Gender-Affirming Haircut Guide

Hair can play an important role in how we see ourselves and how others see us. This guide is here to help you explore the details that can make a haircut feel more masc, femme, androgynous—or simply more like you.

It was created with trans, non-binary and gender-questioning clients in mind, but it is open to anyone exploring their hair and personal expression.

Hair has no gender, and this guide is not a rulebook. The way a haircut is perceived can vary between people, cultures and communities. Hair texture, styling and personal preference also make a difference. Use these ideas as references rather than fixed definitions.

Creating a more masc look

Some clients find that the following details help their haircut feel more masc:

• Shape and structure: Squarer silhouettes, stronger corners and weight around the sides can create a more structured finish.

• Hairlines and edges: Sharper outlines, straighter sideburns and more defined edges can change how the haircut frames your face.

• Contrast: Fades, undercuts and shorter sides combined with length elsewhere can create stronger contrast.

• Length: A masc haircut doesn’t have to be short. Longer hair can also feel masc through its shape, framing, parting and styling.

Explore our Masc Visuals for haircut references you can save or bring to your consultation.

Exploring an androgynous look

Androgyny means different things to different people. It can involve combining traditionally masc and femme details, moving between them, or rejecting the idea that personal expression needs to be gendered at all.

• Contrasting details: Combining sharper edges with softer movement can create a balance that doesn’t sit neatly within one category.

• Asymmetry: Off-centre partings, uneven lengths and disconnected sections can make a haircut feel less conventional.

• Texture and movement: Natural curls, waves, choppy layers and deliberately undone styling can create individuality without relying on a fixed gendered shape.

• Styling flexibility: A versatile haircut can be worn differently depending on how you want to present on a particular day.

Explore our Androgynous Visuals for references and inspiration.

Creating a more femme look

Some clients find that the following details help their haircut feel more femme:

• Shape and softness: Rounded silhouettes and softer outlines can create a less angular finish.

• Face framing: Fringes, softer sideburns and pieces around the face can change how the haircut frames your features.

• Movement and volume: Layers, texture and volume can create softness and movement throughout the hair.

• Length: Femme hair doesn’t have to be long. Short cuts, fades and shaved styles can all feel femme through their shape, finish and styling.

Explore our Femme Visuals for haircut references you can bring to your appointment.

Preparing for your consultation

You don’t need to know the correct haircut terminology or choose a label before your appointment. Tell us what you like, what you don’t like and how you want your haircut to feel.

Bring photographs, saved posts, Pinterest boards or even drawings. It can be helpful to point out specific details from different images rather than searching for one photograph that represents the complete haircut.

We’ll also discuss your hair texture, styling routine and the amount of maintenance you’re comfortable with. Together, we can turn your references into a haircut that works for your hair and feels right for you.

Barber Below and RCNQ

Barber Below and RCNQ share one inclusive space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. By bringing barbers and salon stylists together under one roof, we can offer a wider range of skills and services across different hair lengths, types and textures. If you’re unsure which team member or service will best suit your needs, get in touch and we’ll help you find the right person.

Your identity belongs to you. Our role is to listen, understand and help your hair reflect the way you want to express yourself.