Medium Short Hairstyles

Medium short hair is defined as hair that has grown to somewhere between the jawline and just above the shoulders.  You can do any number of things with this hair, as long as you know what looks good on you and what it is you want. Medium short hairstyles tend to be more flattering to someone with an oval shaped face.  If you have a round face, it's probably just going to bring attention to the fact that your face is round, which probably isn't what you're going for, Charlie Brown.  The plusses to having a medium short hairstyle is that they bring focus to your facial features and have a modern/contemporary look to it.  Many people think medium short hairstyles give you a younger look, so if that's what you're going for, try it out.  On the other hand, if you have long hair, it is probably a rather drastic measure to suddenly lop all of that lovely hair off, so before you do it, be sure that you're ready for a big change. 

We're not going to focus on the super-short hair that Halle Berry or Rihanna have, as that falls under the straight-up short hair category, so instead, we're sticking with medium short hair, which you can probably most quickly identify with Jennifer Aniston's iconic haircut from the TV show Friends, though countless celebrities  - and probably many, many people you personally know - have medium short hairstyles as well.

In medium short hairstyles, the focus is probably going to be mostly on the bangs, with the rest of your hair framing your face in a certain way, so for that reason, we're going to divide the types of hairstyles into the treatment of the bangs:

Side Part

Parting your hair from the side is probably the most traditional look of the medium short hairstyles, and it's what we were referring to with Jennifer Aniston, who popularized the side part that draped over the opposite-side eye.  Often, that is what side-parted haircuts are doing.  One side frames the face, while the other side hangs over so that it covers a little bit more of the face.  Usually, these cuts are multi-layered.  The bob would look good with this type of hairstyle.  It is also possible to curl the ends of your hair in so it totally frames your face, or curl it out on the end so it has more of a 1950's soda-fountain look (but hey, you could go less campy than that if you want).  This hairstyle also lends itself to being slightly emo, if you layer it heavily and maybe throw some black, purple, or pink dye in there.

Middle Part

We're not talking Dwight Schrute from The Office.  Middle parts, when they are pulled off, look just as good as the side part.  You could, if you want, translate any of the side part hairstyles to the middle part just by moving your part a few inches to the right or left, but most likely, the middle part is going to put more of an even frame on your face.  Often, if women find the middle part to look a little too symmetrical, they will make the part itself have a kind of zig-zag pattern, which adds a certain personality to the part, particularly if you have slightly darker roots.  Once again, the tips of your hair could be rolled in or out, but a straight-down-the-middle part and curled out tips is super-retro, and should only be tried by people who can pull it off. Or if you're caught in some Cold War suburban housewife fantasy, hey, knock yourself out.

No Part

You can also put no part in the bangs, which gives you a certain punkish-look if done with colored hair.  It also seems to be immensely popular among Bond Girls.  Think Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction.  This is a pretty sick look on anyone who can pull it off, but make sure you're going for something a bit edgier.  You can feather your hair out a little bit and go for something like the musician Pink.  You can also, if you want, have your bangs frame your face like in the parts, but in this case, rather than having longer hair on the sides that you pull over, your hair will be cut so that the bangs, while hanging straight down, are doing the framing.  Think Zooey Deschanel in (500) Days of Summer.  It can be pulled off, but is definitely retro.  You can, like the other two styles, also keep the bangs straight and do a beehive in the back.  Go for a more Hairspray type thing, but seriously, do you know anyone who could pull this off?

Curly or Wavy Hair

Another possibility with this length hair is to put the focus on the texture of your hair rather than the length or your face.  Obviously, not what you'd really shoot for if your hair was perfectly straight, but if you have curly or frizzy hair, you can pull off a pretty decent hairstyle by styling that so it's accentuated.  You probably are going to need to keep up with styling if you get this haircut, as it depends on the curls and waves for its personality, so buy a curling iron and free up some time in your schedule.  It is also possible for any of the other styles to use curls on a more formal occasion, and then let them straighten out for everyday occasions. 

Ultimately, a medium short hairstyle is an excellent haircut to have, as it can fit in any situation.  Medium short hairstyles are just long enough to bring focus to your hair - but not take any away from your face - and just short enough so that, if you're headed for a party or a nicer occasion, your hair won't detract from your clothes or your dress.  It is also relatively flexible, so unless you do something kind of extreme, like the 50's beehive, you don't have to spend any more time than you want to styling it, and it can cover any range of looks, from the punk to the traditional to the emo to the classic.