What do you think... is short hair sexy?

 Last week, the therapist and former comic New Zealander Pamela Stephenson caused a stir by suggesting that women who cut their hair short are deliberately sabotaging their sexuality. The implication is that short hair is unsexy, whereas long hair leads to masses of exciting bedroom action. However celebrities like Rihanna and even the First lady are opting for shorter hair

I'd say it rather depends on the hair. If you have thin, lank locks - or indeed a thick and unruly mop - then keeping it short hair may be a practical necessity.

It's worth remembering that long hair of the thick, glossy, swishy variety is incredibly rare, and doesn't often occur naturally in the wild. The stuff that you see on celebrities and during the ad breaks for Ten Years Younger is the result of hours and hours of patient coiffeuring.

Naturally glossy long hair is a signifier of youth, which in turn implies fertility, which is probably why many men will say that they prefer it to short hair. That, and cultural conditioning. From a young age, girls absorb the idea that long hair is the key to attractiveness.

My five-year-old, who has always had a short, practical bob, has recently become obsessed not only with growing her own hair, but mine too. “You look very smart, Mummy,” she told me recently while I was getting ready to go out. “But you'll never be pretty unless you grow your hair.”

I must confess here to an interest: my hair is very short, and has been so for most of my adult life. This is partly out of practical necessity: it is indeed thin and lank. But even if I were to wake up one morning and discover it long and luxuriant, I would probably still get it lopped off. I know this because I once tried on a long wig: I looked like the missing link.

Besides, short hair can be sexy; it's just a certain type of sexy. The self-assured, powerful, “don't mess with me” kind. Having long hair is like wearing six-inch heels: it requires an awful lot of effort and seriously curtails your freedom. Perhaps that explains why Victoria Beckham recently had her hair cut short: it was either that, or the Louboutins had to go. She made the right choice.

Anyway, here to illustrate how sexy short hair can be is the lovely Rihanna, looking as foxy as you like with short hair and eloquently demonstrating the three most important things to consider when attempting a crop: cut, cut and cut.

George Northwood, all-round hair genius at Daniel Hersheson in central London, says: “It's all about getting the right cut. At the moment it feels right to have short hair with the weight on top, and tapered in at the neck. You can go for something soft, like Kimberly Stewart, or more structured; but whatever you choose it needs to look cool, current and to suit you”.