Jamie Lee Curtis Had A Totally Different Vibe Before She Found Her Signature Hair Length

When it comes to celebrities with pixie cuts, no one's quite as iconic as Jamie Lee Curtis, who has been donning the style for over three decades. Jamie Lee Curtis also rocks a natural, makeup-free look occasionally to rebuff Hollywood's beauty standards, but you could say that her short hairstyle is her signature revolutionary look. 

Still, the "Everything Everywhere All at Once" actor didn't always sport her famous cropped 'do. She actually had a totally different vibe when she had longer, shoulder-length hair in the 1970s. That's because Curtis' long locks and eye-skimming bangs gave her a girl-next-door look that differs from the edgy, cool-girl aura her pixie created. She was on-trend with the time, but those longer locks just weren't for her.

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In 2021, she told Lorraine, "I had a perm and then had to dye my hair for a movie, and it burned my hair off my head," adding, "And the first time I cut my hair short, I went, 'Oh, oh, my God. Oh wow, I look like me.'" The event was so impactful that Curtis even remembers the hairstylist who was part of that transformation. Ultimately, she fell in love with short styles at that moment, but she's had to don longer hair again from time to time.

Jamie Lee Curtis has had a big transformation since her '70s scream queen days, but at no point has she gotten to completely avoid donning longer hair in movies. She grew it out to return as Laurie Strode in 2018's "Halloween," for instance, and even more recently for 2025's "Freakier Friday." But that doesn't mean she liked it. In fact, Curtis told Parade in 2025 that when it comes to wearing her hair long, she "hates it" and was "struggling with it" at the time. She explained, "I'm constantly just like, 'Uh, I can't believe I'm doing movie promotion with this because this is a character's hair. This isn't my hair.'"

While Curtis is seemingly aware that changing one's hair is part of an actor's job and it isn't a huge deal, having her hair cut the way she likes is important to her because of how it makes her feel. That's why as soon as she's done with a movie role, she goes back to her classic pixie cut. In April 2025, she posted a selfie with her shortened locks on Instagram, explaining, "When I have my hair cut the way I love it and the way it suits me, it gives me the freedom to exist with no make up and very little fuss. It gives me a confidence that I never had in my life." With that said, we'll cheer on Curtis as she styles a pixie cut for every occasion; it's when she feels her best, and she always rocks it.