Mullet (haircut)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2007)

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (September 2007)

This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (November 2008)

The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back, often referred to as "business in the front, party in the back." The mullet began making appearances in the popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not catch on with the general populace until the early 1980s, and continued to be popular till the early 1990s. It has enjoyed a partial return to favor as a retro look in the 2000s.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 2.1 First popular appearance 2.2 1980s 2.3 1990s 2.4 2000s 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Etymology

It is unclear whether there is any etymological relation between the term mullet as a hairstyle and the slang used to denote a stupid person in the late 20th century.^[1] There are also no known etymological connections with the Mullet fish. Conflating the two into one, a mullet wearer and a mullethead, is a product of the 1990s, several decades into the style's popular appearance.

As detailed in the Oxford English Dictionary, the term mullet as derogatory slang for a mullet wearer was "apparently coined, and certainly popularized, by U.S. hip-hop group the Beastie Boys",^[2][3] whose 1994 song Mullet Head uses "mullet" and "mullet head" in contemptuous reference to mullet wearers,^[4] and whose fan publication, Grand Royal Magazine, featured a reference to the mullet in a 1995 edition as the first published use of the term.^[5]

It is also possible that the term is derived from the french word for mule, "mulet". These horse-donkey hybrids typically exhibit a long mane and a relatively short, spiky foretop, similar to the effect intended by the hairstyle in question.

[edit] History

A precursor of the mullet, unrelated to the style explosion in the latter part of the 20th century, first appeared in the early part of the 19th. According to the Notes section of the Viking edition of Lydia Davis's translation of Marcel Proust's Swann's Way, "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."

[edit] First popular appearance

The modern mullet began to appear initially in the late 1960s, Welsh pop singer Tom Jones sporting one. Glam rock artist David Bowie wore a proto-mullet in the early 1970s. Florence Henderson featured a mullet in the opening sequence of the television sitcom The Brady Bunch (1973–4 season), Paul McCartney sported a mullet throughout the 1970s. 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.

[edit] 1980s

The mullet's popular two-haircuts-in-one appearance has led some to refer to it as having "business in the front and a party in the back."^{[citation needed]} As the 1980s progressed, big and bouffant mullets increased in popularity, and like other popular hairstyles at the time, often included spiking or blond highlights. Popular bands such as Rush, Guns N' Roses and Mötley Crüe probably contributed to the popularity of the hairstyle. The mullet is well known and widely remembered in Germany, where it is known as the "Vokuhila", which is an acronym for "vorne-kurz-hinten-lang" or "short in front, long in back". The stereotypical German image of the mullet is epitomized by 1980s soccer teams and their fans, as well as by the ubiquity of the hairstyle in images dating from the fall of the Berlin Wall. This fact has led to an unfortunate tendency to associate the mullet with negative stereotypes of the former East Germany, which is probably not fair, as the hairstyle was also popular in West Germany and elsewhere at the time. The zenith of the mullet's popularity in 1980s continental Europe has been described as an "age of singing tattooed Swedish Flokati Rugs" ^[6].

[edit] 1990s

In the mid to late '90s the "tail" of the mullet was occasionally "permed" with loose or tight curls adding even more internal composition contrast to the hairstyle. This is often called a French mullet or a Mulle (pronounced moo-lay). The Vandals punk rock band performed a song called "I've Got an Ape Drape" on the album Hitler Bad, Vandals Good which listed alternative geographic names for the mullet, as well as linking it to the type of people who appear on Jerry Springer or fans of Queensryche:

    Ape Drape: Riverside, California

    Norco Neck Warmer:  Norco, California 

    Hockey Hair:  Canada

    Achey Breaky Hair:  Nashville (country music song Achey Breaky Heart) 

    Mullet: Hoboken, New Jersey 

    Forbidden Hair:  Europe

    Shom:  Florida

[edit] 2000s

In the 2000s, the mullet and its associated lifestyle were central themes in movies such as Joe Dirt (2001) and the television show The Mullets (2003-2004).

Despite its negative reputation,^[7] the mullet remains a moderately popular hairstyle among certain social groups in various Western countries. In Spain it can be widely identified in the streets of cities like Barcelona.^[8] 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^{[citation needed]}, notably Romania, where it is most popular among high school aged males^{[citation needed]}. 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, as well as many lesbians. In the United Kingdom the mullet is most commonly associated with thugs, David Shales, Pat Sharp or with Central and Eastern Europeans, particularly professional footballers. In Australia the haircut is associated with Bogans and Australian rules football players, particularly those from the 1980s, as well as Lebanese-Australian youths. In Germany, the hairstyle has once again become popular, and is often worn by working class youth, especially those of Turkish immigrant origin. There it is commonly referred to as "Vokuhila" - vorne kurz, hinten lang (short at the front, long at the back). In India, a rather mild and fashionable version of a mullet is rather common, it is known in South India, notably Tamil-Nadu, as a "Funk" haircut.

In recent years, the mullet has enjoyed resurgent popularity among the hip set, becoming commonly known as "Le Mullet" or a "Fashion Mullet", in particular the emo sub-culture, probably due to its association with 1980s retro kitsch.

In European countries the mullet has regained popularity, especially in Ireland, with styles such as the "v-mullet" and the "box mullet". The v-mullet is similar to mohawk but wider, with a "V" shape at the back and the "box" being like the old 80's mullets just shorter and straighter, usually people put color in the back, such as blond and red. These styles are generally popular amongst scangers.

The mullet is popular among the urban poor in Colombia; especially Medellín. The hairstyle is also sometimes associated with sicarios (hitmen) in Colombia.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Look up mullet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Popular Mullet Images