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Mullet (haircut)

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A typical mullet
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A typical mullet

A mullet is a haircut that is short in the front, on the top, and on the sides, but long in the back. Mullets have been worn by males and females of all ages, but they have traditionally been most popular with younger men. A slogan or motto often associated with people who wear mullets is: "Business up front, party in the back!", which originated from the older phrase: "All business in the front, and a party in the rear."

The mullet is distinct from the Rattail, which consists of a long, narrow "tail" of hair growing from the back of the head.A good example of a mullet sits upon the head of one Stuart "the mooert" oag "the ogre."

Contents

Etymology

The word mullet has also been known to be pronounced calum "mullé"—French pronunciation with a silent "t" at the end—in order to ironically emphasize its often overlooked sophistication and finesse.

A wearer of a mullet may be referred to as "Mullet-Man". Or, if the mullet is particularly impressive, "Mulletaur" (alternate spelling "Mulletor") may be used to identify the owner.

History and cultural significance

The mullet became popular in the 1970s (in part due to the influence of English pop star David Bowie), but is known to have been worn long before then. David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust hairstyle was considered glamorous among devotees of glam rock and glitter rock. Urban legends have it dating back to 19th Century fishermen, who wore their hair long in the back to keep warm - hence the term mullet. The Notes section of the Viking edition of Lydia Davis's translation of Swann's Way by Proust states "Jean Baptiste Prosper Bressant was a well-known actor who introduced a new hairstyle, which consisted of wearing the hair in a crew cut in front and longer in the back."

In the 1970s, the mullet was a short, square affair. The hairstyle became particularly popular in the late 70s and 80s among entertainers with receding hairlines such as Anthony Geary of "Luke and Laura" fame from the soap opera General Hospital and the singer Michael Bolton.

In the 1980s, the mullet became big and bouffant, and bemulleted men often indulged in other 1980s hair crazes such as spiked hair and blonde highlights. In the early 1990s, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus's "Achy Breaky" mullet fostered both imitation and ridicule.

The Beastie Boys 1994 song "Mullet Head" made fun of the hairstyle, and a year later band member Mike D discussed the mullet at length in issue 2 of the band's Grand Royal magazine:

There's nothing quite as bad as a bad haircut. And perhaps the worst of all is the cut we call The Mullet.
It goes on to lampoon the hairstyle over several pages, including many photographs of celebrities sporting mullets. Soon after the article was published, it became popular for fans of the band, and for youth culture in general, to mock the hairstyle. This gradually led to the mullet being widely ridiculed.

The Oxford English Dictionary cites that 1995 article as the first published use of the term, along with the lyrics from "Mullet Head". The OED says that the term was "apparently coined, and certainly popularized, by U.S. hip hop group the Beastie Boys."[link]

In the 2000s, a number of web sites sprung up with photographs of people with mullets, often accompanied by mocking comments based on stereotypes of mullet-wearers. The mullet and its associated lifestyle were central themes in movies such as Joe Dirt (2001) and television shows such as The Mullets (2003-2004). The term was even added to the OED in 2001. [link]

Despite its reputation, the mullet remains a moderately popular hairstyle among certain social groups in various Western countries. In the U.S. and Canada, the mullet is particularly associated with blue collar men, fans of country and heavy metal music, American football and ice hockey players. Many homosexual women of the "butch" variety also sport this hairstyle, so much so, many see this as a social identifier. In the United Kingdom the mullet is most commonly associated with thugs, or with Central and Eastern Europeans, particularly professional footballers. In Australia the haircut is associated with Bogans and Australian rules football players, particarly those from the 1980s. In recent years, the mullet has enjoyed resurgent popularity among the hip set, in particular the emo sub-culture, probably due to its association with 1980s retro kitsch. During some light hearted research on his show Johnny Vaughan declared that 'Germans, Americans, Australians, these are the real mullet men'.

Hip hop and slam poetry artist Sage Francis also debates the mullet as a cultural phenomenon in his 2000 EP Still Sick... Urine Trouble, as the haircut of his town in Providence, Rhode Island

Synonyms

The mullet goes many other names, including:

Variations

There are a number of sylistic variations on the mullet and other terms which specifically indicate the type of person wearing a mullet:

The Mullet in various languages and cultures

Famous People Who Have Worn A Mullet

Richard Dean Anderson

Jon Bon Jovi

Billy Ray Cyrus

John Kruk

Brad Pitt

Michael W. Smith

Michael Bolton

Gianluigi Buffon

Chris Waddle

Barry Melrose

Scott Steiner

Eddie Guerrero

Keith Richards

**This list is by no means complete. Please add to it if you feel the need.**

External links

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