Mariska Hargitay's Super Short Haircut Was A Huge Head-Turner

Mariska Hargitay is best known for her medium-length, warm brown, highlighted hair that she rocks in her role as Detective Olivia Benson on "Law & Order: SVU." Her character has changed it up some over the years — going both longer and shorter — but that's the style fans know best, which might explain why this cropped pixie look Haritgay rocked in the early 2000s is so shocking.

But no one was more stunned by the style than Hargitay herself, who says the dramatic chop was an accident. "I give the guy a glass of wine, he's trimming my hair, everything's great," she told WENN (via HUFFPOST). "Then all of a sudden I turn my head and he cuts the wrong piece off and I was like, 'No...!'" She claims she was almost fired when she revealed the look to "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf. "I said, 'You can't be mad at me; I'm the one with the dramatic hairdo,'" she said.

Hargitay is gorgeous, of course, so there's no denying she looked like a bombshell, even with her short hair. Still, she admits it wasn't her preferred 'do. "I hated having to grow it out," she told Allure in 2023. "Longer hair fits my face so well, and I've learned by now that I'm just better with length. Plus, I love that longer hair makes me feel girly."

There's nothing worse than boldly chopping off your tresses to discover that you're not actually a fan of short hair. After all, once you've used scissors, you're seriously committed. There is an easy trick you can use to determine if short hair is for you, and the key has to do with determining your face shape. "A haircut's purpose is to help bring out features on a [person's] face," celebrity hairstylist Ted Gibson told Byrdie. "Could be the cheekbones, could be the jawline, could be the length of the neck, could be the eyes." Consider the best short haircuts for every face shape before settling on a style, and you'll also need to consider your hair texture and volume, since both will interact with the silhouette of your chop.

There are also ways of test-driving a short style before heading to the salon. "If you're not sure how a drastic cut will affect you on an emotional level, you could either try wearing a short wig for a while before taking the plunge or trying out a hairstyle app," recommended psychologist Dr. Becky Spelman, in an interview with Stylist. Even if you take the plunge and regret it, try not to let it get you down. A few styling tips can help you skip the awkward growing-out phase with short hair.