This winter, on the red carpets as on Instagram, the same reflex is returning: we put away the XXL lengths to let the neck breathe. Long hair suddenly seems less desirable than short hair, from clean bobs to very short cuts. In a few weeks, this simple “freshening” became a real hair wave.
How Billie Eilish and Zendaya kicked off chop winter
The visual trigger dates back to mid-September 2026. In New York, during a Prada Beauty pop-up in SoHo, Zendaya appears with an ultra short pixie cut, sculpted by Coree Moreno. Open neck, soft curls on top, airy volumes: a short cut, but full of femininity, far from the clichés of a “boyish” head.
On October 22, 2026, it’s Billie Eilish’s turn to post an Instagram video with an unstructured short bob, warmer color, to music
Cut Your Hair of Pavement.
From the pixie to the bob, what to ask for in the living room?
Good news, riding this wave doesn’t mean copying Billie Eilish or Zendaya to the millimeter. Between the pixie cut, the slightly longer “bixie”, the jaw-length micro bob or the very straight architectural bob, the choice is wide.
In the salon, everything comes down to the discussion with the hairdresser. On curly or thick hair, a short gradient, like Zendaya’s worked in soft curls, brings movement. On fine hair, a bob above the shoulders frames the face without a helmet effect. A clean bob helps fine hair appear fuller. It’s up to you to adjust the degree of change.
A beauty gesture that resembles a manifesto
More broadly, this boom in short haircuts comes at a particular time.
Giving up long, symbolic hair then becomes a concrete way of regaining control over your image.