Do Men Think Short Hair Is Beautiful On Women?

Any woman who’s even thought about cutting her hair shorter than her shoulders, whether into a cute cropped pixie or an adorable French bob has most likely heard comments like, “Don’t do it. Men hate short hair!” and “But why? Guys won’t date you. And you have such pretty, long hair,” and “You know men only like long hair, right?”

As a woman who had a short, Jean Seberg-inspired pixie for four years (I grew it out after I got bored and missed the versatility longer hair brought), hearing these comments even after cutting my hair wasn’t unheard of. But are they true? Do guys really only like long hair, without exception? For the ladies who like a change every now and then, this can feel pretty limiting.

Doesn’t it depend on the woman and the cut and the guy? Don’t they see that we’re trying to channel Audrey Hepburn with our pixies and Hailey Bieber with our bobs? Aren’t those women both objectively beautiful with long hair and short hair? Does short hair really have the power to turn us into ugly, unwantable ogres in men’s eyes?

Well, we asked the husbands, boyfriends, brothers, and guy friends of Evie writers. Here’s what they had to say.

Let’s Start with the Negative

For all you ladies who love short crops, this is going to hurt. The reality is guys have a lot of thoughts about short hair, especially pixie cuts. While such a short cut can look cute for a little while, one Evie writer’s brother said that as soon as it begins to grow out, it “looks like Justin Bieber in his ‘Baby’ era.” Ouch.

Another Evie writer who was thinking about cutting her hair short said that every guy she mentioned this to said something along the lines of, “But not like a bob, right? Don’t go shoulder-length or shorter.” Similarly, another guy friend of an Evie writer shared, “Shoulder-length is the shortest I’d probably find attractive. Styles shorter than shoulder-length turn me off.”

One Evie writer who took the plunge and cut her mermaid hair into a pixie soon after getting married said that her new husband wasn’t happy with the change: “He played it off, but he did tell me later that he couldn’t wait for my hair to grow out again. Interestingly, he says it’s more okay on short girls, but tall women should have long hair (in his opinion).” Very interesting, indeed.

Short hair can easily come across like a woman doesn’t care about her appearance.

The husband of one Evie writer shared that short hair can easily come across like a woman doesn’t care about her appearance: “A lot of older women get short hair because it is easier to deal with – and that will always come across as frumpy. We see it and think, ‘There’s someone who gave up.’”

Another Evie husband said, “Hair that short feels kind of utilitarian. It’s not like a woman can’t be pretty without long hair, but I think even an objectively pretty woman will be prettier with longer hair. It’s just more feminine. It’s totally different from me, and that’s more attractive to me.”

So does this all mean that women are basically limited to hairstyles that are at least shoulder-length? And that anything from a French bob to a pixie is always going to make her unpopular with the guys? And that any kind of experimentation is a no-no? Well, not exactly.

Moving On to the (More) Positive

By now, it should be no secret that men generally prefer women with longer locks. But this isn’t to say that there’s zero hope for you ladies who’ve been influenced by Mrs. Bieber to go just-below-chin-length, or any of you who are dying to try out that Roman Holiday look.

An Evie writer who met her husband when she had a pixie cut shared her husband’s opinion: “Short hair is attractive when it feels deliberate, when the hair is healthy and well-cut, and when the woman with the haircut has a strong sense of style that comes through in the rest of their outfit.” Take heart, short-haired ladies!

While the general complaint with men is that short hair feels more masculine than feminine, this Evie husband doesn’t think short hair is always masculine: “If I see a woman with a fresh cut that she’s obviously maintaining, and she’s got some cool accessories that compliment the rest of her outfit, I’m not going to think it’s frumpy or not feminine.”

Long hair draws the eyes to the feminine form, while bobs draw the eyes to facial features like eyes and lips.

That being said, he did say that women having short hair ought to be the exception, not the rule: “I will be completely candid and say that long hair is probably a safer bet for most women. It takes a special something to make short hair work really well. If you’re asking what others think and you want to present the best version of yourself, then give some consideration as to whether or not you plan to sufficiently ‘sell’ the look of short hair.”

We’ve talked at length about pixies, but for anyone wondering about where bobs fall into this conversation, one Evie writer’s husband shared: “I like short bobs. I don’t think they work for every woman, but I think they can really frame the face nicely. Long hair is beautiful, but short bobbed hair is sexy. Long hair is flowing and draws the eyes to the feminine form, which obviously men like, while bobs draw the eyes to facial features like eyes and lips, which can be really good. So both mermaid hair and bobs have their unique pluses.”

So What’s the Verdict?

Whether or not we like to admit it, we do care about what guys think. There’s nothing wrong with desiring to be attractive to the opposite sex – that’s human. Don’t we ladies also prefer certain hairstyles on guys? If you’ve been thinking about cutting your hair short, whether to your chin or shorter, you might be wondering whether you should go through with it right about now.

What we’ll say is that if a shorter style would genuinely make you happier and more confident, and you’re willing to style it well and maintain it, there’s a guy out there who will find it attractive on you. A bob seems a much safer bet than a pixie, so if you decide to take the plunge, choose the style wisely.

On the other hand, if you’re happy enough with your long hair, we suggest that you hold onto it. The truth is that the majority of men prefer long locks by a long shot.

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