Getting a dramatic haircut is often viewed as a sign that you’re going through a major life event. That sentiment was certainly true for me. After having my first child, I felt like a different person. My perspective on so many things, including beauty, changed. So I chopped my coils into a cute little pixie cut. It was an outward transformation that reflected the internal shifts I was experiencing.
A pixie is typically trimmed closer to the scalp along the sides and nape of the neck and kept slightly longer at the top, explains Marcos Diaz, a hairstylist in New York City. Diaz adds that a pixie should be no more than two or three inches at its longest points. It’s this ultra-cropped length that distinguishes a pixie from other short hairstyles, like a bob or a bixie.
Long before it became a staple on today’s Pinterest boards, the pixie had its share of memorable moments throughout history. Jewell Hingorani, a hairstylist in Michigan says actor Audrey Hepburn helped first popularize the look in the ’50s, especially after her role in the movie Roman Holiday. (Her character cuts her hair into a flipped-out pixie with short bangs.)
“Twiggy gave it a mod [twist] in the ’60s, then Halle Berry gave it her own glamorous take in the ’90s,” Hingorani continues. By the early aughts, It girls were giving the look an edgier spin with sharp angles and spikier textures. “I’ll never forget when Victoria Beckham cut her hair into a pixie around 2008,” says Hingorani, who watched reputable New York City hairstylist Garren give Beckham one of her most memorable hairstyles to date. “Being in the salon and witnessing that transformation was electric. You could feel the cultural impact instantly.”
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Today the pixie still reigns among short hairstyles. According to Spate, the trend is just as popular this year as it was last year. The phrase “pixie haircut” receives an average of 1.1 million monthly searches on Google, while TikTok sees a weekly average of 41.7 million views from the phrase. There’s also an average of 2,100 posts a week on Instagram featuring the haircut in some capacity—so it’s safe to say people are still very into pixies.
Though the pixie hasn’t changed drastically over the years, there’s been some fine-tuning in the past year. The pixies of 2025 featured lots of layers, longer fringes, and even playful undercuts,” says Hingorani. In 2026, the cut is particularly “all about hold, precision, and timeless elegance,” says Nikki Nelms, who styles Teyana Taylor’s fluffy pixie.
