Mullet (haircut)

Etymology

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, use of the term mullet to describe this hairstyle was "apparently coined, and certainly popularized, by American hip-hop group the Beastie Boys", who used "mullet" and "mullet head" as epithets in their 1994 song "Mullet Head", combining it with a description of the haircut: "number one on 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 magazine Grand Royal, offering a selection of alternative names for the cut, including "Hockey Player Haircut" and "Soccer Rocker".

False etymology

Although a widely circulated image from the Australian automotive magazine Street Machine appeared to show the term in use as early as January 1992, the Oxford English Dictionary was unable to verify the authenticity of this citation. On an episode of Slate Decoder Ring podcast, Willa Paskin discussed the etymology of the term and discovered that the magazine image had been faked. In a 2018 apology posted to imgur, the creator had admitted to faking the text and adjusting the magazine dates.

Fashion history

In antiquity

Historian Suetonius writes that the Roman emperor Tiberius "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, the Claudians. One bust of Tiberius's great-nephew Caligula has short locks across the forehead and longer hair behind.

A metal figurine, dated back to the 1st-century CE and found during 2018 preparations for a new car park at the Wimpole Estate, England, was hypothesised by archaeologists to indicate that natives in ancient Britain during the Roman occupation could have worn their hair similarly to mullets.

In the sixth century, Byzantine scholar Procopius wrote 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.

Native America

In Mourt's Relation, author Edward Winslow described the Plymouth pilgrims' first encounter with the Native Americans, Samoset of the Abenaki in 1621:

Native Borneo

Some tribes in Borneo also have mullet hairstyles, including Dayak Kayan, Kenyah and Iban.

1960s

Tom Jones sported a mullet in two of his three 1965 performances of his hit song "It's Not Unusual" on The Ed Sullivan Show, 2 May 1965 and 13 June 1965.

1970s

Mullets were worn by rock stars David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Keith Richards, and Paul McCartney in the early 1970s. When writing Neil 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 – the rattail", based on a 1985 video, "The Big Money".

1980s

In Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1980s, mullets were "everywhere", according to Tess Reidy writing at The Guardian in 2019. The 1980s were also the high point of the mullet's popularity in continental Europe. Chinese musician Cui Jian's mullet hairstyle became popular among young Chinese men in the 80s.

Also in the 1980s, the mullet became part of lesbian culture, where it came to be used as a way of identifying oneself as a member of that culture in public.

1990s

After the much-publicized 1992 DC Comics storyline in which Superman 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 rock band the Vandals sang of the mullets worn by country music singers and guests of The Jerry Springer Show and listed regional names for the style in the 1998 song "I've Got an Ape Drape". In 1997, gay punk band Pansy Division released their single "Hockey Hair" in Vancouver, Canada about this hairstyle.

Vocalist Wesley Willis wrote and released the track "Cut the Mullet" in 1998 and frequently performed it at live shows.

2000s

The 2001 film American Mullet documents the phenomenon of the mullet hairstyle and the people who wear it.

The same year Universal Records (Canada) released the album Mullet Years: Power Ballads, a collection of hard rock ballads.

This hairstyle became popular with the bogan subculture in Australia and New Zealand.

2010s

The mullet was banned in Iran as one style on a list of "un-Islamic", "decadent Western cuts".

The mullet was returned to the spotlight in 2015 by K-Pop idol G-Dragon during his band BIGBANG's Made World Tour. Baekhyun of Exo also sported a mullet in promotion for the group's 2017 song "Ko Ko Bop". K-pop artists who have worn mullets include Block B's Zico, Song Min-ho, Nam Joo-hyuk, Dean, Stray Kids' Bang Chan and Han, VIXX's N, B.A.P.'s Himchan, Seventeen's Woozi and The8, and BTS's V.

The mullet has also experienced a revival within American sports. After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, Phil Kessel was spotted in Pittsburgh Penguins training camp in September 2017 bringing the mullet back to its native roots of Pittsburgh hockey (Jaromír Jágr wore a mullet with the Penguins in the 1990s). Similarly, Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy wore 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 Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks popularized the "playoff mullet," an alternative to the traditional NHL playoff beard. Then-Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner began sporting a mullet in 2018, continuing the Yinzer tradition of the hairstyle in Western Pennsylvania. The revival also extended to Australia in the late 2010s, with Australian soccer player Rhyan Grant becoming widely known for his mullet haircut to the point that it was included within the video game FIFA 20.

