A 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 in front, party in back."
The mullet is distinct from the ''rattail'', which consists of a long, narrow "tail" of hair growing from the back of the head.
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. Ironically, his Ziggy Stardust hairstyle was considered glamourous among devotees of Glam Rock and Glitter Rock . Urban Legend s have it dating back to 19th Century fishermen, who wore their hair long in the back to keep warm - hence the term '' Mullet ''. The term is also used in the 1967 film '' Cool Hand Luke '', in which George Kennedy 's character refers to men with long hair as "mulletheads".
wearing a bright orange mullet as Ziggy Stardust ]]
In the 1970s, the mullet was a short, square affair. The mullet 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, it 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.
A 1995 article by Mike D in issue 2 of the Beastie Boys ' '' Grand Royal '' magazine proved to be a turning point in the history of the hairstyle, however. The article begins:
''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 almost universally ridiculed. In the 2000s, a number of web sites sprung up with photographs of people with mullets, often accompanied by mocking comments based on Stereotype s 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 ''mullet'' was even added to the OED in 2001. {Link without Title}
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 working-class rural men, fans of Heavy Metal music, and Ice Hockey players. In the United Kingdom the mullet is most commonly associated with rural thugs, or with Central and Eastern European s, particularly professional Footballers . In Australia the haircut is associated with Bogan s 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 .
The mullet goes by various nicknames, including:
- 10-90
- The 7 (''shaped like the number seven'')
- Achey-Breaky Big-Mistakey
- Ape Drape
- Beaver Paddle
- The Barry Melrose
- The Billy Ray
- The Boz
- Business in Front, Party in Back
- Camaro Crash Helmet
- Canadian Passport
- Commonwealth Crewcut
- Hockey Hair
- Kentucky Waterfall
- The LPGA
- The MacGyver
- Mississippi Mudflap
- Missouri Compromise
- Mudflap
- Nebraska Neck Warmer
- Soccer Rocker
- SFLB (''short in front, long in back'')
- STLB, Short top, long back
- Stilb- A reference to the STLB
- Shlong (''short-long'')
- Shorty Long-back
- Tennessee Tophat
- Wrestler's Wig
- The Wrestlemania
- Yep-Nope
- Ziggy Stardust
The word ''mullet'' has also been known to be pronounced "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 particuarly impressive, "Mulletaur" (alternate spelling "Mulletor") may be used to identify the owner.
There are a number of notable variations on the mullet and terms which indicate the type of person wearing the mullet. These include:
- Bowlet - a mullet similar in front to a Bowl Cut , best known from the anime series '' Neon Genesis Evangelion '' where the character Ryoji Kaji has a bowlet
- Euromullet - a mullet worn by a European person (sometimes thought to be more suave and sophisticated than other mullets)
- Femullet - a mullet worn by a female
- Frolet - a mullet combined with an Afro (extremely rare)
- Mullet Chan - a mullet worn by teenagers of Chinese descent
- Mullet Singh - a mullet worn by teenagers of Indian descent
- Mullet Masztalerz - a mullet worn by teenagers of Polish descent
- Mulletino - a mullet worn by a Latino person
- Mullhawk - a mullet combined with a Mohawk
- Skullet - bald on top, long in the back (see Devin Townsend for an excellent example)
- Skmullet - bald on top with a Combover , long in the back
- Frullet - a "front" or "reverse" mullet, short all over but long at the front
It is a testament to the widespread appeal of the mullet that many different cultures and languages have their own terms for it:
- The Brazilian term is ''Chitãozinho e Xororó'', in reference to the singers who started using this haircut in Brazil.
- The Chilean term is ''chocopanda'' in reference to the ubiquitous public transportation Chocolito Panda ice-cream sellers wearing such haircut. It is also called a "Zamorano", after Iván Zamorano .
- The Croatian term is ''fudbalerka'', literally "footballer (hair)", a reference to its popularity among soccer players in the 1980s.
- The Danish term is ''Bundesliga-hår'', which refers to its alleged popularity among Bundesliga soccer players, or alternatively, ''Svenskerhår'' (Swede-hair), referring to its popularity in Sweden.
- The Dutch term is ''matje'', which means "little carpet/mat".
- The Finnish term is ''takatukka'', which means "rear hair". Sometimes ''lätkätukka'' or ''tsekkitukka'' is also used, which means "ice hockey haircut" in reference to the Swedish term. Tsekkitukka means "Czech hockey hair" based on the Czech hockey players hairstyle. Mullets are a well known and still popular "hockeyhair" in Czech republic.
- The French term is ''Nuque longue'' which means "long in the neck". In Quebec French , it is referred to as ''la coupe Longueuil'' (referencing Longueuil , a suburb of Montreal that is considered lower-class) or as ''un pad'', notably in Quebec City .
