Zendaya Is Bringing the Bixie Haircut Into 2026

a woman with brown hair posing for a camera while wearing a metallic jacket with feather trim — (Image credit: Getty Images)

It's been a pretty big year for the bob (the cunty little bob, to be specific). But following closely behind it is the bixie. Emma Stone has slowly been growing out the pixie cut she started the year off with, while Lily Collins was just spotted at the Emily in Paris premiere last week with a sleek bixie after wearing a chin-length bob for months. Now it's Zendaya who's gearing up to step into the new year a few inches lighter.

Over the weekend, Zendaya and her fiancé, Tom Holland, spent some time playing The Traitors: Live Experience, a real-life game based on Peacock's popular reality competition series, with a few friends. Among those playing was British actor Harrison Osterfield, who shared a short clip of the whole group to his Instagram Story on Dec. 21. In the video, the camera passes over each person in the group fairly quickly, and for a very brief second, Zendaya is seen wearing a curly bixie (that's a cross between a bob and a pixie) haircut. It's not clear whether Zendaya got the cut because of an upcoming role or personal reasons, but given she has a handful of films premiering in the next year, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

a screenshot of a woman with short dark hair — Zendaya wears her new bixie haircut while spending time with friends.

This isn't the first time Zendaya has undergone a major hair transformation this year. Back in September, she showed up to the Louis Vuitton Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 show during Paris Fashion Week wearing a lob haircut with flippy ends. She also attended the Golden Globe Awards in January wearing a chic curly bob.

The bob has, arguably, been the most popular haircut of 2025, with dozens of celebrities (from Sofia Richie to Sydney Sweeney) parting ways with their long longs in favor of the style, but hair experts are in agreement that 2026 will be the year of the bixie. "We’re seeing a huge return of short, confident cuts," celebrity hairstylist Mia Santiago told MC in a previous story. "This is a great transition haircut for growing out a short haircut, and it also complements most face shapes, which is so encouraging if you’ve been wanting to try a short crop."

If you've been thinking of getting rid of your length for a short cut or if you need some tips on how to style short hair, read ahead to shop some bixie essentials.

Singlepass Smooth X Professional Flat Iron With Extra-Long Plates

Flip your ends or add curls or waves to your hair with a single pass flat iron.

Bumble and bumble

Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat Protectant Leave in Conditioner Primer

Protect your hair from thermal damage by spritzing it with a heat protectant before applying heat.

Innersense Organic Beauty

I Create Curl Memory

For curlier textures, grab a lightweight gel to add some definition to your curls.

dae

Cactus Fruit 3-In-1 Styling Cream With Taming Wand - Desert Peach

Target flyaways and frizz with a styling wand that can be used on the go.

amika

The Shield Anti-Humidity Spray

An anti-humidity spray will keep your curls in shape and block out frizz.

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Danielle Jackson is the former senior beauty writer at Marie Claire. She has nearly a decade of experience covering beauty, lifestyle, and entertainment and was previously the senior beauty editor at Women's Health, where she thoughtfully covered topics related to skincare, haircare, aesthetics, and wellness. Before that, she spent three years as an assistant beauty editor at PS, and in the years since, her work has appeared in titles like Vogue, InStyle, Glamour, and more. Danielle graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in English, and has lived in Brooklyn for almost ten years. When she's not writing, you can find her reading romance novels and talking about sunscreen. You can find her on Instagram @danielleknecole.