If you're unfamiliar with a "butterfly" haircut, let '70s-era Farrah Fawcett and '90s-era Jennifer Aniston (as Rachel Green) be your guides. The "butterfly" cut has dramatic layers, with much shorter pieces around the face and cascading layers towards the bottom. It's sometimes referred to as a short haircut inside a long haircut.
In its modern iteration, there's some variation in the butterfly cut. It doesn't always need to be styled in such a feathered way, and there are shorter and more subtle versions. If you're intrigued by a "butterfly" style, allow these celebrity cuts to serve as your mood board.
Kylie Jenner
The longer one's hair, the more effective and dramatic the butterfly cut will be. On Kylie Jenner's hair here, the layers in front are made bouncier with the aid of a curling iron. Also, it's important to note that even if you don't like bangs, you can still pull off a butterfly cut like this one.
Akwafina
Case in point that a butterfly cut doesn't have to be flipped out or curled under: it's really just a cut with a lot of layers, particularly around the face, that add layering and dimension. It's both face framing, as we see on Akwafina, and a bit messy in a pretty way.
Addison Rae
Early in her Hollywood career, Addison Rae was known for her bouncy blonde hair, which falls into the "long butterfly" category. The front pieces aren't so short that they count as bangs, but there's still a ton of layering at the front in particular.
Suki Waterhouse
Suki Waterhouse has made the butterfly cut an important part of her aesthetic (and, if you like the cut, you should use her as Pinterest inspiration: she's debuted various versions throughout her career). This one has the traditional face-framing layers and longer ones underneath.
Lily James
A butterfly cut isn't necessarily limited to straight hair! Lily James demonstrates that it can look extremely cool; curls benefit from layers anyways, and long hair requires a lot of face framing. The haircut gives a lot of body and dimension here.
Millie Bobby Brown
A butterfly cut doesn't have to be long. In fact, for people with straight or wavy hair, it's a fun way to add depth to an otherwise simple look. Millie Bobby Brown's hair is curled in a way that feels like a '70s throwback, which only enhances the dramatic layering.
Jennifer Aniston
Any list of butterfly haircuts would be incomplete without Jennifer Aniston. While the most dramatic version was definitely "The Rachel," a.k.a. the popular cut she had while playing Rachel Green on Friends, Aniston has opted for multi-layered cuts since then.
Priyanka Chopra
Part of the reason for Priyanka Chopra-Jonas' enviable hair is the butterfly cut. From the short bang-like layers on top to the long layers on bottom, there's a ton of difference in length. While not everyone has hair texture and volume to spare, this cut absolutely helps.
Demi Lovato
The bob or lob (long bob) haircut can also work well when "butterflied," as we see here with Demi Lovato. It might not have the typical shape, because it's missing the long fringe at the bottom, but there's still a ton of layers contained within this cut.
Emmanuelle Béart
The butterfly cut can be a nice option for hair that's thinner or has less volume (so long as the overall length isn't too long). French actor Emmanuelle Béart has worn the butterfly cut since she was a young starlet, but it still works for her face shape and hair.
Kelly Rowland
Looking like she stepped right out of a L'Oréal hair commercial, Kelly Rowland has curls for days with this cut. A styled butterfly cut like this doesn't have the typical top layer, bottom layer shape: it just looks like curly hair with a ton of layers. Which is awesome.
Emily Ratajkowski
Emily Ratajkowski doesn't always have as many layers in her hair, and so this butterfly cut is relatively subdued compared to some others on this list. There's shape and dimension, but it mostly looks like a slightly fuller version of her signature cut.
Hailee Steinfeld
We love that Farrah Fawcett swoop! Seriously, though, this is a great modernized version of the classic butterfly cut on Hailee Steinfeld. The layers are longer and thus not quite as feathery, but it still feels bouncy and full of life. Those face-framing pieces are gorgeous.
Kaia Gerber
Kaia Gerber, no stranger to changing up her hair, shows off a cut with a ton of highlights and layers. It's missing almost any styled curls, which makes it look flatter than a traditional butterfly cut. The end result is piecier and choppier—a nice modern iteration.
Shania Twain
Shania Twain has had great hair for a long time. In this cut, there's body throughout the entire head, with the classic "swoop" in the bangs and with the rest of the hair gently curled. If you don't happen to have this kind of volume, extensions are a great add-on here.
