The last time I personally paid any attention to Lena Dunham was when I called her a hypocritical jackass for attending this year’s Met Gala after she bitched and moaned about attending last year’s gala. That was early May! Back then, Lena seemed to be growing out a bad 2016 haircut, and her hair was honestly the least of her worries – it was sort of nondescript brown, maybe just long enough for a messy ponytail/updo. I was just grateful that she wasn’t doing another LOOK-AT-ME dye job or cut. Guess what? Lena wants us to look at her again. She’s got a pixie cut now. And my God, it is not good.
Taken with Katy Perry’s recent unfortunate hair situation (not to mention Kristen Stewart, Cara Delevingne and Zoe Kravitz’s recent hair changes), I guess 2017 is the year of the pixie cut? That’s what this hairstyle is being called, although I take issue with defining this as a pixie. When I think pixie cuts, I think of something more Audrey Hepburn-esque, something that makes a woman look very delicate. Lena’s haircut does not do that, partly because… that’s never going to be Lena’s look. That’s not her bone structure, that’s not her vibe. So this haircut just makes her look mannish, like she went a barber and showed the guy a photo of Roger Federer’s terrible new haircut and asked for the same thing.
Then again, I have surprisingly conservative taste when it comes to hair. I generally dislike short hairstyles on many women. No pixie cut is going to make you looking Audrey unless you already look like Audrey, you know? But then we get into the conversations about the patriarchy of prettiness and Who Is This Haircut For and why do women have to care about their hair? And the answer is… no one says you have to care. If you have a round face like Lena and you want to get this mannish Federer-style hair, God bless and it’s your business. But… if you post those haircut photos on Instagram, of course we’ll have an opinion, patriarchy or no. I’m saying this in advance of what I’m sure will be a Lenny newsletter in which Lena cries foul about feminism and hair and something something LOOK AT ME DON’T LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME.
Photos courtesy of Lena’s Instagram and WENN.
Not good.
And made worse by the homophobic caption.
hs, I didn’t get the caption at first. Ugh.
One more reason for me to dislike this ridiculous person. My gay daughter rocks short hair [not this haircut] but she, unlike Dunham, is beautiful inside and out!
The cut looks homemade DIY. Odd for someone with so much money. I have short hair and while I spend very little money on clothes and beauty, it’s super important to me to spend the cash on a proper cut and products so I don’t look like a street kid. This is just awful. And it’s going to take a while to grow into something workable.
I honestly thought pic #2 was kinda good. It has a butch badass vibe. The real problem with it is that Lena doesn’t have that vibe herself, so it probably comes off better in a staged picture where she can pose and angle herself to come off that way.
I don’t like her haircut and Instagram naked pics. What she is trying to prove? That she is … feminist? women’s rights activist? free-spirited? … I just don’t now …
I tried to like her, but after her book … when Lena discribed, that she touched her sister’s vagina, because she was curious. Ewww …
Please don’t hate me, but … I don’t like her …
I don’t hate you, we are allowed to dislike public personalities.
I actually love it
You can put a wig on a pig but it’s still a pig in a wig.
Why does anyone care about this exhibitionist?
I think very few people – whatever your gender – looks good with the hair completely removed around the ears like that.
Agree that it applies to men, too.
ITA completely. She was starting to look better with the longer hair too–much more flattering cut.
Sometimes I wonder if she does this sh*t on purpose, just to troll.
But yeah…no Bueno.
I’m sure she does. She puts it out there deliberately knowing she’ll get hate and get to play the victim.
It looks awful. I find this trend very unflattering for the vast majority of women, including ScarJo and Katy Perry. I think short hair looked amazing on Audrey Hepburn, Mia Farrow, Winona Ryder and Sinead O’Conner but it’s very hard for most to pull off. They all had extraordinary faces.
I somewhat agree with what you’re saying, but not all women want to look traditionally feminine or fit a mainstream male view of “sexy,” at least not all the time. What’s the big deal if someone cuts off their hair to try a different sort of a look? When people don’t think Scarlett J. at the Avengers premiere looks hot, something is wrong. Some women just need to admit that they don’t find short hair sexy or attractive, plain and simple.
