If you're not familiar with the "bixie," the style between a pixie and a bob—well, you are familiar, you just didn't know the name until now. Key to the bixie is its asymmetry, whether it's short layers in front and length in the back, or a shaggy cut with layers everywhere.
Celebrities love a bixie: it's great for growing out a short hairstyle, and it's cool enough to appeal to a wide swathe of A-listers. (Some, as you'll see, even combine it with the humble mullet.) Below, the best celebrities "bixies."
Demi Lovato
Soft finger waves are perfect way to style a bixie, as we see on Demi Lovato here. The 1920s-era style works well when there are long layers in the front: the better to form a cascading wave over the forehead and down the side of the face, like this.
Cara Delevingne
The bleach white-gray hair on Cara Delevingne is very obviously a wig (and very appropriate for the Met Gala), but the shaggy bixie cut is a classic. There are tons of feathery layers, which you can see most clearly in the bangs, and the whole thing feels very '70s.
Kristen Stewart
Admittedly, the bixie-mullet hybrid (as seen here on Kristen Stewart) is probably not for the faint of heart. The layers are concentrated in the front with bangs, and in the back with long strands at the nape. But for a daring look, it's still pretty low-maintenance.
Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams is the queen of the pixie, and she's made it an important part of her aesthetic. But very occasionally she'll grow it out, turning it into a very cute bixie. The distinction here is that the front piece are long enough for her to tuck them behind her ears.
Sophia Roe
Yes, bixies can look full and luscious, particularly if you have 4a through 4c hair! What differentiates this from a bob is the fact that the hair is a touch shorter, there are a ton of layers making an ovular shape, and there's some mini pieces at the front.
Ruby Rose
Ruby Rose often goes for a pixie, and no wonder: it's a very flattering cut. But the "grown-out pixie" is a really awesome alternative, as we see here. The back is still ultra-short, with the front pieces fuller and longer. There's a ton of variation in length here.
Heidi Gardner
Heidi Gardner often prefers a bob or even a lob (that's "long bob," in case you're not familiar). But a shorter version with slightly choppier layers and a cool angled front piece looks amazing on her, especially when she flips the ends out like that.
Halsey
Halsey's no stranger to daring haircuts, so a bixie is par for the course. They opted for a blunt cut in the back—almost as if a bob got a two-inch haircut—and the thick, slightly uneven bangs keep the cut from feeling too sharp. Honestly, this is a very doable cut.
Halle Berry
Halle Berry, queen of the pixie, has essentially perfected a myriad of short haircuts. This is highly asymmetrical, with long layers draped delicately to the left side of her face, and short layers on the right. If you like dramatic cuts and a side part—and you've got curls—this might be a good one.
Joey King
Joey King often wears her hair longer, so this bixie is very nearly a bob. But the uneven edges on the bottom and the layers throughout her hair help keep it just short enough. This is terrific for someone with straight, fine hair who wants to switch their cut up a bit.
Danielle Deadwyler
Danielle Deadwyler's curls are shaped perfectly here. This could have easily been a bob, but the shorter length and long layers, as well as the very short bangs, make it look like the bob's cooler younger sister. For extremely curly hair, a bixie is a great way to show it off.
Charlize Theron
Pieces, pieces everywhere! Even a haircut that doesn't have a ton of layering can look piece-y and cool. Being Charlize Theron certainly helps, but the key is to make the ends slightly different lengths, with longer layers in front. Then mousse or water-soluble gel can help separate the strands.
Ciara
A blunt bob gets a bixie makeover with an angled cut. It's a little tough to see in this photo, but Ciara's hair angles up slightly towards the back of her head. It's a much more subtle version of a popular '00s cut, done in such a way as to feel modern.
Isabela Merced
Interestingly, the fullest and thickest part of Isabela Merced's cut is the bangs, which helps the hairdo look full and luscious. Short layers on the sides give texture and volume; if you happen to have thin curly or wavy hair, lots of layers are the way to go.
Kerry Washington
Big, bouncy curls can still be styled into a bixie—just know that there's going to be a lot of volume and you'll need some expert shaping. This cut works well on Kerry Washington, but (depending on your curl volume and density) you may want a slightly more circular shape.
