Celebs with short hairstyles that stunned us all

BY BRITTANY BROLLEY

In one trip to the salon, you can almost completely revolutionize your image. Even if you don't opt to have your hair colored, a cut alone can create quite the dramatic look. After all, there's nothing quite so transformative as an edgy pixie. Going from long hair to short is technically easy, but there are some things to think about before going in for the big chop.

Celebrity stylist Losi told InStyle that a dramatic haircut is not going to be "a solution to your problems." You might regret cutting your hair if you do so in an emotional state (ahem, Britney Spears). There are a lot of matters to consider before anyone chooses to totally change up their hair, but this decision is perhaps even more daunting for those in the public eye seeing as how pretty much everyone is going to have an opinion on their new 'do. Yet and still, that hasn't stopped some celebrities from embracing bold, short hairstyles. Here are some of the celeb short hairstyles that rocked our world the most.

Charlize Theron and her many hairdos

When it comes to changing up her hair, actress Charlize Theron is pretty much a wizard. Theron's character in Mad Max: Fury Road, Imperator Furiosa, wasn't originally meant to have a shaved head. After trying a few different looks on her character, Theron suggested shaving her head. And, in the end, that's what she did. Afterward, the actress realized just how much time she used to spend doing her hair and got rid of trash bags full of hair products. "There's something very freeing in that, for sure, definitely," she told Entertainment Weekly. "And there's always something nice when you kind of take that importance of your femininity and make it about something more than just your hair." She clarified, "But it's also nice to have hair."

Theron did go back to her longer blonde roots eventually, but stunned us all once again when she showed up to the 2019 Oscars with rich brunette hair coiffed into chin-length bob. The star's hairstylist, Adir Abergel, told Us Weekly that he actually came up with the color based on her Oscars attire. If hairstyling were a category, she would've won. For sure.

Rihanna's haircut changed everything

When Rihanna came onto the music scene in 2005, she was just 16 years old. Naturally, her style evolved as she transitioned into adulthood. In 2007, she both cut her hair short and dyed it dark. With that change, she started transforming in other ways. "When I cut my hair, the whole sound changed, my style changed," the star told Vogue.

Although Rihanna has now experimented with pretty much every style and color imaginable, it was that first big chop that mattered most. "If she didn't change her look, [the album] wouldn't have been as impactful," Rihanna's hairstylist Ursula Stephen told Billboard. "Obviously, the music would have still been good, but her changing the look really made people pay attention to her." 

Stephen added that the singer's new hair also helped differentiate her from the other artists who were emerging at the same time. The star's first album post-haircut, Good Girl Gone Bad, sold close to three million copies and spent a whopping 99 weeks on the Billboard 200 Albums. So, it seems a new haircut can literally change your life.

Halle Berry finally felt like herself after cutting her hair

When you think pixie, Halle Berry's image may come to mind. Now, we can't say this with all certainty, but don't you think the pixie might have been invented so that, one day, Berry could rock the look? "Halle's one of those women who looks more and more beautiful the shorter her hair gets," Andy LeCompte, the hairstylist who transformed the actress' bob into a pixie in 2009, told Allure. But this wasn't the first time the actress pixied her hair. And not everyone shared LeCompte's opinion when she first debuted the style.

When the star was just 18 or 19 years old, she decided to cut her hair short — a decision that shocked and upset her manager. "He said, 'You're never going to work. You are no longer commercial,'" Berry recalled when speaking to HuffPost. "And I said, 'That's exactly it. I look like every other girl and they're never going to notice me.'" Just a couple weeks later, Berry landed a role on ABC's Living Dolls. "They even said I was different," she explained, "And it felt like me."

Miley Cyrus and her "bad b****" haircut

By 2013, Miley Cyrus was already a far cry from her former persona — Disney's squeaky clean Hannah Montana. But that was by design. "Right now I'm at a point in my career where I can just be exactly who I want to be," the actress and singer revealed in her documentary Miley: The Movement (via ABC News). Of course, a bold new hairstyle was vital to Cyrus' 180-degree transformation.

