Return of the Mullet?
The term “mullet” wasn't actually coined until 1994, thanks to the Beastie Boys' song “Mullet Head.” The Oxford English Dictionary credits the hip-hop group as the first to use “mullet” to describe the high-low cut that’s long been described as “business up front and a party in the back.”
Specifically, the song “Mullet Head’ includes the lyrics, “Number one on the side and don't touch the back, number six on the top and don't cut it wack, Jack." The Beastie Boys 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". And, don’t forget to remember David Bowie’s trend-setting orange mullett from the seventies!
As the History Channel puts it,
“Of course, backlash was inevitable. Despite ongoing popularity with hockey players and heavy metal fans, mullets today are often dismissed as a tacky fashion “don’t.” S to give the cut and rockers like Bono confess their regrets for ever wearing one.
In 2010, Iran banned the cut, hoping to stop the spread of what it called a “Western invasion.” The result? Asking for a mullet became, as it has been for centuries, an act of cultural rebellion.”
It’s 2021 now, and we have to ask ourselves, “Is the mullet ready for a comeback?” Certainly, there’s an element of daring to the haircut nowadays, an exhilaration at being a trendsetter, at pioneering and spearheading something avante garde in the haircut realm. In 2021, Men’s Health published an article titled “There's Never Been a Better Time to Grow a Mullet.”
The article points out that, surprisingly, COVID-19 might have played a role! “75% of the haircuts I do are mullets,” says an interviewee for the article, who has seen a drastic uptick since lockdowns began. “People would never let their hair get to the point where you could actually have a cool mullet,” he says, but thanks to barbershop closures for part of the year, growing hair was easier than ever before. And with that extra length, experimentation can really begin.”
As with any bold new hairstyle you might be thinking about, it’s always great to start out with having a professional barber work on you. You’ll be in good hands with a lot of training behind them, and they’ll make sure that the mullett looks great on you and fits your face shape. They’ll also be able to recommend solid styling products for you, which are a must with the mullet--such as a salt spray or texturizing spray to give you that top-tier “wavy mullet” look. And, at Sorek, believe it or not, we’ve done plenty of mullets already for our clients!
The best part of the mullet cut might be about deciding for yourself what the haircut says about you. It’s an expression of yourself--are you a rebel? An adventurer? A lady’s man? A retro dude? Do you want a spiky mullet, a dyed mullet, a longer one or a shorter one? These are the questions you get to answer, whether you’re considering the cut or rocking out with it about town!
Sources:
Grand Royal Issue 2, (1995) p. 44
https://www.history.com/news/mullet-hair-style-rebels-history-ancient-rome-ben-franklin
https://www.menshealth.com/grooming/a35202910/mullet-haircuts-2020-style-trend/
