Crew cut hairstyle A crew cut is a style of cutting the hair that starts with the hair one length in the front and tapers to a uniformly shorter length at or near the crown of the head. The sides and back can actually be of short or medium length, though when most people think of a crew cut, they think of a buzz cut. Sam Worthington (as Jake Sully in Avatar movie) with a crew cut style. Military Crew cut Most people think that the crew cut gets its name from the US military. The truth of the matter is that the hair cut got its name from its adoption by the Yale rowing crew in the 1890s. This hair cut was not adopted by the military until World War II. It was then determined that a buzz cut with the sides and back cut short (high and tight) was a good way to eliminate lice and other pests that like to live in the hair. Flat-top haircut Some of the more notable variations on this style include the flat top, the buzz, and the butch. All three of these are classed as short haircuts becaus...