A mullet is a hairstyle that is short in the front, top, and sides, but long in the back. The hairstyle was popular from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. Mullets have been worn by males and females of all ages. The mullet is distinct from the rattail, which consists of a long, narrow "tail" of hair growing from the back of the head. Mullets also vary in length from side to side and do not necessarily share a single, consistent length.

History and cultural significance

The first known literary reference to the hairstyle currently known as the mullet occurs in Homer's Iliad.

"The sprinting Abantes followed hard at his heels,
their forelocks cropped, hair grown long in the back,
troops nerved to lunge with their tough ashen spears
and slash the enemies' breastplates round their chests."

(Book 2: lines 632-635; translated by Robert Fagles)

According to urban legend, the mullet dates back to the 19th century, when mullet fishermen wore their hair long in the back to keep warm. 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.

The mullet became popular in the 1970s, due in part to the influence of glam rock artist David Bowie, who wore the haircut during his Ziggy Stardust and Diamond Dogs phases. Women also wore the style — Florence Henderson, a star of the sitcom The Brady Bunch, has a mullet in the opening sequence from the show's 1973–1974 season. The hairstyle achieved further popularity in the late 1970s and 1980s among entertainers with receding hairlines such as Anthony Geary of "Luke and Laura" fame from the soap opera General Hospital, and the pop performers Michael Bolton and Phil Collins.

In the 1980s, the mullet became big and bouffant, and men with mullets often indulged in other 1980s hair crazes such as spiked hair and blond highlights. A rainbow of teased and hairsprayed mullets can be seen in the 1984 video of "Do They Know It's Christmas", featuring many of the biggest British pop stars of the time. An exemplary popular mullet-man was Richard Dean Anderson in the '80s TV series MacGyver. In the early 1990s, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus's "Achy Breaky" mullet fostered both imitation and ridicule.

Yet, others have also speculated that the origin of the term Mullet comes directly from the 1967 prison film Cool Hand Luke, starring Paul Newman and George Kennedy, in which Kennedy's character refers to Southern men with long hair as mullet heads. This term is also used in Mark Twain's 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn when Tom Sawyer says of his aunt and uncle: They're so confiding and mullet-headed they don't take notice of nothing at all. It seems unlikely that he's referring to the hairstyle; rather, it sounds like it is intended to connote stupidity, and is likely a reference to the fish of the same name. (This is perhaps also what is meant by Kennedy's character in Cool Hand Luke.)

The Grand Royal article apparently initiated a trend of anti-mullet sentiment. In the late 1990s, musician Wesley Willis followed this trend with his popular novelty song, Cut the Mullet.

On their 1998 album Hitler Bad, Vandals Good, southern California punk band the Vandals released one of their most popular songs, I've Got an Ape Drape. Ape Drape is a regional term for a mullet. At the end of the song, they go down a list of other names including Hockey Hair, Forbidden Hair, Achy-Breaky Hair, Norco Neck Warmer, Shom and eventually Mullet.

Ska-punk band Five Iron Frenzy released a song called The Phantom Mullet on their 2000 album All the Hype That Money Can Buy. The song is a homage to the mullet and the people that choose to wear it. The song opens with these lyrics:

Cruisin' downtown in your Camaro, REO Speedwagon's on your stereo. It's kind of catchy, kind of a virus: cuttin' your hair like Billy Ray Cyrus.

That same year, members of the Ohio psych-garage band Tears on Sunday performed a series of sets across the midwestern United States, as a mock-glam/emo group known as The Mullets (pronounced in the French style, with a silent final consonant), as a protest against the forthcoming trend of 80's nostalgia.

The crunk rock band Family Force 5 released an album Business Up Front/Party in the Back in 2006 that clearly described the culture that surrounds The Mullet. Particularly their song called Kountry Gentlemen.

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. Jeff Tremaine had his hair mulletted à la Billy Ray Cyrus in a black barber shop during the first season of Jackass. The mullet and its associated lifestyle were central themes in movies such as FUBAR: The Movie and Joe Dirt (2001), and television shows such as The Mullets (2003-2004). Other notables with mullets include former talk show host Rosie O'Donnell and adult movie performer Justin Dragon.

