The reality is, no matter how good they look, short hairstyles are painstakingly difficult to maintain. Here’s a truth that everyone knows: going short takes a lot of commitment.
Now here’s the second part of that truth. Going short involves a lot of work, as well.
More than that, once you’ve gone for the scissors, you have to stick with it. Or wait for your hair to grow out again and go through that awkward stage.
With this in mind, you need a few good ideas for a haircut and how to style it. That’s where we come in!
Because we don’t just have a few of them, we have 50 gorgeous short hairstyle for women ideas for you to choose from.
1. The Shoulder Length Messy Bob
If you’re stuck between two lengths, then the shoulder length bob might be the cut for you. It’s short enough so that you don’t think you have long hair anymore. However, it’s still long enough for a ponytail or a messy bun.
2. The Sarah Hyland
The ‘Modern Family’ star is here to usher us into our long list of celebrities that have donned short hairstyles. Here she is wearing a chocolate brown to blonde ombre shoulder length simple bob.
3. The Selena Gomez
Once the former child star grew up, gone were her long luscious childhood locks. She traded them in for this messy, feathery bob. We especially love the dark brown color, which brings out her coffee-colored eyes.
4. The Priyanka Chopra
The former Bollywood star chopped off her long tresses as well, in favor of this voluminous wavy and long bob. As far as short hairstyles go, you cannot possibly go wrong if you take your inspiration cue from this beauty queen.
5. Chic Short Hairstyles for Women
Short doesn’t have to mean boyish, as a lot of people still seem to think. It can actually mean chic. Just take a look at this amazingly modern and stylish cut. It has just the right amount of ‘rough around the edges’ as well as Parisian chic.
6. Curly Bob Short Hairstyles
Excuse me, miss? Were you in the latest commercial for Chanel? This is what they will be asking you once you sport this one of a kind cut and style. The neck length bob is curled in a very elegant style, paired with signature smoky eyes and pearly pink lips.
7. Vintage Curls and Short Hairstyles
Speaking of retro, here are some vintage curls for you. Part your hair on the side and use your curling iron to create this old Hollywood glam look. Evidently, the cat eye makeup and striking red matte lips are a must.
8. The Gemma Arterton
You may recognize her from Clash of the Titans or Love’s Labour’s Lost, and you should. Gemma is hair inspiration to us all with this outstanding choppy blunt bob, complete with straight bangs. Wowza!
9. Box Short Hairstyles
If you like this short hairstyle, prepare to bust out the hair wax, and lots of it. There is no other way you can make all the strands look rogue and unkempt. In other words, you’re going for the bed head look.
Shhhh, tell no one!
10. The Marion Cotillard
The quintessential French girl, Marion Cotillard is here to teach us a lesson on short hairstyles for women. There’s no need to fuss about it. A chin length bob parted sideways will do. Let your natural curls and waves run wild in the wind and enjoy the joie de vivre.
11. The Cameron Diaz
The comedy actress has always been partial to the short hairstyles. Here she is sporting an amazing asymmetrical bob with dark brown roots and undergrowth and blonde strands. We cannot help but notice the theatrical makeup and accessories. Well done!
12. The Updated Marylin
We cannot possibly talk about short hairstyles for women without referring to the one and only Marylin Monroe. Here we propose an updated Marylin, however. Platinum blonde hair, wavy curls, no parting, which is very on trend right now and the signature diva red lipstick.
13. The Artistic Short Hairstyle
If you’re looking for something a little bit more sophisticated, then this is the style for you.
It’s more than just about the cut in itself, which is a slick geometrical bob, but about the color and shine as well. The angles are perfect too, so make sure you point that out to your stylist.
14. The Felicity Jones
The world fell in love with her in the The Theory of Everything and, since then, we have made her our style guru. We just cannot get over how cute this messy, wavy, layered bob looks. She simply looks like she just got off a horse!
15. The Emma Stone
On a rare occasion on the red carpet, Emma Stone decided to take advantage of her pale skin and go goth. Therefore, she opted for a very short, asymmetrical cut with a nonexistent back and longer curls in the front. The dramatic makeup was a plus as well.
16. The Carrie Bradshaw
We all loved Carrie’s mess of a long hair in the first few seasons of the show. However, we also adored her when she went for the short hairstyle. Just look how sweet she is with this cosmopolite updo and signature blonde color.
17. The Shaggy Short Hairstyle
One of the greatest things about cutting your hair short is that you can throw a handful of mousse in and forget about it. In other words, it can be as messy as you want it to be. Just tell people that’s how you want it styled.
