Wow. That was our first thought when we saw Miley Cyrus's new haircut. And our second thought was - WOW!

Talk about an image change. The former Hannah Montana star went from being a sexy teen to a punky uber cutie overnight.

We weren't sure about her full head of blonde hair last week - it was sleek but sensible, in a fairly safe, standard Disney Princess way.

But now that she's gone all-out with a boyish crop and an edgy undercut, the 19-year-old looks fresh, fun and fashion-forward.

Hollywood stylist Chris McMillan (pictured below) - who created 'The Rachel' cut for Jennifer Anniston back in her Friends days - is the man behind the chop, and afterwards Miley tweeted: "Never felt more me in my whole life. Love my hair. Feel so happy, pretty and free."

And that's exactly how a new haircut should make you feel.

But that's Miley's opinion. What do you think? We asked Sugahfix readers as well as a leading local hairdresser for their opinions.

"I love it, she looks less sweet and more 'get your hands off my sweets or I'll bust you'" says Suzan Manning from Zuni, on Belfast's University Street.

"This is a no-nonsense fashion haircut and I think she rocks it. The colour makes it. This sort of haircut is a total statement - 'I'm gonna do whatever the hell I want with my hair and don't care if it looks pretty or not' (which it absolutely is).

"This haircut is not for wallflowers as it's gonna get you noticed. It takes a strong colour to make it work - bleach blonde, violet or raspberry would all work. But only elfin faces need apply," adds Suzan, "so if you have petite features and a good jawline, what's stopping you?"

It seems that Miley's youth certainly works in her favour.

Sugahfix reader Laura Caughey said: "So she gets the ring on her finger and then does this to her head!? I hope to god this is some sort of elaborate joke." But Laura did add that: "It certainly has the shock value. I did this exact same thing to my hair a few years ago and it felt amazing. Has to be done at some point and best before you hit your mid twenties!"

Judith Erwin likes it, but agrees that it takes some nerve to go for such a bold look: "I'd never get it myself but I quite like it on her."

And Bex Dane says: "I really like it! Would love to have the bone structure and the nerve to get a cut like that!"

Erinn McMahon has had the same sort of cut and doesn't envy Miley that awkward 'growing out' phase. "Love it," says Erinn, "the blonde's great, her eyebrows look fab tab. Don't envy her growing out the undercut, I'm doing it at the moment and it's a pain."

Mairead Delaney is another fan. "Undercuts are very in at the minute, just needs styled a bit better but yeah she suits it."

And Jane Loughlin is another one who approves: "She really suits it!"

As does Edel McVeigh, albeit with one reservation: "I think short really suits her, but it does look like a bad cut or styled wrong."

The styling threw some people, but we think Miley is just going for the mussed-up look in these early photos, playing around with her short hair. Whenever we've had our hair cropped we can't stop playing with it. When she hits the red carpet, we bet we'll see a more sleek and groomed look.

As Chelsea Palmer points out: "It looks better in other photos she has on Twitter, but I do think it would look better if her hair was back to a light brown. Very Twiggy."

The new look may be for a role - Miley is set to appear in Two and a Half Men, playing the love interest of character Jake Harper - but she has also been threatening to have her hair cropped for a while now.

And we love the fact that she's digging her hair so much right now it makes her feel free - like an actual weight has been lifted from her (which, of course, it has).

We also like the idea that it could be the youthful buzz she has gained by getting engaged to her boyfriend Liam Hemsworth that has given her the self-assurance to rock such a dramatic new look.

Not all the Sugahfix readers think that way though.

"Awful!" says Zara Beggs while Gemma Quinn reckons it's poorly cut: "Maybe had the layers been cut better I would like it. Has she gone all Britney?"

A comparison to Harry Potter's Draco Malfoy's hair - if cut by a lawnmower - was made by Dawn Hargy who added: "She can totally do an elfin crop as she's beautiful, but the cut and styling just looks poor."

Sherryl Murphy says: "I like the cut on her but think the colour washes her out a bit - or maybe its because she's sooo thin at the mo... Jealous? Me? Never."

And hairdresser Sharon Malcolm doesn't beat around the bush either: "A very disconnected haircut eh! All over the place. Certainly boyish and very unfeminine. Nothing sexy or glamorous about it. With the all-over bleach and no warm tones through her hair this will make her feel paler in skintone and she'll definitely feel she has to keep the make-up on."

Gemma-Louise Bond is another reader who thinks that Miley would look better with darker hair.

But Stacey Empey made us giggle with: "Looks like she fell asleep at a party and someone got the razor out."

We still think Miley can definitely pull it off with her bone structure and fabulous jawline. And after all, if you can't do crazy stuff to your hair when you're young - when can you do it?

We reckon Gemma Wasson has the right approach when she says: "It's definitely different, but as she said herself on Twitter, it's her hair and she can do what she likes with it. I think because she's been around so long people forget how young she is and that she's now at the age where she needs to experiment with her look and find what she's comfortable with, and hey ho, there's always extensions if she hates it!"