There’s nothing wrong with not wanting to look pretty and I don’t think it’s a “big deal.” I’m just saying I don’t think it looks aesthetically pleasing on them. For the record, I don’t like really short hair on most guys either.
Ha ha me neither! #MANBUNFOREVER
#manbunNEVER
I think Mia looked amazing with short hair as did the other women you mentioned. I would add Mariska Hargitay, who I actually think looks better with short hair than with long.
The thing is, the women you mentioned are all stunningly beautiful with great bone structure. I don’t feel that Katy Perry, Lena Dunham or even K Stew are in the same category. Sure, they’re pretty but not stunners IMO.
I always bring in a photo of Mia Farrow she never I get my haircut. I look nothing like her, but I love the cut & think I look fab!
I agree, mostly, except that I think KStew looks amazing with her short platinum ‘do. But I think Anon’s 4 are exactly right — Mia, Audrey, Winona, Sinead.
Katy has ruined her look by going blonde — she was beautiful as a natural brunette.
As for Lena, my first response on seeing this new look was UGH, NOOOOOO, but then that’s how I respond to Lena anyway, every time she speaks or posts. So, on balance, maybe it suits her.
linda evangalista and hallie berry as well. I have a very short cut and I love it! Before I first cut it though I asked my stylist if my bone structure could pull it off.
I agree on the women you mentioned and I’ll add Halle Berry and Pink to the list of those who can pull it off.
I think Lena looks much better with longer hair…as does ScarJo
I agree with the bone structure comment, it’s not terrible but it’s not great on her either. I also agree that the ‘pixies’ women are getting this year are more ‘barber shop’ cuts and shaves rather than a true pixie…it works for some, and I really do wish I had the balls (and head shape, and face shape…and the balls) to do it myself.
That was going be my comment, these are not traditional pixie cuts. Demi Moore in Ghost was a good example (and much copied back in the day). I think Mia Farrow’s was the most perfect example of a good pixie, though.
Vidal Sasson! ROSEMARY’S BABY is one of my all time favorites.
Jean Seberg also had a great pixie cut. I think Scarlett Johansson was aiming for that look with hers, but somehow it didn’t translate as well on her.
She looks like the spokeswoman for the White Feminist Starter Pack.
^^^^^^ this.
Haha! My first reaction was that she looks like Morrissey.
I dont mind it but she looks like the generic tumblr girl now 90s chokers and all
Could she just freaking smile instead of that stupid open mouth thing all the damn time?
No. The rapist friends (typo and it stays) don’t do happy. So trivial.
oh I so agree. that open mouthed pose of hers drives me daft. wtf. is it supposed to be decy? she looks like she’s had a lobotomy when she does it
The mouth breather pose looks good on no one (I’m looking at you, J Lo) but it is particularly atrocious on Lena.
I can’t stand her so that colors my judgement a bit but I hate that cut on her.
Ugh, I remember having a pixie cut when I was little – someone told my mom if she cut my baby fine hair it would grow thicker. It did not of course and it was kept in a pixie until I was 7 or so. She let me grow it out when I came home crying when some kid asked why I had a mickey mouse haircut.
Ha, my mom kept my sister’s in a pixie for a long time because she (my mom) thought it was cute. Decades later my sister still resents that I got to have long hair when I was little and she didn’t, lol.
I had a pixie and then a Dorothy Hamill and I hated both. My mom thought pixies were adorable. I HATED it. I can’t tell you how many people thought I was a boy. As soon as I was old enough to express an opinion and stand up to my mother I grew it out.
I had a pixie cut when I was a kid (ages 5-8 approximately). When it was freshly cut, it actually looked really cute (I didn’t think that at the time, but I’ve seen the photos as an adult), but my mom wasn’t the best at the upkeep, so inevitably those pixie cuts turned into mullets.
