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What’s This About
This gallery uses ten celebrities often cited as examples of a pear face shape, The VOU’s name for an outline that seems to widen gradually towards a broader jaw, to show hair, beard and accessory choices you can adapt.
Each profile illustrates one styling idea, such as:
Height at the crown versus width at the temples
Short cuts shaped by the barber rather than by daily styling
Beard side fullness versus chin length
Frames with a strong top line, and collars below the jaw
and many more!
We also explain how pear relates to our triangle guide.
Key Points
01The VOU uses pear, and triangle, for one jaw-wide family.
02If you want to draw the eye upward, height at the crown and width at the temples are two separate options.
03Short beard sides add little width at the jaw, while extra chin length adds length.
04Showing off a broad jaw is as valid a goal as drawing the eye upward.
Understanding your face shape can help you make style choices, from a haircut to eyewear and facial hair.
The pear face shape is The VOU’s name for an outline that seems to widen gradually from a narrower forehead to a broader jaw; we also use triangle for the same jaw-wide family, so our triangle celebrity guide covers overlapping ground.
Below are ten men often cited as examples of this outline.
A single photograph cannot confirm anyone’s face shape, because camera angle, hair and beard all change how an outline reads, and a beard can hide the jaw altogether, so treat each profile as a styling idea rather than a record of that person’s routine.
Drawing the eye upward is one goal you might choose; echoing a broad jaw, or simply wearing a style you like, is just as valid.
Before we start, if you’re still not sure about your face shape, take our quick face shape quiz for men to check your face shape; treat the result as a starting point for the styling ideas below rather than a measurement.
1. Édgar Ramírez
Édgar Ramírez, pictured above, is often cited as an example of a pear face shape.
The look this profile describes is a cut with volume in the upper head, paired with neat facial hair.
Lift at the front and fullness at the temples move attention upward; the first adds height, the second adds width, so ask for whichever you want.
Neat stubble or a short beard with a defined cheek line keeps the lower face tidy without adding much breadth.
2. Jason Derulo
Jason Derulo, pictured above, is often cited as an example of a pear face shape.
The look this profile describes is a short cut with height and shape on top.
For tightly curled or coily hair, height on top can come from the cut itself, shaped with clippers or scissors, rather than from daily styling; a taper or fade at the sides is set at the barber and keeps the outline neat between visits.
If you add facial hair, keeping the sides short and the outline crisp adds little width at the jaw.
3. Shahid Kapoor
Shahid Kapoor, pictured above, is often cited as an example of a pear face shape.
The look this profile describes is a cut with volume on top and fullness through the upper sides.
Volume at the crown and fullness at the temples together give the upper head more presence; you can ask for either on its own.
When a beard goes with this cut, a short, evenly trimmed one keeps the hair as the main feature; a longer beard shifts attention downward, which is a choice rather than a mistake.
4. Ross Butler
Ross Butler, pictured above, is often cited as an example of a pear face shape.
The look this profile describes is a short cut with volume at the crown and temples.
If you want to try it, ask for enough length on top to lift, with the temples left soft, and decide separately how short you want the lower sides.
Clean-shaven or light stubble keeps the jaw outline as it is; a fuller beard with full sides would make the lower face read broader, which you may or may not want.
5. Romeo Santos
Romeo Santos, pictured above, is often cited as an example of a pear face shape.
The look this profile describes is a neat cut with volume kept to the upper head and tidy facial hair.
Volume on top draws the eye upward; with a shorter cut, leaving a little more length on top gives more of that effect.
Sharp lines on the hairline and beard make a short look crisp; ask your barber where the cheek line and neckline will sit before they cut.
6. Cuba Gooding Jr.
Cuba Gooding Jr., pictured above, is often cited as an example of a pear face shape.
The look this profile describes is a short, neat cut with precisely groomed facial hair when worn.
With a short cut, volume through the crown and temples comes mostly from the shape the barber leaves, so describe where you want the fullness rather than relying on daily styling.
If you add facial hair, a neat moustache or short beard with a clear outline keeps the look tidy.
7. Kanye West
Kanye West, pictured above, is often cited as an example of a pear face shape.
The look this profile describes is a short cut with neat facial hair.
With very short hair, height and width come from the shape the barber cuts rather than from styling, so describe the outline you want, such as a little more length on top or softer temples.
A short, neatly outlined beard keeps the lower face defined; keeping the sides close adds little width, while a fuller beard adds breadth.
8. Matt Bomer
Matt Bomer, pictured above, is often cited as an example of a pear face shape.
The look this profile describes is a classic cut with volume at the crown and temples, worn clean-shaven.
Brushing the top up and slightly back adds height, and leaving the temples a little longer than the lower sides adds width high up; you can choose one, both or neither.
Clean-shaven leaves the jaw outline fully visible, a good choice if you like your jaw as it is.
9. Kumail Nanjiani
Kumail Nanjiani, pictured above, is often cited as an example of a pear face shape.
The look this profile describes is a cut with volume at the crown and neat facial hair.
Volume at the crown adds height above the forehead; if you also want width, ask for the temples to be left slightly fuller, since that is a separate request.
