The midi bob is the Goldilocks length that’s short, but not too short

It's pretty incredible that a haircut first popularised in the rip-roaring twenties would remain such a hit a whole century later. But, it's a testament to the bob haircut – embraced during the World Wars thanks to its convenience for working women – that it still stands up as a timeless classic today. 

Since its inception, the bob has been through countless incarnations – A-line, asymmetric, blunt, hacked – as well as lengths: lobe-length, jaw-length, shoulder-length and the longer-length lob. Which begs the question: which one should you choose?

Technically speaking, the bob covers a lot of ground. Anything longer than a pixie cut but shorter than shoulder-length makes the cut. So where to hit it? We reckon the best idea is to split the difference and go bang in the middle, with a best-of-both-worlds, ultra-cool, relaxed yet glam midi bob. And we've seen plenty of inspiration rolling in on Instagram to prove it.

Think chin-length, or just below. The trick is to ensure it skims a good few centimetres above your shoulder blades to show a little bit of skin and your pretty décolletage area. It's subtly sexy, but serious when it needs to be.

The ultimate crowd-pleaser, the midi bob is not so short that you won't be able to get a dinky ponytail out of it, or a boho top-knot, but not so long that you look lost behind a layer of security-blanket hair. In the words of Goldilocks herself, “it's just right".

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By Elle Turner

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