Do you think a pixie cut is ageing?

[Summer15coming]

I've booked a hair appointment for next week, and am thinking about going for a dramatic change. At the moment my hair (straight and dark brunette) is just past my shoulders. It is also in bad condition due to multiple colourings to hide the greys.

I've had short hair in the past and loved it. I'm very tempted to go for a pixie cut now partly to get rid of the out of condition hair, but also because I fancy a change. My worries are a) that I won't suit it now that I'm 45 and b) that it will age me. As background, I'm frequently told that I look much younger than 45, and don't want that to change once I've gone for the chop! I've included a picture so that you can tell me if you don't think I'd suit it. For what it's worth, I do have a long neck (hidden by my clothes in the pic) and I'm slim. I don't know if those factors are important or not for a short cut!

I think it could look great if you have a good stylist.
Not too short though, think Emma Willis. I love her hair and it's not ageing on her at all.

I never really understand the pixie term but I think it means exposed ears??!

I think it depends on your hair and how it lays.

Mine's thick and has a tendency to bouffiness, so whatever pixie cut I have turns into a Sandi Toksvig without expert help.

It also grows really quickly, so needs trimming about every fortnight or it goes a bit Clare Balding.

I'm growing mine now and it's taken a year to go from almost a buzz cut to almost collar-bone length. I think I look about ten years younger. So now I look my age (43) instead of 53.

Proceed with caution.

I look lumpy and frumpy whatever the length of my hair

Should I just wear a paper bag on my head, so not to offend?

Me too Pick. Got a spare paper bag there?

Very glad to hear as a petite size 10 I'm allowed a pixie.

Done some extensive googling and have decided that a bad middle age pixie cut generally involves bad hair dye (growing out grey allowed OP) and rather too much product to give it the impression of volume (but not movement because it's rock solid) to hide post menopausal hair loss. Or alternatively because the owner of the bad hair hasn't changed their style or hair dye since the 80s. I really don't think many women with the money to have regular haircuts at a good salon end up with bad haircuts long term.

If you look gamine , or elfin with large eyes, little nose, and short chin they're adorable!!
Depends on the person , completely.
Carrie mulligan and the girl from stargate SG1 look BETTER with short hair.

I think long hair is more likely to be ageing and a short cut can make women look younger.

I really like short hair. I think Victoria Beckham, Halle Berry, Frankie Bridge to give some examples all look younger and more attractive with very short hair.

I am in my 60's, slightly overweight and with a big nose so, according to quite a few posters, should definitely not have a pixie cut. I got my grey shoulder length hair cut short last month - sides and back shaved, top with a bit of length and a very spiky fringe and had it dyed platinum blonde. I have had nothing but compliments and lots of people have said it makes me look younger

Thanks for all your advice, everyone. I like the styles posted, including the very short bobs. I will take lots of photos that I like in with me to see my hairdresser, who will, I'm sure, tell me what will work with my hair. I'm slightly less nervous and slightly more excited about it now!

Anne Hathaway's style might look good on you too.

I think it may depend also on the shape of your head, and how long you have to deal with it in the morning. My head is a bad shape for a short cut and my hair is too fine, so I would never do it - I don't have that kind of time in the morning to faff around with it. But, horses for courses.

I went for a pixie cut last December, in an effort to look more grown up (34 but looked younger). I now really regret it - it's definitely ageing!

I adore pixie cuts....on the under 25's. After that you need to be really quite the elfin look a like to carry it off or you run the danger of looking as if you are clinging on to the last vestiges of youth like a desperate middle aged mum of teens trying to look like their sister. IMO no matter how skilled the stylist, there isn only so much they can do unless they have a special deal with a backstreet hawker in Diagon Alley. I think you look lovely and youthful OP and that a straight bob, tucked behind the ear would look amazing on you, but no not the pixie cut. I have lost count of the amount of 40+ women I have known who's made that mistake, sometimes repeatedly

Oh wow. Well as I'm definitely eligible to wear the petite range, being under 5'3", & I'm a healthy weight, I'm glad to hear I'm glad to know I'm not breaking the style rules. Even if I am closer to 40 than 30. (I would never have guessed your age, BTW, you look a lot younger IMHO.)

