Actress Emma Watson was forced to defend her sexuality after chopping off her long locks - because reporters assumed her new look was a "coming out" statement.

The Harry Potter star revamped her appearance by getting a short pixie cut after wrapping filming for the hit wizarding franchise - but her hair makeover led a handful of gossips to read too much into her fashion-forward do.

She tells British newspaper The Independent, "I had journalists asking me if this meant I was coming out, if I was a lesbian now. That haircut did make me realize how subjective everyone's opinion is. Some people were crazy for it and some people just thought I'd lost my s**t."

However, the 21 year old insists she's learned a valuable lesson: "All I can do is follow my instincts because I'll never please everyone."