Despite its reputation, the mullet remains a moderately popular hairstyle among certain social groups in various Western countries. It is especially popular and even considered to be modern (vintage retro) in Portugal and in Spain and can be widely identified in the streets of cities like Barcelona. The Spanish mullet is generally shorter and lighter than a classic mullet, only using the last inch or so of hair above the hairline. It rarely extends beyond the neck. Also in Spain, the mullet is associated with two different ethnic groups: young Gypsies and young separatists from the Basque Country. It is also fairly popular among the 18–34 age group in some East European countries, notably Romania, where it is most popular among high school aged males. In the U.S. and Canada, the mullet is particularly associated with blue collar men, fans of country and heavy metal music, soccer fans, 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, Pat Sharp or with Central and Eastern Europeans, particularly professional footballers. In Australia this haircut is associated with Bogans and Australian rules football players, particularly 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 poetry slam 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

Etymology

The term for the hairstyle is newer than the style. The Beastie Boys Grand Royal Magazine 1995 issue contained a piece on the mullet. The Oxford English Dictionary cites this as the first published use of the term, along with the lyrics from the Beastie Boys' 1994 song Mullet Head. The OED says that the term was apparently coined, and certainly popularized, by U.S. hip-hop group the Beastie Boys. The name could have come from a scene from the film Cool Hand Luke in which the term was used to ridicule a prisoner for his low intellect.

Variations

There are a number of stylistic variations on the mullet as well as a large number of whimsical, alternative terms describing the hairstyle: Most every family especially in the midwest will have some sort of mullet in their family tree, there are even multiple websites dedicated and worshipping the mullet, the mullet can be found nation wide with multiple variations and colors.

Skullet

A skullet is a variation of the mullet. A skullet is defined by a shaved or otherwise bald head with long hair on the sides and in the back. Though the style has existed for quite some time, it was first defined as such on the show 'SuperStar USA', a flop spoof on 'American Idol' that ran for only a single season on the WB. The show's host referred to a potential in the casting episodes (Richard Rowe, Orlando, Fl) as having same, thus coining the phrase. Prominent wearers of skullets include US actor Dennis Franz, wrestler Hulk Hogan and adult film star Ron Jeremy

Variants of the standard mullet include the pseudo-mullet or mull-dina, which is longer on the sides than a standard mullet, but with the sides notably swept feathered back to give the illusion of a standard mullet; the fem-mullet, which is a mullet sported by a female (called a fillet, she-mullet or a fullet in the UK); the over-mullet, in which the mullet is combed over the top of his/her head to droop over the forehead, creating a fringe; and the cullet, which is worn by middle aged men who are bald on the top of the skull who comb over their hair from the sides of the to give the appearance of a full head of hair.

Frollet

A variation of the mullet is the "frollet" (derived from "afro mullet"), not to be confused with "frullet" (see below). This version involves an afro style haircut in the front with shaved or short sides and a full mullet in the back. Also refer to urbandictionary.com.

Frullet

A reversed variation of the hairstyle is the "frullet" (derived from "front mullet"), whereby the back of the head is shaved, leaving a long fringe hanging over the face in front. (Other terms include "tellum" and "reverse mullet".) The haircut is also known as the "emo mullet" due to its supposed popularity among emo music scenesters. A frullet can also mean a very curly mullet, such as that worn by A.C. Slater on the television show Saved by the Bell. See Devilock, as popularized by early '80s American horror-punk band The Misfits.

During the eighties this hair style was popular among skateboarding teens who were often a part of this punk music scene. Among teen circles the Frullet was often referred to as "The Flop" and would cover the person's eyes.

Tropical mullet (a.k.a. the dread mullet or rasta mullet)

The tropical mullet, also referred to as a dreadmullet or drullet, is a hybrid of dreadlocks and a mullet. This hairstyle is seen throughout the world, especially among youth.

Jheri curl mullet

The jheri curl mullet applies to people with natural curly hair. Jheri curl solution is applied to make the curls bigger and to fix them in place. Pop musician Lionel Richie is arguably an example of the jheri curl mullet hairstyle during the 1980s.

Mo-Hullet (a.k.a. the Mullet-Hawk)

Half-mullet, half-mohawk. The sides of the head are shaven (or at least significantly short) with short hair on the front and long in the back much like a classic mullet. The mohawk mullet is also known as the "Mulhawk" to some. Also known as "The Dream Hawk."

A classic exmaple of the mo-hullet is seen in the professional wrestling tag team The Nasty Boys, who began wrestling in 1986. It should be noted that as of 2008, Brian Knobbs, one half of the Nasty Boys, still wears his hair in a mo-hullet.

Mulldina

The mulldina, also known as the pseudo-mullet, is longer on the sides than a standard mullet, but with the sides notably swept feathered back to give the illusion of a standard mullet on casual inspection.