"I told my hairstylist, shave my head, dye me blonde. I need to let go of like a past in a way because I felt like we need to see change," she explained. "I felt like I had this whole new attitude. I felt like I could finally be the bad b**** I really am. Even the way I dress has opened up." Although Cyrus has toned down her look in the years since, no one will forget the half-buzzed 'do that helped jumpstart the singer's transformation.

Michelle Williams has a tragic reason for keeping her pixie

We've all gotten so used to seeing actress Michelle Williams sport her stunning blonde pixie that it's hard to even picture her having long hair. Nevertheless, fans of Dawson's Creek will recall Williams' portrayal of Jen Lindley, who did indeed have hair past her shoulders. There is a reason why Williams cut — and kept — her hair cropped so short all these years, though. And it will give you all the feels.

"I cut it for the one straight man who has ever liked short hair and I wear it in memorial of somebody who really loved it," the star told Elle UK (via Us Weekly). She was, of course, referring to her late ex-husband, Heath Ledger. No, you're crying! The actress admitted that even the couple's daughter wished she would have longer hair. Although Williams flirted with the idea of growing it out back in 2013, she's still rocking the timeless pixie as of 2019.

Jordyn Woods is making changes

In late February 2019, the news broke that Khloé Kardashian's husband, Tristan Thompson, cheated on the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star with Kylie Jenner's bestie Jordyn Woods. Eek. Woods sat down with Jada Pinkett Smith on her Facebook show, Red Table Talk, and attempted to clear up some of the controversy.

Following her interview, Woods started to get back to business. As her Instagram account shows, the star is, as of this writing, continuing to promote her own collection of false lashes with cosmetic company Eylure. In March 2019, Woods also debuted a new blunt bob on Instagram, perhaps following Coco Chanel's motto: "A woman who cuts her hair is about to change her life." Needless to say, her new do looks amazing and, who knows, it may signify more changes in the future. "If you're reading this," she captioned the photo, "it means God has given you another day to wake up and be grateful [and] better than you were yesterday."

Julianne Hough had "the short hair syndrome"

Julianne Hough is a fan of changing up her look. It's hard to imagine one person being able to pull off long blonde tresses, fiery red waves, and even a pixie cut, but, sure enough, Hough is the woman for the job. Prior to cutting her hair super short, she told InStyle, "I keep going shorter, it's like the curse of the short hair syndrome. My friend has a pixie cut and I've been wanting to do her style." She added, "I probably won't do that, but I want to!" Well, Hough did work up the nerve to try the style by 2014.

Although Hough's pixie was the talk of the town, she actually wanted to try something even more daring. "I've always wanted to shave my head," she told the publication, "but that probably won't happen either." Hmm, well, there's still time. And somehow we just know she'd be able to pull off a shorn do.

Shailene Woodley "always wanted" to cut her hair

When Shailene Woodley was cast to play a cancer patient in the film The Fault In Our Stars, she cut her hair into a short pixie. Although she chopped her hair for a role, she quickly became a fan of her new look. And so did we. "I love it," People quoted Woodley as saying at Elle's Women in Hollywood event back in 2013. "It's so easy, man." She continued, saying, "I've always wanted to cut my hair... so it's exciting to be able to just be free and chop it off." 

However, Woodley did admit that short hair has the drawback of not being able to cover your neck. Thus, it doesn't do much for keeping you warm. The actress has grown out her hair since starring in the film, but at least we can reminisce about her short hair days when rewatching the 2014 film.

Joey King never "had an attachment" to her hair

As was the case for Shailene Woodley, 19-year-old actress Joey King had to shave her head for her role in The Act. Though, by this point, shaving her head was pretty much old hat. The actress actually had to shave her head for two previous films: The Dark Knight Rises, when she was just 11 years old, and Wish I Was Here, when she was just 14.

"I've never really had an attachment to my hair," she explained in an interview with Allure in 2018. "I couldn't care less what happens to it." She continued, saying, "So many people would ask me, 'Are you really scared?' or 'Are you nervous?' or say, 'You're so brave.' And I'd go, 'I'm not brave. I'm just cutting my hair off.'" Now, that's the spirit. By March 2019, King's hair had grown out into a stunning, edgy pixie and, as Young Adult author Beth Reekles told the actress on Instagram, she's "looking fierce AF, as always."

