad crop is more frightening than bad long hair). However, short hair can work for almost anyone. As Marilisa says, “Some soft bits of hair left out here and there can soften an overly angular face, while a fringe can work a high forehead. Add a bold fringe to help firm a cheek line on a round face.” Bring in photos of close crops you like for your stylist—he or she can find the perfect short cut for you.
It may feel a little scary at first. You will feel exposed. Your neck will be exposed. But you will stand out. And that’s what great style is all about.