Fem-Mullet

A mullet sported by a female. In the UK, this lady version is more generally referred to as a Fillet, She-Mullet or a Fullet.

Cullet

A mullet sported by usually a middle aged person who is bald on the top of the skull with a full trunk of hair flowing in the back from temple to temple, this type of person will usually comb over their hair from the sides of the hairline, this will give the appearance of a full head of hair.

Jazz mullet

A creation of the early 90s, mythology states it originated in the Jazz Bars of SoHo. The roof is dyed a differing colour to the 'undercoat'. Limahl, lead singer of Kajagoogoo, made this style famous.

Mo-Hullet

Half-mullet, half-mohawk. The sides of the head are shaven (or at least significantly short) with short hair on the front and long in the back much like a classic mullet. The mohawk mullet is also known as the "Mulhawk" to some. Also known as "The Dream Hawk." An example of the mo-hullet is seen in the professional wrestling tag team The Nasty Boys, who began wrestling in 1986, and Hiroyoshi Tenzan. It should be noted that as of 2008, Brian Knobbs, one half of the Nasty Boys, still wears his hair in a mo-hullet.

The mullet in various languages and cultures

Language / Culture	Term	Comments
Argentinian	Cubana or Porra	Reference to the alleged popularity of the haircut among Cubans. Also called "Colectivero" in reference to public bus drivers.
Bosnian	"fudbolerka"	Indicating the mullet's former popularity with soccer players.
Brazilian	Chitãozinho e Xororó	Reference to the singers who started using this haircut in Brazil.
Bulgarian	коцак [kotsak]
Canada	"Hockey hair"	Not as common as simply "mullet".
Chamoru or Guam	chad haircut	Reference to its popularity among most "chads" or local Guamanians' version of a "trailer-park person."
Chilean	chocopanda/chocolo/"choco"	Reference to the ubiquitous public transportation Chocolito Panda ice-cream sellers sporting such a haircut. It is also called a "Zamorano", after Iván Zamorano or "Pichanguera" or just "Changa"("pichanga" is an informal soccer match in Chilean slang), because of the great number of soccer players who use this haircut. This haircut is also popular among the lower classes and gangs.
Colombian	Siete (seven)	Because the hair on top and back form the image of a number seven. Also known as Paisa due to its popularity in the northwestern region.("paisas" is a name for Colombians from that region.)
Croatian	fudbalerka	Literally "footballer (hair)", a reference to its popularity among soccer players in the 1980s.
Czech	čolek, deka, na debila	Meaning: "newt", "quilt", or "asshole-style" respectively.
Danish	Bundesliga-hår	Refers to its alleged popularity among Bundesliga soccer players, or alternatively, svenskerhår (Swede-hair), referring to its former popularity in Sweden. For the same reason, it is also called hockeyhår (hockey hair), because of the large amount of Swedes who can be seen on the ice rink sporting a mullet. It is also called nakkegarn, meaning "yarn by the back of the neck".
Dutch	matje	Means "little carpet/mat". Some people refer to it as a Duitse mat (German mat) as well, implying that this is a haircut typical for Germans. It is also referred to in Rotterdam and some other areas as "nekspoiler" (neck spoiler, as in car spoiler). Typical for Flemish areas is "nektapijt" (neck carpet or neck tapestry).
Finnish	takatukka	Means "rear hair". Sometimes lätkätukka or tsekkitukka is also used, which means "ice hockey haircut" in reference to the Swedish term. Tsekkitukka means "Czech hair", based on Czech hockey players' hairstyle (especially Jaromir Jagr).
French	"Coupe à la Waddle"	Referring to Chris Waddle, the English football player who adopted this haircut in the 1980s while he played for Olympique Marseille. It can also be referred as "nuque longue" because of the long hair covering the back of the neck ("nuque" in French).
German	"Vokuhila"	Meaning "vorne kurz, hinten lang" (short in the front, long in the back). opposite to this is "Volahiku". It is topped by "Vokuhilaoliba", meaning "vorne kurz, hinten lang, Oberlippenbart" (short in the front, long in the back, moustache). Because of its supposed popularity among men from the Eastern parts of formerly divided Germany, the hair cut is in Western Germany also known as "Ossispoiler" ("Eastern German spoiler, as in a car spoiler"). Also known as "Kickermatte" ("football rug").
Austria	"Nackenmatte"	"nape rug" (also used in South Germany). DerStandard.at has a nice list here
Greek		"Χαίτη" (Hety) or "Λασπωτήρας" (Laspotiras) which means "Mudflap".