Halle Berry
Even though Halle Berry has basically trademarked the pixie cut, her forays into longer hair are also exceptional. Here, the bangs are fuller and aid in face-framing (which feels like a nod to her shorter cuts). It also helps make the look seem more coherent from top to bottom.
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid has a few signature haircuts, and she liked the butterfly cut in her earlier days as a model. This feels very "Victoria's Secret Angel" in a way that I can appreciate; it's got that "just came in from the beach" windswept look, thanks to some highlights and a curling iron.
Sofia Vergara
Sofia Vergara loves a butterfly cut, and for good reason: it works well for her face shape, and there's still various ways to cut, color, and style it. Putting the brightest highlights on the bottom really accentuates the length and body, making the hair look even longer than it is.
Ciara
Ciara has come up with about a million hairstyles, but it looks awesome when she sticks to this basics. This is a relatively short butterfly cut, meaning you don't see the long length that's traditional. But this cut is awesome for someone who has medium-length hair.
Selena Gomez
Honestly, I wish Selena Gomez would cut her hair like this even more than she does. From the side, it's easier to see just how short the face-framing layers are compared to the bottom of the hair, hence the analogy that this is a short cut inside a long cut.
Kerry Washington
A butterfly cut can start with longer layers (on Kerry Washington here, the layers start around the jawline), so long as there's enough length throughout the cut. This is giving off Old Hollywood glamour in the best way, thanks to the bounciness of the curls.
Jennifer Lopez
The butterfly cut is one of Jennifer Lopez's signature looks—with good reason. Here, we see the classic "butterfly" shape that gives the cut its name, with the upper layers forming the smaller upper wings and the bottom layers forming the larger bottom wings.
Beyoncé
Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter era has given us some especially "bouncy" hair, which is a treat. This is proof that the butterfly cut looks great with a hat, particularly a cowboy hat, since it frames the face under the enormous topper. That blonde is a great color for the cut, too.
Camilla Cabello
Camilla Cabello's very enviable long hair gets a boost from a butterfly cut. She's got fuller bangs on top, which balances out the long, long length of her hair. The longer and fuller your hair, the more layers you can put in, which makes for a gorgeous visual.
Keke Palmer
Wigs can be an awesome way to experiment with new cuts, colors, or both. This gorgeous auburn on Keke Palmer is such a pretty shade, especially when paired with a butterfly cut. The swoop outward feels very '70s, but the red color keeps things modern.
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter has absolutely popularized the blonde, curly butterfly cut. The hair is very in keeping with her fun, flirty, sultry style. The whole look is very soft, except for her visible roots at the top. It's a retro-modern style that feels classic and fun simultaneously.
Billie Eilish
This is a great short butterfly cut on Billie Eilish. Because of the shorter length, there are more face-framing layers. This is also an instance where the layers can continue around the whole head (which you don't always see in a longer version of the cut).
Ayo Edebiri
Now this is a gorgeous, bouncy cut (and a far cry from the tied-bandana updo her character wears on The Bear). If you want this major, major volume but you don't have the hair volume, extensions will be your best friend here. The result is a hairstyle that's almost as wide as it is long.
Sydney Sweeney
Sydney Sweeney styles her hair in a way that's mermaid-esque, with long length and tons of highlights. This is another long butterfly cut; the shortest pieces start beyond her jaw, but the hair extends all the way to her ribs. So there's still plenty of layers.
Zendaya
From the most intense bowl-cut wig to the longest extensions, Zendaya loves a dramatic hairstyle. Which is what makes this softer, more romantic version so special. A medium cut in a soft golden-brown color also looks great with a side part, so you can see all the layers.
Margot Robbie
Margot Robbie has gone with a few butterfly cuts, and she wore some particularly soft, bouncy versions during her Barbie era. The soft cut feels pretty synonymous with the doll, especially when it's a soft golden color like this with well-defined waves.
Jenna Ortega
Unlike the more severe styling of one of her more famous characters (Wednesday Addams, obvious), Jenna Ortega sometimes wears her hair with lift and bounce. This is a super-classic butterfly cut, but the darker color helps it feel more current.
