Mullet (haircut)

Themulletis ahairstylein which the hair is cut shorter at the front, top and sides, but is longer at the back.
According to theOxford English Dictionary, use of the termmulletto describe this hairstyle was "apparently coined, and certainly popularized, by American hip-hop group theBeastie Boys",who used "mullet" and "mullet head" as epithets in their 1994 song "Mullet Head", combining it with a description of the haircut: "number oneon the side and don't touch the back, number six on the top and don't cut it wack, Jack."They expounded on the subject at length in a six-page article entitled "Mulling Over The Mullet" in Issue 2 (1995) of their magazineGrand Royal, offering a selection of alternative names for the cut, including "Hockey Player Haircut" and "Soccer Rocker".
OnSlate'sDecoder Ringpodcast, Willa Paskin discussed the etymology of the term, noting thatOxford English Dictionarycredited the AustralianStreet Machineautomotive magazine with the first published description of the term in 1992, predating Beastie Boys.Decoder Ringdiscovered that the magazine image had been faked; in a 2018 apology posted toimgur, the creator had admitted to faking the text, adjusting the magazine dates, and shown proof.
HistorianSuetoniuswrites that the Roman emperorTiberius"wore his hair rather long at the back, so much so as even to cover the nape of his neck", and that this was a tradition of his family, theClaudians.One bust of Tiberius's great-nephewCaligulahas short locks across the forehead and longer hair behind.
A metal figurine, dated back to the 1st-century AD and found during 2018 preparations for a new car park at theWimpole Estate, England, was hypothesised by archaeologists to indicate that natives in ancient Britain during theRoman occupationcould have worn their hair similarly to mullets.
In the sixth century,ByzantinescholarProcopiuswrote that some factions of young males wore their hair long at the back and cut it short over the forehead. This non-Roman style was termed the"Hunnic"look.
Researcher Alan Henderson describes the ancient hairstyle as useful, as it kept the hair out of the eyes, yet provided warmth and protection for the neck.
InMourt's Relation, authorEdward Winslowdescribed thePlymouthpilgrims' first encounter with theNative Americans,Samosetof theAbenakiin 1621:
Some tribes inBorneoalso have mullet hairstyles, including DayakKayan,KenyahandIban.
Tom Jonessported a mullet in two of his three 1965 performances of his hit song "It's Not Unusual" onThe Ed Sullivan Show, May 2, 1965 and June 13, 1965.
Mullets were worn by rock starsDavid Bowie,Rod Stewart,Keith Richards, andPaul McCartneyin the early 1970s.When writingNeil Peart's eulogy in January 2020, Greg Prato asserted Peart had a mullet, based on his observations of a 1974 video, further suggesting "he also may have been one of the first rockers to sport another hairstyle –  therattail", based on a 1985 video, "The Big Money".
In Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1980s, mullets were "everywhere", according to Tess Reidy writing atThe Guardianin 2019.The 1980s were also the high point of the mullet's popularity incontinental Europe.
Also in the1980s, the mullet became part oflesbian culture, where it came to be used as a way of identifying oneself as a member of that culture in public.
After the much-publicized 1992DC Comicsstoryline in whichSuperman apparently died, the character returned to the 1993 follow-up storyline "Reign of the Supermen", in which he was depicted with a mullet.The cancelled Superman film project,Superman Lives, would have depicted Superman with a mullet.
Punk rockband theVandalssang of the mullets worn by country music singers and guests ofThe Jerry Springer Showand listed regional names for the style in the 1998 song "I've Got an Ape Drape".In 1997, gay punk bandPansy Divisionreleased their single "Hockey Hair" in Vancouver, Canada about this hairstyle.
VocalistWesley Williswrote and released the track "Cut the Mullet" in 1998 and frequently performed it at live shows.
The 2001 filmAmerican Mulletdocuments the phenomenon of the mullet hairstyle and the people who wear it.
The same yearUniversal Records(Canada) released the albumMullet Years: Power Ballads, a collection ofhard rockballads.
This hairstyle became popular with thebogansubculture in Australia and New Zealand.
The mullet was banned inIranas one style on a list of "un-Islamic", "decadent Western cuts".
The mullet was returned to the spotlight in 2015 byK-pop idolG-Dragonduring his bandBIGBANG'sMade World Tour.BaekhyunofEXOalso sported a mullet in promotion for the group's 2017 song "Ko Ko Bop". K-pop artists who have worn mullets includeBlock B'sZico,Song Min-ho,Nam Joo-hyuk,Dean,Stray Kids' Chan and Han,VIXX'sN,B.A.P.'s Himchan,Seventeen's Woozi and The8, andBTS'sV.
The mullet has also experienced a revival withinAmerican sports. After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups,Phil Kesselwas spotted in Pittsburgh Penguins training camp in September 2017 bringing the mullet back to its native roots of Pittsburgh hockey (Jaromír Jágrwore a mullet with the Penguins in the 1990s).Similarly,Oklahoma Statehead football coachMike Gundywore a mullet starting in early 2017; the popularity of his mullet supposedly earned Oklahoma State millions of dollars in marketing revenue.In addition, from 2010 to 2015,Patrick Kaneof theChicago Blackhawkspopularized the "playoff mullet," an alternative to the traditional NHLplayoff beard.Then-Pittsburgh Steelersrunning backJames Connerbegan sporting a mullet in 2018, continuing theYinzertradition of the hairstyle inWestern Pennsylvania.The revival also extended to Australia in the late 2010s, with Australian soccer playerRhyan Grantbecoming widely known for his mullet haircut to the point that it was included within the video gameFIFA 20.
In September 2020,i-Dcalled 2020 "the year of the mullet", attributing its boom in popularity toCOVID-19 lockdownsand the extended closure of hair salons.In an article forVice Media, the mullet-wearing teenagers interviewed all described getting the haircut as a joke, with one stating "There's an irony to the mullet haircut. It's this disgustingly gross haircut, which means it's definitely worn in an ironic way".Magda Ryczko, founder of a barbershop inBrooklyn, notes that mullets allow for a professional front-facing look for COVID-19 era Zoom meetings, while maintaining a messier, more fun look off-camera, when the longer back section of hair may be revealed.An annual national USA Mullet Championship began in 2020.The versatility of the taper fade has modernized the classic mullet, giving it a cleaner look, known as themodern mullet.
In July 2023, Mexican singerPeso Plumaattracted attention for his mullet style, a hairstyle that he adopted as his signature haircut during his stardom as a musical performer.The singer confirmed that his hairstyle was originally a mishap, when he visited the city ofMedellínand his barber gave him a hairstyle that was "popular in Medellín", later realizing that it wasn't bad after filming a music video.
58-year-old Tami Manis fromKnoxville, Tennesseewas awarded aGuinness World Recordfor a 172.72 cm-long (68.00 in) mullet in August 2023, a result of not having her hair cut for 33 years.
In September 2024, 26-year old Trevor Hyland, ofShruleinCounty Mayo, Ireland, gained the nickname "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Mullet" after finding himself representing Ireland in a Swiss competition to find the greatest example of the hairstyle. A win might see him representing Ireland at European level.
In 2019,Kiefer Sutherlanddescribed himself as an unwitting instigator of the hairstyle, which he sported in the 1987 filmThe Lost Boys.In 2022 press interviews marking the 35th anniversary of the film, Sutherland again recounted the story.