- The German term is ''Vokuhila,'' which stands for "rne '''ku'''rz, '''hi'''nten '''la'''ng" (short in front, long in the back).
- The Hebrew term is ''vilon'', which means "curtain". Another common term is "Eli Ohana" haircut, named after a famous football player who wore this haircut.
- The Hungarian term is also Bundesliga or just simply footballist (soccer player) hair.
- The Icelandic term is ''Hebbi'', referring to a nickname of an Icelandic singer called Herbert Guðmundsson sporting the hairstyle.
- The Norwegian term is ''hockeysveis'', which means "ice hockey haircut".
- The or ''na Limahla'' after Limahl , or ''plereza'' meaning "cover for the back". This haircut was also associated with Czechoslovakian and East Germany sportsmen.
- The Romanian term is ''chicǎ'', 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.
- The Swedish term is ''hockeyfrilla'', which means "ice hockey haircut" in reference to its popularity among some hockey players.
- The Turkish term is ''aslan yelesi'' or ''Fikirtepe modeli'', which mean "lion's mane" and "Fikirtepe (a suburb of Istanbul where this style was popular among shuttle drivers) style", respectively.
- Richard Dean Anderson - Star of '' MacGyver ''; abandoned it before 1997, possibly owing to the military look required to play USAF Special Forces Col. Jack O'Neill for '' Stargate SG-1 ''
- Michael Bolton - had a mullet throughout his career in the late 80s to 90s.
- Ray Boltz - Christian singer, still has one
- Bono - Lead singer of U2 , wore one in the 80s
- David Bowie - wore a mullet in the early 70s, when characterized as Ziggy Stardust
- Duane Chapman - Star of the A&E show '' Dog The Bounty Hunter ''
- Dave Coulier - had one while playing Joey Gladstone on Full House, as did many of the characters.
- Billy Ray Cyrus - American country singer - Famously referred to as his "Love Mullet" - incorporated the cutting of his famous mullet into an episode of his television series '' Doc ''
- Johnny Depp - used one in the TV series, '' 21 Jump Street ''.
- Roy Dupuis - Canadian Actor, played Michael Samuelle ('Jacques') in '' La Femme Nikita ''.
- Duran Duran members, John Taylor, Andy Taylor, Nick Rhodes, and Simon Le Bon, all sported long mullets during the 1980s.
- Clint Eastwood -- used a flat, non-bouffant mullet in the '' Dirty Harry '' series. It is sometimes viewed as one of the earliest mullets of modern times.
- Andrew Eldritch - Vocalist for Gothic Rock Band The Sisters Of Mercy
- Joe Elliot - Lead vocalist of Def Leppard
- Melissa Etheridge - had a femullet when starting out career in late 1980's.
- Noel Fielding - British comedian
- Anthony Geary of "Luke and Laura" fame from the soap General Hospital
- Mel Gibson - Wore a mullet during the late 1980s while starring in the '' Lethal Weapon '' series and in the movie '' Braveheart ''.
- Lawrence Gowan - Had one on the cover of the album '' A Criminal Mind ''
- David Hasselhoff - star of '' Baywatch '' and '' Knight Rider ''
- Jeff Healey - Blind guitar player and vocalist for Jeff Healey Band
- James Hetfield - lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Metallica . Many would see Hetfield's as the mullet that finally put an end to their acceptability. In 1995 his mullet was one of the most extreme mullets featured in the Beastie Boys ' article, with very short top and sides, and perhaps without such a high profile proponent, the Beasties might never have been moved to write their article. His cutting of his mullet in 1996 was taken by many fans as a sign that he had Sold Out .
- Hide - Japanese musician and former member of the J-Rock bands X Japan , Zilch and Hide With Spread Beaver .
- Hulk Hogan - Professional wrestler. Wore a skullut throughout his career. Also usually wore a bandana over his bald head.
- John Holmes - porn actor
- Davy Jones - former member of The Monkees ; wore a mullet in the '80s
- Milla Jovovich - Female model, actress, singer; had a short femullet at one time
- Toby Keith - Country singer who had a mullet from the '80s to the '90s
- Gérard Klein - French actor. Wore a mullet in the movie '' Diesel '' that is sometimes used as mockery against him.
- Chad Kroeger - Singer for Nickelback . Sports a stylish "Canadian Passport".
- Gunter Levi - Swedish pop musician
- Russ Martin - top rated radio personality
- Richard Marx - Singer-songwriter
- Paul McCartney - Singer and composer; wore a mullet episodically during the 1970's, 80s and early 90s {Link without Title}
- George Michael - singer, songwriter - had a classic mullet during his 'different corner' music video
- Dennis Miller - He had one through most of the '90s until he grew a beard
- Miyavi - Japanese Rock Musician and former member of the J-Rock band Dué Le Quartz
- ''
mullet ( James K. Polk )]]
displaying an impressive "femullet" as Red Sonja ]]
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