Jennifer Hudson found her "new swag"

Raise your hand if you miss Jennifer Hudson's pixie. Although the singer/actress slays whether she's wearing her hair short or long, her pixie definitely blew us all away back in 2013. "It's so easy!" Hudson told Hollywood Life after getting her hair snipped short. "Then I get to explore myself and find my new swag with this! You know, it changes your wardrobe, your style, your flavor, so I'm getting used to it!"

That is certainly true — and something worth considering before asking your stylist to chop off your long locks. "Your silhouette will change after a cut, which will potentially change the way you dress and the jewelry you wear," Kenna, a hairstylist and owner of the Brooklyn, New York-based salon, Kennaland, confirmed when speaking with InStyle. "You may find yourself dressing differently to make sense of your new form." This is part of what makes short styles so fun, but also so daring. High risk, high reward, though, right?

Julia Roberts' simple hair transformation

No, your eyes do not deceive you. While Julia Roberts is in no way rocking a pixie or even a chin-length bob, she got her hair cut to just above her shoulders in March 2019. And yes, it's a big deal. This is a huge change for Roberts because she hasn't had hair this short in years upon years. According to People, the celebrity's longtime hairstylist, Serge Normant is responsible for her updated and chic do.

Roberts' haircut proves that you don't need to cut off virtually all of your hair to see a big difference. The publication speculated that Roberts' 2019 cut is only about four inches shorter than her previous style. If you've been wanting to change things up because you've been rocking the same style for a while now, just taking off a few inches will end up being a huge change. Plus, you don't even need to change your color, as Roberts demonstrated.

Nina Dobrev changed her hair up after "15 years"

While Nina Dobrev took off more than a few inches from her hair, she, too, proved that pixies aren't the only way to go short. "I've been wanting to cut it for years and years and years. I wanted to cut it midway through shooting [The Vampire Diaries], but I couldn't because of the character," the star admitted to Coveteur. After leaving that show, the actress said the time came for her to embrace a new look. 

Riawna Capri, a hairstylist and close friend of Dobrev's, flew to London to give the star her new hairstyle. "It was a big deal for me — it's been 15 years since I had a major change," she explained to the publication. "I wanted my best friend to do it." Despite it being a huge change for the star, she decided not to place too many restrictions on her bestie stylist. "I told her I wanted it to be short, above the shoulders, and then I said, 'Do whatever you think would be great.'" And that she did. Since Capri is basically the "it" hairstylist in Hollywood, Dobrev's hair, of course, turned out amazing.

Eva Marcille is "getting used to" her new look

If you're a fan of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, you were probably pretty shocked to see Eva Marcille attend the Real Housewives reunion sporting a super short blonde pixie. "I just cut off my hair," the star of the reality television series told Bravo's The Lookbook. "I'm just getting used to it." 

She may have still been adjusting to the change, but fans of the star were already on board with her new look. "Queen of short hair and cheekbones," one commenter wrote on Instagram. "OMG! Yes with the short hair," another chimed in. Marcille's cropped hair even proved to be some major hair inspo for other Instagram users. "I so almost did this last night," one person explained. "Now I'm pretty certain it's only a matter of time before I chop it." Even if you have no desire to have short hair, Marcille's edgy hairstyle might just convince you to give it a go.

Emma Watson wanted short hair since she was 16

When Emma Watson cut her hair, the resemblance between her and the 1960s model Twiggy became uncanny. We can't exactly unsee the similarities today — despite the fact that Watson has gone back to longer locks.

The actress first experimented with short hair back in 2010 when she was just 20 years old. At the time, she told Entertainment Weekly that cutting her hair short was "the most liberating thing." She continued, saying, "The stylist [Rodney Cutler of Cutler salon] just grabbed the back of my hair and took a whole ponytail of hair out. It felt amazing. I love it."

The style was a bold new look for the young actress, but it was a change she'd been wanting to make for a while. "I missed all that experimentation that most teenagers go through," she explained. Having starred in the Harry Potter series for a decade, she wasn't really able to change up her hair. "I've wanted to do this since I was about 16, so as soon as I had the chance I was like, 'Right. This is it.'" We wouldn't be mad if she brought back the pixie. Just saying.

SOURCE: THE LIST