Gigi Hadid
This retro-inspired look is great for both a bob and a pixie. But the front "swoop" lends itself well to shorter layers that are styled vertically upwards. If you don't want something so extreme, just use a side part to achieve a similarly voluminous look.
Jodie Turner-Smith
Jodie Turner-Smith has curls galore in her pretty bixie cut. This is proof that this longer cut is easier to style and less hassle to maintain than a pixie (which really requires regular cuts, unless your hair grows very slowly). A bit of tousled energy is great here.
Agyness Deyn
When you've dyed your hair a cool color, it can help to keep your hair short. That way, it's easier to cut off damaged ends and re-dye as necessary. Agyness Deyn has a bixie with extremely long layers on the top, with the hair at the nape dramatically short.
Zoë Kravitz
Zoë Kravitz has made the pixie work extremely well for her boho aesthetic, but it looks just as amazing when it's grown out, too. The longer layers allow her to pull her hair back a bit, while the bangs in front keep some of that short, choppy energy.
Emma Corrin
If you didn't look at the back, this definitely looks like a pixie on Emma Corrin. But then! The little curls at the nape push this into bixie territory. If, like them, you like your hair short, a grown out bixie is a nice variation and a cool way to grow out your hair.
Janelle Monae
This is such a cool haircut. The swoop at the top is long and voluminous, naturally. Then, the layers get shorter and shorter towards the nape. And then there's a little long piece, curled outward, at the bottom. This probably required an expert stylist to achieve, but it looks amazing.
Florence Pugh
Florence Pugh has never, ever, shied away from a bold haircut. This golden blonde bixie has a touch of the '80s to it, thanks to a touch of gel and a lot of highlights. The side part helps add vertical volume, and there are a ton of layers for dimension.
Teyana Taylor
Teyana Taylor rocks a pixie like nobody else. But when she wears it a little longer, it looks equally incredible (I'm getting throwback Halle Berry, no?). With a little length at the back, this would be even more of a bixie; as it is, though, the volume on top adds a lot.
Carey Mulligan
Turning out the ends of your bixie is a nice way to style it for a more "formal" event. This styling is extremely symmetrical on Carey Mulligan, with the middle part and delicately curled bangs. It looks sweet and airy without skewing too twee, although this might take some time to look so precise.
Auliʻi Cravalho
Bixies and curls are a match made in heaven, as Auliʻi Cravalho demonstrates here. Obviously, the exact cut will depend on your face shape and curl pattern, but this gentle circular cut works really well on a variety of people. The long layers on top keep it from skewing too "Orphan Annie."
Pamela Anderson
As Pamela Anderson demonstrates, a bixie is a great haircut choice for someone 50 or older. Soft, Old Hollywood curls make for a pretty shape at the back (which is longer than some bixies). A wide curling iron can be a nice tool to give the cut life and personality.
Gabrielle Union-Wade
Full, voluminous, and sleek: a big bixie can be a statement cut, as we see on Gabrielle Union. If you're curious what a shorter cut will look like—or, conversely, you want to see what your grown-out hair would look like—feel free to experiment with wigs.
Robin Wright
A bixie looks great on white blonde and gray hair. (It's also a nice cut for hair that's finer or more brittle.) The length remains longer in the front but is shorter in the back; on Robin Wright, it provides face-framing layers while still looking light and breezy.
Nathalie Emmanuel
The very curly (4a to 4c) bixie is a thing of beauty. In Nathalie Emmanuel's case, there may be some highlights accentuating her gorgeous curls, but whether you have natural color variation or go to a colorist, the key is to have a stylist shape your hair.
Emma Stone
Emma Stone shaved her head for a movie and, as such, had an incredible grow-out experience. First it was a pixie, and then it grew into a longer bixie. I love the soft tendrils around her face especially; this is a great choice for a vivid hair color like red.
Julia Garner
When you think of a blonde bixie on a celebrity, Julia Garner is probably one of the first names that pops up. She really leans in on asymmetry here, thanks to a deep side part and a layered cut. It's a really cool shape that feels counterintuitive but ends up looking really cool.
Jourdan Dunn
This bixie cut on Jourdan Dunn is the perfect balance. It's got a lot of layers, but the overall length is short. It's slicked back, but not in a way that looks slimy or greasy. It's piece-y and messy, but not in a way that looks sloppy. Granted, she is a supermodel, but still: this is how awesome the cut can be.