Hebrew	vilon	Means "curtain". Another common term is "Eli Ohana" haircut, named after a famous football player who wore this haircut.
Hungarian	Bundesliga	Or just simply footballer (soccer player) hair, "focistafrizura".
Icelandic	Hebbi	Referring to a nickname of an Icelandic singer called Herbert Guðmundsson sporting the hairstyle, or sítt að aftan (long in the back).
Italian	"capelli alla tedesca"	Or "taglio alla tedesca" ((German-style haircut)) referring to its former popularity in Germany, above all among Bundesliga soccer players. It is also known as "alla McGyver" (McGyver style) as the main character of this the popular American TV series appears with mullet in some episodes, or as "sette" (seven) because the hair on top and back form the image of a number seven, but also "pitta". This haircut is also very popular among people who listen and dance to house music, especially in Rome and Milan. House music fans in Italy usually have middle-length hair on the top (often spiked up), short hair at the sides (sometimes totally shaved) and very long hair at the back of the head (most of the time they smooth the back hair downwards); is also know whit name "petta" or "pittone".
Japanese	urufu hea	Japanese way of saying "wolf hair." It's actually a quite popular look among young men, though the hair in the front is generally longer than a typical mullet. Mullet, in the Western sense, is literally maretto which is a Japanese phonetic representation of the word mullet.
Korean	MacGyver style	A reference from the one of the first significant introduction of the hair style to Korea from 80's due to his appearance with a mullet.
Macedonian	"џигерица" [dzigerica]	Meaning the "liver haircut".
Mexican	"buki"	The Mexican band Los Bukis are known to have used this hairstyle.
Norwegian	"hockeysveis"	Or "hockeyteppe", meaning "hockey hairstyle" and "hockey blanket", referring to the hairstyle's popularity among ice hockey players.
Persian	"posht moo"	meaning literally, 'hair on the back of head', the hairstyle was popular in the 1980s and 1990's throughout Iran, especially among working class men. The hairstyle is also to this day associated with punks and louts, especially in the capital Tehran.
Puerto Rican	"playero"	Which translates as "beach comber" or "beach style" because of its stereotypical use by surfers.
Polish	"czeski piłkarz", "enerdowiec"	Meaning "Czech football player" as in the 1970s the haircut was greatly popular among Czech footballers. "Enerdowiec" means citizen of the German Democratic Republic (in Polish shortcut of the GDR is NRD, means Niemiecka Republika Demokratyczna) and refers mostly to Rudi Völler, a West-German former international football striker, and a former manager of the German national team, who had a mullet with the moustache.
Romanian	chică	Which means "long hair at the neck". This haircut is associated with redneck-like people and is socially associated with the lack of sophistication or culture.
Russian	Dima Bilan	Named after Russian Pop Singer.
Sanskrit	"sikha"	"crest" or "top-knot" that a Hindu Vaishnava devotee wears can be mistaken for a mullet if long and bushy enough. Western devotees sometimes pass off their sikhas as mullets when inquired by outsiders.
Serbian	"Tarzanka"	Referring to Tarzan the Ape Man.
Slovenian	Bundesfrizura	See Danish above.
South African	"Benoni Special"	Referring to the prevalence of the hairstyle in that area of the country.
Swedish	hockeyfrilla	Which means "ice hockey haircut" in reference to its popularity among some hockey players. The band De lyckliga kompisarna wrote a song with this name that was played extensively on radio in the early 90s.
Turkish	aslan yelesi, Fikirtepe modeli, kaleci saçı or forvet saçı,and almanci saci	Which means "lion's mane", "Fikirtepe (a suburb of Istanbul where this style was popular among shuttle drivers) style", "goalkeeper's hair" (referring to the hair style of many goalkeepers in Turkey, like Rüştü Reçber,the last referring to its popularity in 80's amongst Turkish men living in Germany).
English Québécois	"pad"	Because the hair falling flat on the back looks like a pad. The person wearing it is often called a "paddé".
French Québécois Montréal	"coupe Longueuil"	(Longueuil haircut) in reference to the Montréal suburb of Longueuil.
French Québécois of Southeastern Quebec	"une Gat"	In reference to amalgamated city of Gatineau where it is very prevalent.

External links

• yourDictionary.com: Mullet
• Mullet Madness - A tribute to great hairstyle
• Mullets Galore
• Rate my mullet
• Mullet University Video - Iroc Camaro's and Mullets
• Photos of Celebrities with Mullets
• MulletJunky.com
• Sexy Mullet

References