Stubble or a short beard kept even and neatly outlined adds definition along the jaw without much extra width.
10. John Krasinski
John Krasinski, pictured above, is often cited as an example of a pear face shape.
The look this profile describes is a cut with width at the crown and temples, with a beard when worn.
Fullness at the temples adds width beside the forehead, and a full beard adds breadth and length to the lower face, so wearing both keeps the outline evenly full from top to bottom.
If you want the beard without the extra jaw width, keep the sides shorter than the chin; growth coverage at the cheeks will limit how full the sides can be anyway.
Styling for Pear Faces
While pear faces need no correcting, the principles below help if you want to draw the eye upward; if you would rather echo a broad jaw, the opposite choices work just as well.
The guidelines below cover haircuts, facial hair and accessories, building on the celebrity examples above.
Haircut Principles
The key to successful hairstyling for pear faces, if you want upward emphasis, is deciding where your hair carries height and width.
Height at the crown adds length above the forehead, width at the temples adds breadth beside it, and keeping bulk off the lower sides, around and behind the ears, stops fullness sitting at jaw level.
How much length on top you need for that depends on your density, texture, curl, shrinkage and growth direction, so describe the effect to your barber and check it dry-styled in the mirror, from the front and the side.
For short styles, leave enough length on top to lift and the temples soft if you want upward emphasis; very short sides make the head look narrower above a broad jaw, which you may or may not like.
The top is styled daily, while the side length and any taper at the neckline are set at the barber.
For medium lengths, layers that put weight at the crown and temples, styled slightly outward at the top, move attention upward.
For longer styles, layers that start higher put fullness beside the forehead, while hair that ends at or just below the jaw can add visual width there, which is a choice rather than a mistake; a cut cannot change the jaw itself.
Facial Hair Guidelines
Facial hair choices for a broad jaw come down to where you keep the growth: side fullness, chin length, cheek line and neckline are separate decisions.
Stubble or a short beard adds definition along the jaw with little extra width.
With a medium beard, shorter sides and a slightly longer chin add length rather than width, while even length all round makes the lower face read broader.
With a fuller beard, a fade from short sideburns into longer growth is one way to keep width down; your growth coverage limits what is achievable, and the neckline position depends on the beard’s length and your anatomy.
Ideal Accessories
Accessories can move attention, though none of them changes the width of your face.
Glasses frames with a strong or straight top line put emphasis across the brow if that is the effect you want.
Aviators follow the same idea; any frame still has to fit, meaning suitable overall width, a comfortable bridge, temples of the right length and enough clearance, which an optician can check.
A collar and tie sit at the neck and chest, below the jaw, so they frame that area rather than changing the face.
A spread collar sets a broad, level line at the throat that can read as continuous with a broad jaw, while a point collar gives a narrower, vertical line; collar choice also depends on your neck size, tie knot, jacket and occasion.
Final Considerations
A pear face shape is a description for navigation, not a verdict on how you should look.
Choose your goal first, whether that is drawing the eye upward, echoing a broad jaw or simply wearing a style you like, and then choose the cut and grooming that achieve it.
How often you need a trim depends on the cut: close sides and crisp beard lines lose their outline sooner than longer, softer styles, so ask your barber how long your chosen style holds its shape.
If your outline seems to sit between pear and another shape, or a beard hides your jaw, read the neighbouring guides as well, including our triangle guide, which covers the same jaw-wide family.
Take the First Step With The VOU’s Styling Quizzes
Start your style journey with our resources. First, take our Face Shape Quiz for a starting point on your face shape and initial styling guidance.
Then, check your colours with our Seasonal Colour Analysis Quiz.
Check your body shape with our Body Shape Quiz, and your personal style with our Fashion Style Quiz.
Styling Consultations
Before you go, a note on where this guide fits in a wider styling plan.
Face shape is one input among several. At The VOU, we look at it alongside your colouring, body shape and personal style.
Our Professional Face Shape Analysis package is a paid consultation; its product page lists what it includes.
Our Complete Image Transformation Package combines the face shape, seasonal colour, body shape and fashion style analyses.
If you would like personal help, you can book a paid consultation.
Our styling services for men are paid consultations; the shop page lists what each one includes.
Mandy Meyer’s focus at The VOU is men’s body-shape styling, garment fit and outfit proportions. Her coverage addresses the practical questions behind a wardrobe choice: how a jacket sits across the shoulders, how trousers fall and how different cuts change the silhouette a wearer wants to create.
Her subject areas include the triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle, oval, trapezoid, hourglass and diamond labels used in body-shape styling. These provide starting references for comparing visible proportions; they do not capture every body or prescribe one correct way to dress. The focus connects those observations with garment shape, construction, length and the relationship between the upper and lower parts of an outfit.
Mandy’s editorial coverage combines visual comparisons with fit checks for comfort and movement. Readers can consider whether a cut gives them the room they need, where clothing pulls or gathers and which changes might support their preferred look. The aim is to make menswear choices more understandable while keeping personal preferences and the wearer’s own styling goals central.