Bollocks to what other people think, OP. Do what makes you feel good. It's more important to get a cut you like, that suits your face, hair type, personality, & how much time you have (or not) for styling it, than to consider what other people may think of it. And if you don't like it, it grows back.

I'm just watching the Night Manager. The cut the lead female has would look very nice on you I reckon.

Yes, do it. You'll look Great, especially if you have a long neck. I like the Anne Hathaway look myself; I agree you should keep volume on the top and maybe a fringe.

I'm so disappointed. I had a phone call from the hairdressers today to say that my hairdresser (salon owner) has fallen and broken her hand. The appointment for tomorrow is, of course, cancelled. It's terrible - as a self-employed hairdresser, a broken hand is pretty devastating.

I just don't know what to do about my hair now! It's desperate for a cut - so I don't know whether to get a stop-gap tidy up for now and wait however many weeks for my hairdresser to be back to work, or trust someone else and go for it. Just when I'd psyched myself up for it!

How frustrating.

I think you need to know and trust a hairdresser to take a big step style wise.

I'd never do a big style change with a new stylist!

I'd definitely stick with a tidy up if you have to go to a new stylist. I have short hair, anyhow and used to see different stylists in the salon when my own was away, just so I could get used to them. He'd worked my hair through to a style I was really enjoying, then left hairdressing! I saw a different person I'd not used before and she didn't listen to what I wanted and completely butchered my hair into a style that really was very ageing on me because she decided that the mop on top, which I was loving, was too thick and needed to be all cut off You don't want to risk that sort of situation - some stylists just don't seem to understand short hair at all.

I have my mop back, thanks to the other guy at the salon, but I really had to get him used to what I did and didn't like and what did and didn't work with my hair.

I agree many stylists don't understand short hair. Most I tried back in the day had one look-the Princess Di.

Oddly, I'm noticing more women with short hair around my city lately. Very short,, cropped to a couple inches. I like it, but I think the rest of your style has to suit.

I am 57 with shoulder length later hair. I'm going shorter ( jaw length) this week...my hair is suddenly getting bouffey and Jilly Cooper like. I like Katie Holmes bob look

You are beautiful. Your hair is beautiful. You look 30 years old or late 20's (you're the first person I've ever seen that genuinely looks so that much younger than their age). Please for the love of god step away from the scissors!

Have you tried an app that can photoshop your face into different styles to see what it would look like first?

Honestly, I implore you to think twice. You've got such a perfect equilibrium that makes you look ridiculously young and gorgeous at the moment. And as pixies do 90% of the time (IMO - sorry!) make people look older and a bit frumpy, I don't think you should risk it.

And when I say pixies, I mean most chin and above lengths as well. Sorry to everyone on this thread who has shorter hair - am sure you're in the 10% who look amazing!

It's a sign! Don't do it!

I'm on the side of 'they look aging'. When I go back to my hometown I've noticed that around 8 out of 10 of the women over 45 have the exact same mum hair cut despite not going to the same salon. It's a small place so noticeable. I bet they asked for a pixie cut. It's very short at the back, side swept very short almost spiky fringe, often fluffed up at the crown. It's really not good.

If I hold my fingers over the hair at the sides, on your pic, you do look older.

Another thing to remember is that shorter hair is higher maintenance. You'll need it cutting more often and it takes more faffing with to look nice.

Blimey, I'm more anti-pixie than I thought!

"It's really not good."

Worra bitch! Sorry to anyone who has a very short cut, I'm sure you look good, but the ones I've seen wouldn't suit Summer at all and I think there's a real risk that's how it'd come out.

I think it would work really well on you-you have a well defined jaw and large eyes so should be good. You really do look no where near 45 btw.