Can’t stand it, along with everything about her.
i love the super masculine pixie trend happening right now but this is not great. its hard to say without sounding like a monster but you need a striking face with strong features to pull off this look and she just doesn’t have it. neither do i!
i actually really liked her pixie from about 2 years ago that was much softer. it was flattering and more polished than her usual mop. hopefully this grows into something better.
I’m with you 100% of the way.. like As a Haircut? I love.. better than her greasy /pageboy/Weird other attention seeking Sh!t … But also Same as I said with Miley Cyrus..Oh No Honey, This only Highlights all the bad ( in Lena’s case this will be all about her nose/ears/whatever condition her skin is in currently , Miley’s, Extreme veneers and nose and weird planes of her face)
You are in no way a monster. Any good stylist will tell you that only certain faces look good with extremely short hair. I’m 64 and get short haircuts. As I say above, my daughter has a haircut that is short on the sides [not shaved] and longer on top. But she is gorgeous [does not resemble me]
Look everybody, it depends on what you want. Just as a colorist will tell you that there’s a shade of every color that will look good on you, I likewise think that there’s a length of short that will look good on you too. Maybe it’s not Sinead O’Connor buzzed, but I think it’s kind of sad that women believe that they have to have long hair to be attractive. It’s summer! Why not get it a little shorter than makes you feel comfortable? Have the gonads to try something new! I have a long face and short hair. I get told it looks more individual than having long straight blonde hair like every other white chick on the block. Give it a whirl, it will grow back by September.
you guys are awesome and now i’m getting my head shaved! i get my hair cut short about once a year but stacked in the back and long in the front. anything below 4″ my hair stands straight up. i do that to myself every 5 years and regret it. i call it “the chandler bing.” matthew perry and i have the same hair – basically.
BUT – i just had a baby i’m shedding like crazy so maybe for my “mom cut” i’ll bleach myself blonde and take it to the scalp?
Congrats! GO YOU that’s nervier than most people (including me) would ever be. I’m bleached and at this point kind of long shortish. Go to an Aveda or somewhere good like that and get a pro opinion. I think you’ll be happy you were daring in the end.
It’s not a pixie and it looks terrible.
Don’t like the haircut but I love her freckles!
It looks terrible. She always looks high on vicodin when she takes selfies.
lmfao!
I love short hair on women, but not like this. It is a bad cut and Lena can not pull off hair that is so short. It just looks really bad on her. To be honest I wish I could wear a pixie cut, but I can’t. I know that. Just as I know that I shouldn’t wear certain clothes, no matter how much I like the style. But if it doesn’t suit my body type, it isn’t doing me any favors.
It’s terrible, but in her defense, I have seen very few women really be able to carry that look off.
The pixie is a very unforgiving style.
In the 90s I rocked a pixie because I was all WinoForever back then and Winona rocked the best pixie cut.
I like it. It’s a change and besides, hair grows back. She’s young and that’s the perfect time to try crazy hair styles whether they suit you or not.
She has pretty eyes.
True. They tend to get overlooked because a) darker eyes usually do and b) Lena Dunham is exhausting/infuriating/annoying, but she does have lovely eyes.
I’ve always noticed them because they are her only pleasant feature. Meow.
Does Lena do anything without drama?
Getting my hair cut Saturday. Depending on how hot it is and my mood, I might go for a pixie cut. I can wear it. Hell, if the air is soupy like it was earlier this week, I might buzz it all off. I can wear that too. Pony tails, I cannot do.
I finally broke down and made appointment for Keratin treatment on Saturday. I recently went blonde again and while the color is gorgeous, my hair is now SO dry and with our humid summers, it’s just a damn mess.
Pixie cuts can look amazing and I have no doubt that you would rock that sh*t, LP 🙂
When it’s hot I put emu and argan oil on my long wet hair and pull it into a “donut” on my head. I simply refuse to have a hairdryer anywhere near me when it’s 90 with a dewpoint of 70.
From someone with short hair. NO.
She just seems so lost for some reason. Like she is trying hard to figure out who she really is; but coming up short. She needs to talk to someone. Not because of the haircut.. LOL. But she just seems to be going through something.
