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The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back.

Etymology

The mullet fish basically has no neck, and a fish rots from the neck down, so that may be where the slang derives from, especially since most human Mullet Heads achieve this same effect via excessive hair and musculature.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, use of the term mullet to describe this hairstyle was "apparently coined, and certainly popularized, by U.S. hip-hop group the Beastie Boys", who used "mullet" and "mullet head" as epithets in their 1994 song "Mullet Head".

In 1995, the Beastie Boys' magazine Grand Royal was the first to use the term in print, in a tongue-in-cheek article entitled "Mulling Over the Mullet". The Grand Royal article credits Mike D as the first Beastie Boy to use the term to describe the haircut.

Ancient 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. Jesus Christ is often depicted wearing a mullet in art and religious icons.

1970s

Mullets were sported by rock stars David Bowie and Paul McCartney as far back as the early 1970s.

1980s

The zenith of the mullet's popularity in 1980s continental Europe has been described as an "age of singing tattooed Swedish Flokati Rugs".

1990s

Superman was drawn as having a mullet from issue 505 (1993) to 544 (1997) of Adventures of Superman comic and this look was released in action figure form by Mattel in 2009. Punk rock band The Vandals sang of country music singers and Jerry Springer Show guests sporting mullets, and listed regional names for the style in the 1998 song "I've Got an Ape Drape". Country Music singers Billy Ray Cyrus, Travis Tritt, and Joe Diffie were also known for their mullets. The German punk rock band Die Ärzte dedicated in their album "Le Frisur", in which every song is about hair, the song Vokuhila Superstar to the mullet (in German Vokuhila). Sanjay Dutt also wore a mullet in 90s.

2000s

The mullet and its associated lifestyle have been central themes in movies such as Joe Dirt "business in the front, party in the back" (2001), and the television show The Mullets (2003–2004). The 2001 film American Mullet documents the phenomenon of the mullet hairstyle and the people who wear it. Indie rock duo Tegan and Sara sported mullets during their "The Con" album era.

2010s

In July 2010, the Islamic government of Iran issued updated grooming guidelines to men. Among the new regulations is a ban of the mullet hairstyle. The ban on mullets is one of the measures that Iran has deployed to "confront the cultural assault by the West." The country aims to promote a set of new Islamic hairstyles that were unveiled at the Hijab and Chastity Festival of 2010.

The mullet in various languages and cultures

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References

1. ^ ""mullet, n.9"". Oxford University Press. September 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
2. ^ Editors of Grand Royal (1995). "Mulling Over the Mullett". Grand Royal (2): 44–49. {{cite journal}}: |author= has generic name (help)
3. http://www.metrolyrics.com/mullet-head-lyrics-beastie-boys.html
4. Toner, J. P. (2013). Popular Culture in Ancient Rome. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0745654908.
5. Heather, Peter (4 July 2013). The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Popes & Imperial Pretenders. ISBN 0230772307.
6. Wilson, William (2011). Gobbledygook. p. 166. ISBN 1440529256. David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust rocked a mullet, and so did Wings-era Paul McCartney.
7. Andrew Grant Jackson (2012). Still the Greatest. ISBN 081088223X. he sported the mullet that Bowie would as Ziggy Stardust; cousin to the shag popularized by David Cassidy, Florence Henderson, and Rod Stewart. It almost looks cool in those early days, but when McCartney added the mustache ...
8. Patalong, Frank (30 November 2008). "So scheußlich waren die Achtziger wirklich (The '80s really as ugly as they were)". Der Spiegel.
9. "Superman Covers #500-549".
10. DC Universe Classics Mullet Superman | Toy Reviews | MurderShowDotNet
11. I've Got An Ape Drape lyrics - The Vandals | All The Lyrics
12. Saajan (1991) | MemsaabStory
13. "American Mullet (2001)". New York Times.
14. Singh, Anita (5 July 2010). "Iran government issues style guide for men's hair". Daily Telegraph.
15. Ahmed, Saeed; Mobasherat, Mitra (8 July 2010). "Iran promotes 'Islamic' haircuts". CNN.
16. http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/endlich-zurueck-vokuhila-a-141208.html

Further reading

• Hoskyns, Barhey (2000). The Mullet: Hairstyle of the Gods. ISBN 1582340641Template:Inconsistent citations{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
• Henderson, Alan (2007). Mullet Madness!. ISBN 1616088605Template:Inconsistent citations{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
• "Mullet Hairstyle History & Cartoon Fun by Brownielocks". Brownielocks.com. 2004.
• Dweck, Jessica (10 July 2010), "Whence the Mullet? The history of Iran's forbidden haircut", Slate

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