Emma Watson Traded In Her Signature Pixie For A *Much* Edgier Chop

Though her high-profile career certainly predates her seminal pixie cut, the ultra-short style will forever be synonymous with Emma Watson — that’s the power of a statement haircut. Since the original chop in 2010 — and its dramatic unveiling at a Harry Potter premiere — Watson has played with quite a few different styles and lengths, ranging from long and free-flowing to short and structured. Her newest haircut, though, might be her most daring of all time. Emma Watson’s new choppy pixie cut isn’t quite the true pixie everyone knows and loves — it’s a much edgier, newer style that combines the best traits of the pixie with intentionally uneven, spiked layers that totally refresh and elevate Watson’s entire look. Call it a chixie cut — a choppy pixie defined by its layers, movement, and instantly-recognizable shape.

The new haircut sent an excited shockwave through her massive fanbase when Watson arrived at London’s Prada Paradoxe fragrance launch party looking very much like (and this is the highest compliment) a 2012 fashion Tumblr fever dream — the preppy Peter Pan collar, long blazer layered over a lace dress, and winged eyeliner would all look just as at-home on the Dashboard as does now on the red carpet. But it’s Watson’s new hair that really had the crowd buzzing.

The length itself was no surprise. While Watson’s sported longer hair in recent years, she went back to a polished, demure pixie in August 2022. This new look, though, couldn’t be more different. The face-framing pieces are more tapered, following her sculpted bone structure across the forehead and temples. The bangs are much shorter, too, more tousled, and choppier than her usual side-swept fringe. And Watson’s overall hair color is an inkier, deeper shade of brown than her usual, natural golden brown.

Watson’s chixie cut proves one very important beauty principle: major hair transformations aren’t defined so much by length as they are overall vibe. That sounds really amorphous and obvious (~vibes~) but think about it — did Watson’s glamorously bookish aesthetic change at all when she first made that 16-inch cut back in 2010? Not really, no. But just a bit of shaping and some fresh color took her pixie into a new stratosphere of edginess — and all without sacrificing much additional length. The other thing her cut proves? Emma Watson can pull off any style, look, or vibe around. She’s demonstrated it time and time again.