18. Curly Short Hairstyle
If you have curly hair, you probably already know that it’s difficult to have it long as well.
Therefore, one of the easiest ways out of this conundrum is to keep it short and sweet. Find a cut that is appropriate for the shape of your face and you’ll never have to worry again.
19. The Blowout Short Hairstyle
Here is a mid-length cut which is special thanks to all its volume. Because of the blowout and the straw-like blonde shade, it highly reminds us of the 60s, but with a strong modern vibe, which is exactly what you want.
20. The Julianne Hough
We continue our long list of women celebrities who embrace short hairstyles with actress Julianne Hough. Here she is sporting a tousled bob in a light ash blonde that perfectly highlights her incredibly blue eyes. Keep the makeup to a minimum for this one, ladies!
21. The Natalie Portman
She wasn’t the face of Dior for nothing. Therefore, it’s safe to say Natalie Portman knows a thing or two about beauty.
This medium length bob in a natural brown balayage color is the perfect cut for her face, as is the makeup choice, all smoky browns and matte red lips.
22. The Jaimie Alexander
Jaimie Alexander has done nothing but wow us on the red carpet since we fell in love with her in Thor. She’s had a string of dresses that left everyone gaping.
Remember the black cut out one that left little to the imagination? Her hair is just the same. Cut down to the bare minimum, revealing her natural, beautiful self.
23. The Natural Short Hairstyle
You woke up like this. This should be your motto once you go for this cut. It’s simplicity and elegance at their finest and you needn’t bother with this haircut very much. You can just use a bit of hair wax and blow it out in the morning and you’re good to go.
24. The Lilly Collins
Seeing Lilly Collins sport some short hairstyles and especially this type of old hair Hollywood glamor makes it easy to understand why she was chosen to play Snow White. Therefore, if you’ve ever fancied looking like the Disney princess with the shortest hair of them all, go for it.
25. Silver Fox Short Hairstyles
Women going over a certain age talk about ‘the big cut.’ That’s when they have to chop off all their hair and go for the pixie or the bob as part of the aging process. However, you can do that and look like a granny or you can be a total silver fox. Your choice.
26. The Charlize Theron
The face of J’Adore Dior for years, actress Charlize Theron has few rivals when it comes to beauty and style. This chin length wavy blonde bob is one of her signature looks. It highlights all her beautiful features and elongates her graceful neck.
27. The Jennifer Lawrence
Another big fan of short hairstyles is gal-pal Jennifer Lawrence. A bit of self-proclaimed tomboy, Jen enjoys the comforts of a shorter cut, rather than having to deal with a long and heavy mane. We love her all the same.
28. The Taylor Swift
The singer has her eye fixed on the same haircut and style for years now. She is notorious for not giving up on her light blonde caramel shade, as she is for never exiting her house without putting on red lipstick. Go for the Swift look and shake it up!
29. The Emilia Clarke
It might be a surprise the first time you see her out of her Game of Thrones costume, but actress Emilia Clarke is actually cute in short hairstyle. We also love her signature milk coffee color, rather than Danny’s icy blonde super long fairy tresses.
30. The Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie’s smoldering good looks could literally pull off any kind of haircut or style. Still, we love her best in shorter hairstyles and blonde. With her hair parted sideways, deep smoky eyes, and nude pink lip, she truly is a vision. Oh, and those spider pearl earrings!
31. The Posh Pixie Cut
One way you can go up one level in the women short hairstyles game is dying your hair in an unconventional color. This pixie cut with shaved sides and very long feathery bangs all in a wonderful lilac toned has us all in a whirlwind.
32. Curly and Wavy Short Hairstyle
This is the perfect styling option for when you’re in a hurry in the morning, rushing to get to the office or to school. Do you know what the amazing thing is? In the evening, it transitions seamlessly into a romantic do for a date.
33. Quick and Easy Short Hairstyle
One of the easiest ways to style your short hair is by tying a little bun in the back, half way up. Part your hair in the middle, on its horizontal axis.
Use a small rubber band or a few pins to tie it up, as loosely as you want and you’re done.
34. Short Hairstyle for Prom
If you have short hair and you’re wondering how to style it on the big night of the prom, here’s a great idea. Braid your hair in a simple three-strand on the crown of your head. Then, at the sides, down the parting lines, add copious amounts of glitter, in a color complimenting your dress and shoes.
