Short Notice : Black Women Are Enjoying Cropped Styles That Are Easy, Flattering and Affirmative

They’re cutting it close.

Following the lead of celebrities such as actress Halle Berry and pop singers Toni Braxton and Zhane, black women are cropping their mops.

Short ‘dos are definitely a lock for the summer.

“Everyone coming in (to the shop) wants the Toni Braxton look or the Zhane look,” said Brendolyn Davis, a hair designer at Moods International in Oceanside. “They’re really cutting it down, above the ears, and going with a bob, short waves and pin curls.

“Shags, twists and short dreads are popular, too,” she added. All were visible at the World International Beauty Expo in Anaheim on Sunday.

Less is best, if you want convenience, practicality and a flattering, individualized look.

Short styles require minimal maintenance--several cuts, like the scalp-skimming Caesar, are wash and wear--and there is little use for chemical relaxers that can break the hair.

Plus, the styles accentuate the eyes and the lines of the face.

“The styles are also more professional and often times you only need to go to a barber, not a stylist,” said Davis, who has been in the beauty business for 11 years, working in salons in Orange and San Diego counties before moving to Moods.

Just like braids, cropped cuts and naturals are an affirmation of black culture, another way for blacks to celebrate and unite in their ethnicity.

For a long time, it has been considered undesirable to sport short, nappy styles, which has prompted the majority of black women to relax their hair, grow it long or weave in extensions, Davis said.

Now, naturals and crops are a chic, accepted alternative.

Cutting hair short “is a trend, but it does have Afrocentric roots,” Davis said.

Thanks to rappers Ice Cube and Snoop Doggy Dog, men are reviving the Afro. It’s a throwback to the ‘70s, when the bushy mane was not only the style of the decade, but a political statement as well.

Longish Afros even took on the identities of their wearers, like activist Angela Davis, the character Linc, portrayed by Clarence Williams III on the television drama “Mod Squad” and the stylings of the family R&B; group, the Sylvers.

But the ‘90s version of the Afro is less full and much less political.

“It’s just really retro,” Davis said. “Afros are just a fad, a style, not a political statement.”