Since its conception in the early 1920s, the pixie-cut continues to be redefined across time and space. Starting out as a symbol of female rebellion and evolving into a signifier of red-carpet chic, it has proven versatile and timeless.
The ‘new woman’ - or, the flapper girl- emerged after the First World War. She cut her hair short, drank, smoked and was sexually liberal. Perhaps the best illustration of this was Josephine Baker - an American born French entertainer - who's pixie haircut and flamboyant outfits became symbolic of this ‘new’, spiritually emancipated woman.
The modern-day “pixie" was developed in the 60s. The five-point cut, developed by the London hairstylist Vidal Sassoon, soon became popular amongst women after it was famously modelled by Twiggy.
Fast-forward to the current day and the pixie-cut continues to be showcased by women in both novel and modern ways. From Halle Berry, in Die Another Day to more recently, Zoe Kravits and Emma Watson, these women are testimony to the cut’s enduring and incorruptible style.