Is cutting hair in layers down to below the ears, with one layer being above the ear, considered forbidden?

There is no objection to a woman cutting her hair in layers, even if some of it is above the ear, provided that it does not resemble the hair of men, or of disbelieving and immoral women. The proof of permissibility is that the basic principle is permissibility, and due to Muslim's narration about the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to cut their hair until it was like a wafrah." And wafrah is what reaches the ears. Imam an-Nawawi explicitly stated the permissibility for women to lighten their hair. Sheikh Ibn 'Uthaymeen issued a fatwa that a woman cutting her hair in a manner that resembles men is forbidden and is considered among the major sins. However, if it differs from men's hair, it is disliked by the Hanbalis and permissible according to some scholars. Sheikh Ibn 'Uthaymeen clarified that the forbidden resemblance does not require intention; whenever the forbidden appearance occurs, it is forbidden, whether the doer intended it or not. The criterion for resembling a man is for her to cut her hair in a way that makes anyone who sees her think she is a man, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men."