Is short hair sexy or not?

I'd say it rather depends on the hair. If you have thin, lank locks - or indeed a thick and unruly mop - then keeping it short may be a practical necessity.

It's worth remembering that long hair of the thick, glossy, swishy variety is incredibly rare, and doesn't often occur naturally in the wild. The stuff that you see on celebrities and during the ad breaks for Ten Years Younger is the result of hours and hours of patient coiffeuring.

Naturally glossy long hair is a signifier of youth, which in turn implies fertility, which is probably why many men will say that they prefer it to short hair. That, and cultural conditioning. From a young age, girls absorb the idea that long hair is the key to attractiveness. My five-year-old, who has always had a short, practical bob, has recently become obsessed not only with growing her own hair, but mine too. “You look very smart, Mummy,” she told me recently while I was getting ready to go out. “But you'll never be pretty unless you grow your hair.”

I must confess here to an interest: my hair is very short, and has been so for most of my adult life. This is partly out of practical necessity: it is indeed thin and lank. But even if I were to wake up one morning and discover it long and luxuriant, I would probably still get it lopped off. I know this because I once tried on a long wig: I looked like the missing link.

Besides, short hair can be sexy; it's just a certain type of sexy. The self-assured, powerful, “don't mess with me” kind. Having long hair is like wearing six-inch heels: it requires an awful lot of effort and seriously curtails your freedom. Perhaps that explains why Victoria Beckham recently had her hair cut short: it was either that, or the Louboutins had to go. She made the right choice.

Anyway, here to illustrate how sexy short hair can be is the lovely Rihanna, looking as foxy as you like with short hair and eloquently demonstrating the three most important things to consider when attempting a crop: cut, cut and cut.

George Northwood, all-round hair genius at Daniel Hersheson in central London, says: “It's all about getting the right cut. At the moment it feels right to have the weight on top, and tapered in at the neck. You can go for something soft, like Kimberly Stewart, or more structured; but whatever you choose it needs to look cool, current and to suit you”.

As to styling, he recommends rough-drying the hair before applying Kerastase's Nacre Nutri-Sculpt (17.50). “You want the hair to look healthy and effortless. For a more messy look, try Shu Uemura wax: it's great, smells good and isn't too sticky.”

短发性感不性感？

临床医学家,曾经是喜剧演员的Pamela Stephenson(高学历明星一名)上周引发了一场争议,她说女性剪短发就是蓄意降低自身性感指数。暗指短发等同于不性感,而长发则会带来更多性福。

我得说,这要看发质。如果你的头发又薄又稀或者又厚又翘,那么或许出于实际考虑,还是短发好。

我们要记着,一头浓密光泽、唰唰作响的长发是非常难得的,而且通常不是天生的。你从名人身上和《后生十年》(一档真人秀节目)插播广告里看到的头发是长时间耐心地做头发做出来的。

自然光泽的长发是年轻人的专利,暗示着他们的生殖力。很可能因此男性更偏爱长发。(That, and cultural conditioning?原文似乎有问题。)从幼年时期开始,女孩们接受着这样一种观念:长发就是吸引力的关键。我五岁的女儿,一直剪着短短的方便的波波头,最近突然沉迷于留长发。不但是她自己的头发,还关心我的头发。有一天我打扮停当准备出门时,她对我说,“妈咪,你看起来很聪明,但是你不留长发可永远不会漂亮哦。”

我在这里必须承认,我的头发很短,而且我成年后基本一直如此。当然这里面有实际的必要性,我的发质稀疏平直。但是即使有一天我一觉醒来头发变得又长又多,我还是会一刀剪了它。因为一次我试过长的假发,让我看起来怪里怪气。

再说,短发其实也可以性感,只是另一种性感—自信,有力,“别惹我”类型的。留长发就像穿上六英寸的高跟鞋,绝对难搞、严重束缚自由。也许这就解释了为什么辣妹Victoria Beckham最近剪短了头发,要不然她的Louboutins(高级女鞋)就保不住了,这是个正确的选择。

总之,要证明短发可以如何性感,让我们来看看狐狸美人Rihanna(美国歌星),她毋庸置疑有力佐证了考虑到剪短发,最重要就是三个词:剪,剪,剪。

George Northwood,来自伦敦市中心Daniel Hersheson(美发沙龙)的全能天才发型师,这样说:“关键是要修剪得宜。现在比较流行在头顶保留发量,而在颈部收缩。你可以剪比较柔和的Kimberly Stewart式发型,也可以剪得更有设计感。不过无论你选择怎样的发型,一定要够酷,够潮流,够合适。”

谈到造型,他建议待头发自然干透后使用卡诗(欧莱雅旗下护发品牌)珍珠潤瑩系列定型(价值17.50英镑)。他说,“这是你想要头发看上去更健康和未经修饰的处理方法;如果想要更加凌乱的造型,可以尝试植村秀(欧莱雅旗下日本知名品牌)发蜡,它很棒,气味清香而且不粘腻。”