Inverted Bob

The inverted bob is the bob with stacked back and longer front — short and graduated at the back, longer (often by 2-3 cm) at the front. Victoria Beckham wore the definitive modern version in 2007 (the 'pob') and the cut never quite went away. The back stacking creates volume at the crown; the longer front frames the jaw.

It flatters round and square faces — the volume at the back lengthens round faces visually, and the longer front softens square jaws by drawing the eye downward. Straight hair shows the stacked back cleanest; wavy hair can wear it but the stacking is less visible. The cut works less well on very curly hair because the stack disappears under the curl pattern.

Medium daily maintenance — needs a smoothing blowout to keep the back stack defined. Air-drying tends to disrupt the graduation. Trim every six weeks; if you skip a trim, the back grows out and you're left with a regular asymmetric bob. The inverted bob has stayed in rotation since 2007 and gets credited as the cut that defined the era when 'serious working women' could wear short hair to the office. Ask for 'a clean stacked back with the front falling 2-3 cm below the jaw' — describing it as 'a Posh Spice cut' to a stylist over 30 will land exactly right.