Shirley MacLaine's Signature Short Hair Is The Perfect Look For Older Women To Try

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Shirley MacLaine has lived an extraordinary life, from her teenage years as an aspiring dancer in New York City, to her legendary career in Hollywood, to her personal life that's been full of intrigue and controversy. But one element has stayed pretty consistent for all her time in the limelight: Her signature short hair. She's had a brief stint with long hair, has been one of the celebs who have rocked super-short hair, and has rocked both a bixie and a chin-grazing bob. But it's her pixie that has felt like her signature hairstyle, and if you're looking for inspiration, it's the perfect look for older women to try.

While it's important to find the best short hairstyle for your face shape, there's a pixie that will suit every face and hair thickness. Pixies work well on both fine hair with extra layers added in to create volume and movement in the hair, while also working with thicker strands by shedding heavy weight. It's also an easy wash-and-go style if you're over trying to style your locks on a daily basis. Plus, a pixie is timeless. It can be tweaked from year to year to feel more on-trend if the wearer wants, but it's one of those haircuts that's truly perfect for someone like MacLaine, who has living to do beyond fussing over her hair.

While Shirley MacLaine's signature haircut is the pixie, her signature color is definitely red, a trait she didn't like as a child. In her book, "I'm Over All That: And Other Confessions," she wrote, "When I was a teenager, I was embarrassed by my red hair and freckles." But Hollywood, and fans, embraced her and her hair, which gave her the ability to play often quirky or vivacious roles on the big screen.

She veered into brunette and blonde territory in the 2010s, and in the 2020s, she was one of the celebrities who proudly showed off their gray hair (and she clearly transitioned to gray the right way with these tried-and-true methods). She was spotted in April 2026, days within her 92nd birthday, with a full head of white hair, still in its signature short cut. But as she seems to do with all aspects of life, she chose when she was going to embrace her gray strands on her own timeline, not anyone else's.