Good Short Hairstyle

Trendy cut for short hair — Photo: Galitsin/Shutterstock

Q: Will short hair make you look skinny or fat?

A: Most hairstyles are suitable for more than one specific “type” of individual, and frankly, the term “short hair” encompasses a pretty wide spectrum of looks. So, it’s hard to make blanket judgments about hair styles without some caveats.

The thing to keep in mind is that a “good hairstyle” is all about balance and proportion. A hairstyle that is out of balance or out of proportion with the individual wearing it can exacerbate the negatives of an individual’s look. And since we’re speaking of short hair and whether or not it makes an individual look skinny or fat, let’s use those parameters for our discussion.

Let’s say individual “A” is a tall, thin woman with a long, narrow and angular face. If her hair is cut short (to above the chin) with some volume on the sides (possibly outwardly turned ends) and little or no lift in the top section, the hair creates horizontal focus and helps the face appear fuller and minimizes the thinness of individual A.

However, if the hair is cut too short, and if there is too much volume and lift at the top of the style, individual A will appear even thinner because of the vertical focus of the style. This can exaggerate the length of the face and cause the individual to appear gaunt.

Now with individual B, the problems are similar in the opposite direction. Short hair can help to elongate round or plump faces, especially when the cut allows for volume and lift in the top and the hair is close on the sides, giving vertical focus. Yet if the style has a horizontal focus (such as a blunt bob with curly hair) the face looks wider and heavier.

And if the hair is cut too short, the cut is out of proportion to the rest of the figure, and the face and head look oversized because the hair looks “too small”.

So, to answer the question “Will short hair make you look skinny or fat?” the answer is both “Yes” and “No”.

©hairfinder.com

See also:

What is a slimming haircut?

What is the best short style for a round full face?

Choosing the right pixie cut

Look younger with short hair