I was thinking that too. I don’t like Lena, but she seems one step away from getting caught up in a disorder, I hope somebody helps her.
Well, she is going through something. She’s been ill and on bed rest and in and out of hospital from endo surgery complications for months and months.
Not unusual for people to get the urge to chop off their hair after a medical crisis.
Unfortunate, pretty much sums up her haircut and her as a person.
Looks a lot better with the choker and without the long earrings. It could be worse, like I don’t feel it makes her look pretty but also she’s not particularly masculine. Small chin and soft cheeks aren’t very masculine to me. (And she looks short to me.) I really liked her look recently with the bangs, as in the plaid met gala pic. That earring pic is particularly bad but I’m sure it can be styled ok with more make up. Honestly I’m curious to see more pics of this and how she looks in different outfits.
I have a haircut a bit like this at the moment (although it’s longer on top, more like Tilda Swintons cut). I have very mannish, strong features, and a long face, and I usually carry these looks OK. I think they generally suit people with more angular features, and perhaps this look doesn’t suit Lena so well because her face is round.
I actually liked her met ball hairstyle, because she had those bangs that emphasize her eyes and really look cute on her rounder face. (I could never wear bangs in a million years! Imagine Tilda with bangs…hahaha.)
When I first looked at the thumbnail pic I thought she was Marshall Mathers (Eminem) without the bleached blonde hair. Wow… not good.
I like it well enough. The topless, open mouth picture is weird but the haircut is fine.
I think Cara and Kristens hair is amazing tbh. But this is bad. And so is Katy Perrys.
Kristen looks so pretty with her new hairstyle. I loooooooooooove it.
Well, with the weight loss she has cheekbones now?
Let me get my coat.
Other people might have a bucket list, Lena has a list of ways to get media attention. 1. Post awful haircut on FB. Complain about mean comments 2. Write controversial column about sex, men, nudity, rape culture, etc. Complain about mean comments 3. Make speech about feminism in the age of Trump to Republican ladies. Be shocked at mean comments. On and on.
I have truly crappy hair and a very short style is my only option unless I want to wear a wig. And that is NO option since I can’t even stand hats on my head much less one with a pound of hair to weigh it down. I will never shit on someone for having short hair.
She had a poxie cut a few years ago and I though she looked amazing. It brought attention to her big brown eyes. And I think she has the features to pull it off, big eyes, small nose, small lips ( not that people who don’t have these can’t pull them off, I’m just refering to the comment in the article).
This one I don’t like as much, but it will be fine when it grows out a bit.
maybe she’s going thru a breakup….katie started cutting her hair after that breakup with orlando…. and taylor with jake
What is considered feminine to me is going to be different to someone else. We still live in a patriarchal society that has very clear ideas of what is feminine and what is not feminine. The idea of short hair looking manly on some women isn’t going to change anytime soon. I love short hair styles on women but Lena’s hairstylist clearly hates her and chose to give her a hair style that doesn’t suit her face.
Her hair and makeup looked so pretty at the Met Gala. My vote goes for that length and styling on her.
I honestly thought that was a guy…not a good look.
I think she’s forever trying to provoke & she comes off really needy and desperate.
This *is* a pixie cut. There are many variations to the cut.
A few things:
It’s a bit more androgynous than other versions of the pixie, but it’s not that far off.
I’ve had this cut for years and it’s wonderfully low maintenance, aside from the haircuts you need every 3-4 weeks to keep it looking right.
I believe a lot more women can pull off the pixie than we’re led to believe. I haven’t seen one yet that is just horrible.
It really accentuates her face and gives her a youthful appearance, as the pixie tends to do.
It takes a lot of chutzpah for a woman to roll with someone so short. Good for her.
I’m working a curly bob/pixie now, but am part of the pixie army for life!
I am sorry to be so bitchy, but I can’t get over how poor her muscle tone is. She is a a young woman who reportedly works out and who has access to the best trainers around. Oh yeah, and she always looks dirty to me, even when she is on the red carpet.
Well, it’ll be cool in the hot weather. *shrug*