2020s

In September 2020, i-D called 2020 "the year of the mullet", attributing its boom in popularity to COVID-19 lockdowns and the extended closure of hair salons. In an article for Vice 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 in Brooklyn, 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.

In July 2023, Mexican singer Peso Pluma attracted 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 of Medellín and his barber gave him a hairstyle that was "popular in Medellín", later realizing that it was not bad after filming a music video.

58-year-old Tami Manis from Knoxville, Tennessee was awarded a Guinness World Record for a 172.72 cm mullet in August 2023, a result of not having the back of her hair cut for 33 years.

In September 2024, 26-year-old Trevor Hyland, of Shrule in County 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 2026, the modern mullet is recognized as a major men's hairstyle trend, characterized by hybrid variations that combine the traditional longer back with fades, tapers, and other contemporary haircut techniques.

In popular culture

In 2019, Kiefer Sutherland described himself as an unwitting instigator of the hairstyle, which he sported in the 1987 film The Lost Boys. In 2022 press interviews marking the 35th anniversary of the film, Sutherland again recounted the story.

References

References

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41. "BIGBANG 2015 WORLD TOUR 'MADE'".
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44. bts fancafe. (16 April 2018). "My hair is like this because I want to do it~😊🐯 Please cheer for me and support me. I love you and good night 👍🏻💜". Twitter.
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46. Skrbina, Paul. (12 May 2015). "The man behind Patrick Kane's mullet". Chicago Tribune.
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48. (9 October 2019). "Cars, Wedding Crashers and cheating death: A-League's man behind the mullet".
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50. (8 September 2020). "Mullets Have Become the Must-Have Haircut at English Private Schools".
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54. (22 May 2020). "50 Cool Mullet Hairstyles For Men (2021 Haircut Styles)".
55. (13 July 2023). "Peso Pluma: ¿Cuál es el Origen de su Famoso Corte de Pelo?". Nmás.
56. Flores, Griselda. (13 July 2023). "Peso Pluma's Hairstyle: The Story Behind His Mullet-Like Cut".
57. Martinez, Kiko. (4 May 2023). "WATCH: Peso Pluma Hairstyle Skyrockets in Popularity Amongst Fans".
58. [https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/8/business-in-the-front-party-in-the-back-tennessee-woman-has-longest-competitive-757638 Tennessee woman has longest competitive mullet]
59. [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/01/longest-female-mullet-record-tennessee Tennessee woman sets record for world's longest female mullet]
60. (13 September 2024). "'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Mullet' – the Mayo man representing Ireland in a Swiss competition for the infamous '80s hairstyle".
61. (2 April 2025). "What is a Modern Mullet?".
62. [https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/lost-boys-kiefer-sutherland-mullet-110721756.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly90LmNvL0xjYTNtMXpEclo_YW1wPTE&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIoL63z4h-_IyEjzsbjCzd--WBLxCaSbQjRmctCo0t1-dhWvvHSiv-ObLcl-IsqSoQqPkj2Eeuyp1XlgP09fHM_XEmwvGDEuJWjOP4naSPafuNlRCQc8K8pWXB7UHoHvkjGVXFOIzA8Ejpkfp8DB9O3HALZWV8ls_rAlB6mWQzGF&guccounter=2 'The Lost Boys' star Kiefer Sutherland talks 'violent and gross' deleted scene and inventing the mullet] ''[[Yahoo!]]'', 24 October 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2022
63. [https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/medical/kiefer-sutherland-celebrates-35th-anniversary-of-the-lost-boys/vp-AASzuYt Kiefer Sutherland Celebrates 35th Anniversary Of ‘The Lost Boys'] "While chatting with ET Canada's Carlos Bustamante about the 35th anniversary of “The Lost Boys", Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland reveals he was blamed for the mullet becoming so popular." [[MSN]], 8 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022
64. [https://etcanada.com/video/904f8dd2-70b1-11ec-8f0d-0242ac110003/kiefer-sutherland-celebrates-35th-anniversary-of-the-lost-boys/ Kiefer Sutherland Celebrates 35th Anniversary Of ‘The Lost Boys'] {{Webarchive. link. (22 January 2022 [[ET Canada]]. Retrieved 22 January 2022)