Emily Ratajkowski's Messy Pixie Cut Is The Cool-Girl Way To Do Super Short Hair

In case you missed it, consider this your primer on spring and summer’s most major beauty trend: chic short hair. It seems like every stylish celebrity is trading in longer lengths for more gamine cuts — and with stars like Ciara, Hailey Bieber, and Zendaya leading the pack, how could anyone resist the short hair siren song? Emily Ratajkowski’s pixie cut, just unveiled as part of a fresh photoshoot, is the latest look to copy. As the haircut’s name suggests, Emrata’s new look is indeed sprite-like, but its choppy, edgy shape and strategic layering makes it feel far more aligned with the burgeoning “dark fairytale” aesthetic trend than a classic pixie.

To be fair, it does appear that Ratajkowski is just experimenting with the much shorter hair for the Pop Magazine cover shoot, likely making it a wig. She pulled a similarly stylish stunt back in early February for New York Fashion Week, turning up at the Marc Jacobs show with a Pulp Fiction-inspired micro-bob with short, matching bangs. This new look, though, is considerably shorter and much more extreme — and judging by her Instagram comments alone, more than a few fans are wishing it was a permanent cut, too.

The key to Ratajkowski’s punkier take on the pixie is all in the cut and styling. By opting for asymmetrical layers, choppy tapering down her neck, and plenty of hair products for an artfully-mussed effect, it’s the antithesis of a classically prim and proper pixie.

While plenty of internet comments wish Ratajkowski would make her love for short haircuts a bit more permanent, her reputation as an all-time great beauty chameleon comes directly from her willingness to experiment with wigs, extensions, clip-ins, and artificial hair pieces. In the past half-year alone, she’s test-driven micro-bobs at Fashion Week, faux bangs at Cannes, and a curly pseudo-perm for a Versace print campaign — now, you can add her new pixie to the list.

With so many extreme looks already populating Emrata’s grid, expect 2023 to be her most exciting year yet.