How to tell if you can pull off short hair

Although I like to keep my hair long now (so that I can quickly tie it up into a pony tail when life calls), I actually always, always had short hair.

I didn't know why at the time, but it was just the most flattering style for me. (At least I thought so.)

Pictures of me from 2004. Can't believe it's been so long... 

I still feel like the 90's were like, 8 years ago!

Well, now I know the reason why.

According to a Cosmopolitan UK article, hairstyle guru John Frieda came up with this magic formula that helps determine if a short pixie will flatter your shape or not: The 2.25-inch (5.5 cm) rule.

John studied faces and saw that the angle of the jaw bone determined whether or not someone would look best with short hair or long hair. The result is a trusted, easy but exact, measurement that indicates whether a face (any face) is suited to short or long hair.

So this is what you do: Position a pencil or pen under your chin horizontally, then place a ruler under your ear, vertically. Take the measurement of the height of where the pencil and the ruler meet. Less than 2.25 inches? You will definitely pull off short hair. Longer than 2.25 inches? Longer hair will be the more flattering choice for you.

(Image from the Cosmopolitan UK website)