the freedom of the buzz cut

12 May, 2026

I got my first buzz cut at age 27. The only reason this is noteworthy is because I am AFAB (assigned female at birth), and not a lot of women will shave or buzz their hair. I did this for the first time in December of 2025, and I was a bit nervous as I contemplated getting a buzz cut. I have kept my hair from anywhere between a pixie cut to slightly past my shoulders since I was in middle school, but I really wanted to do something dramatically different. My only concern was that having my hair buzzed would make my face look even rounder.

I have never been particularly emotionally attached to my hair, to be honest. It’s just hair — if I cut it myself and fucked it up, it was okay because it would grow back eventually. If I dyed it and it looked sloppy after having grown out, I’d just dye over the entire thing. The characteristics I like my hair to have are as follows: it should be out of my way and require minimal effort to appear put together. I do not want to style it, need to pull it away from my face and tie it back, or do anything that needs additional time or materials.

So in December, I took the plunge, went to some place like Great Clips, and asked for a 6 on the top and a 5 on the sides. And I loved it. It didn’t make my face look rounder at all! I couldn’t stop running the palm of my hand over my tiny hairs. I loved how immediately, my head felt lighter. What a great feeling.

As a few months passed and it grew out, I was getting irritable again due to needing to actually wrangle my hair in the mornings. I finally got around to getting my buzz cut touched up again last weekend - I had waited way too long and my buzz cut had turned into a shaggy, wavy, thick mess of hair. I asked for an 8 all over this time, and I’m back to feeling like myself!

A list of my favorite things about having a buzz cut:

1. Feeling wind or air moving between the little hairs.
2. The shorter my hair is, the more I feel like me! It’s very gender-affirming.¹
3. My ears aren’t hidden under hair so I am more willing to experiment with large, crazy earrings. These are my favorite lately, if you’re trying to visualize what I mean or what my style is.
4. It’s so low maintenance! I wake up without bedhead, I use an incredibly small amount of shampoo when washing my hair, and it’s short enough that there is nothing to need to untangle with a brush. I have pretty thick hair and so when it’s longer, it will take a couple hours to dry. Not anymore!
5. No more frizzy, greasy locks of hair when I’ve been outdoors and the weather is hot. I live in Texas, and most of the year it is hot and humid. I feel like it’s a lot more difficult for me to get sweaty or overheat when my hair is this short.
6. When a friend rubs their hand against my hair.
7. I don’t have “hat hair” when I take off a hat anymore.

All hail the buzz cut!

#personal