Michaela Pnacek, XR (extended reality) artist, 41

What spurred your decision to cut your hair short?

“I was going through a bad breakup, and I felt like my looks, including my hair, expressed my sombre state of mind. And so, in order to start my new single life as a more lighthearted, better-looking and empowered woman, I decided to go short, with Earl Simpson at Junior Senior Salon. My 40th birthday added to that feeling. I had to mark my new decade with a change, so first I had a tattoo done and later I cut my hair short. And I started pole-dancing.”

How do you style your short cut? “If I feel more rebellious, I make my hair look messier with a dry volumizing paste. I like to express myself through my looks, whether it’s fashion, makeup, jewelry or hair. It always depends on the mood I am in, but the looks also influence my state of mind.”

Who are your short-haircut icons?

“Tilda Swinton, because her hair is always edgy, and she is one of my art and fashion icons. Chloë Sevigny: I was about 14 when the film Kids came out, and I had my hair cut short because I wanted to look like her.”

What does your short hair represent to you?

“I feel like there is strength in short hair on a woman. For me it means courage, like I am saying: my femininity doesn’t reside in my hair but in all of me.”