35. Icy Blonde Short Hairstyles
If you fancy being Queen Elsa, then why not go full platinum blonde? This choppy, feathery bob goes well with any eye color and especially well if you happen to have very fair skin. Just a touch of light makeup will do.
36. The Ombre Bob
The ombre trend is not reserved for long hair only. You can get the same fantastic results with a medium length bob as well if you know what you’re doing.
Here is a perfect example of a natural reddish-brown color streaked with blonde at the ends.
You might also like: 50 Glamorous Stacked Bob Hairstyles.
37. The Asymmetrical Bob
Although it is not so much on trend now as it was a couple of years ago, we still had to put it on the list, for nostalgia reasons.
Just a few seasons ago, there wasn’t a celebrity, teacher, newswoman, or soccer mom in sight who didn’t don this cut. The good, old times…
38. The Side-Shave Short Hairstyle
Bring some punk into your life with this one of a kind, outstanding cut. It is, basically, a bob, but with a twist. One side of it is completely shaven off. In a sense, one side of your head gets a classy bob, the other a buzz cut.
39. The Emma Watson
Right after she finished filming the Harry Potter series, Watson made the bold move of chopping off her long tresses.
The world gasped, but she looked wonderful. Sweet, classy, and elegant. Take a cue from the wallflower herself and go for a pouffed up short bob.
40. Androgynous Short Hairstyles
If there’s something that we love, then it has to be hairstyles that laugh in the face of convention. This is a tamed down version of a mohawk, fiery indigo in color, with a natural brown shaved undercut. Eyebrows to match, of course.
41. Everyday Easy Short Hair
The beauty of this type of haircut, with short sides and back and curly big top is this: it will elongate your facial features, making them appear slimmer at the same time.
Not only that, but it will also add a few inches to your height, should you need them.
42. No Fuss Short Hairstyle
Who has time for going to the stylist in this day and age? There’s so much to see and do that one simply cannot spare a minute.
If you’re one of those gals, cut your locks short, wear them loose and naturally straight, in a half up half down small ‘man-bun.’
43. Loose Curls and Short Hairstyles
If you have naturally curly or wavy hair, a pixie cut will come as a true blessing to you. All you need to do is find the right hair care products. Apply some mousse or a bit of hair wax every morning to make sure you don’t have any straight hairs and you’re good to go.
44. The Faux Mohawk
Even though your rebellious years might be behind you, that doesn’t mean you can’t still sport a mohawk. Or, in case, a type of mohawk. Shaved sides and a very long middle part guarantee that very same effect, without the hassle of your teen years.
45. Jennifer Lawrence Once Again
She’s the queen of our hearts and we can’t get enough of her. When she went for a pixie cut, she inspired us all to do the same.
Hers is a feathery, blunt chop, a bit French on the side and in the back, with long, blonde bangs that accentuate her blue eyes.
46. The Anne Hathaway
This actress is no stranger to short hairstyles either. We’ve actually see her go totally G. I. Jane hair wise while playing Fantine in Les Miserables. However, it’s this dark chocolate pixie cut that we love the most. How very Audrey Hepburn of her!
47. The Kaley Cuoco
She freaked out Sheldon on the show when she did it, but she delighted all of us in real life when she went for a pixie cut. Kaley’s layered haircut in a butter batch shade mixed with brown undertones surely had us all swooning. Just look what it does for her cheekbones!
48. The Emma Thompson
Two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson is aging as gracefully as one possibly can. One of the reasons is her outstandingly fabulous long textured pixie cut. The other reason is her beautiful face. Can we all be Emma Thompson now, please?
49. Braided Short Hairstyles
If you’re looking for ways to style your bob, look no further. Braids are in once more and you need to take advantage of this trend as soon as possible. If you don’t know how to braid, you can ask a friend or learn. There are thousands of tutorials online, on YouTube or Pinterest.
50. The Boyish Pixie Cut
No list of short hairstyles for women would be complete without a boyish pixie cut. The amazing thing about this choice is that it allows the focus to shift entirely toward your face. This way, you can highlight your eyes, lips, and cheekbones as much as you want.
Ready to Change Your Look?
How do you feel about our list of ideas for short hairstyles for women?
Have we inspired you to try any of them or are you sporting one already?
We’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences, as well as your tips and tricks in the comment section below!
Susan is a successful hair stylist who chose to combine two of her biggest passions: writing and styling! When she is not sharing her experience with out readers, Susan updates her skills and knowledge with new styling courses and trainings. She specializes in event hair and makeup and is working on her own illustrated hairstyle book.
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