The Cultural Journey of the Mullet Hairstyle

Introduction

David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust in 1973, sporting a pioneering glam-rock mullet.
The mullet – popularly defined as “business in the front, party in the back” – is one of the most iconic and polarizing hairstyles in modern culture. Characterized by short hair on the top and sides with long hair flowing down the neck, the mullet has seen dramatic shifts in popularity and perception over time. This hairstyle has deep historical roots, rose to mainstream fame in the 1970s–80s, became a subject of ridicule by the 1990s, and has recently re-emerged as a fashion-forward trend. From ancient warriors to TikTok stars, and from rock legends to “bogan” stereotypes in Australia, the mullet’s cultural significance has continually evolved. Below, we explore famous mullet-wearers past and present, memorable pop culture moments, internet memes, shifts in public perception, and even songs celebrating (or mocking) the mullet – organized in a clear timeline of this hairstyle’s rise, fall, and revival.

Ancient and Practical Origins

Though often thought of as a late-20th-century fad, mullet-like haircuts trace back to antiquity. In Homer’s Iliad (circa 8th century BC), Greek warriors are described with “hair long at the back”. Ancient Greek statues, such as the Apollo Belvedere (4th century BC), depict the god Apollo with short hair in front and curled locks down his neck – a clear mullet prototype. There were practical reasons for this style: it kept hair out of the eyes during combat while providing warmth and protection for the neck. Historical records also note that Roman emperors like Tiberius wore hair “rather long at the back” as a family tradition, and certain 6th-century Byzantine factions cut hair short in front and long in back in a so-called “Hunnic” style. Similar hairstyles have been observed in various cultures – from some Native American tribes (as noted in a 1621 pilgrim account of an Abenaki man with “hair… long behind, only short before”) to tribes in Borneo. In essence, long-before it was called a “mullet,” the short-front/long-back cut was a sensible solution for anyone who wanted both visibility and a bit of insulation.

1970s: The Glam-Rock Mullet Emerges

The mullet as a fashion statement truly emerged in the early 1970s, driven by rock music’s flamboyant style. Many credit David Bowie with a “pivotal mullet moment” when he unveiled his fiery orange, androgynous mullet as Ziggy Stardust in 1972. Bowie’s gender-bending glam-rock look was influential worldwide. Around the same time, other rock stars like Rod Stewart, Keith Richards, and even ex-Beatle Paul McCartney sported shaggy variations of the mullet in the early ’70s. The look aligned with the era’s spirit of rebellion and experimentation. It wasn’t just men – female rockers such as Patti Smith and Joan Jett adopted shaggy, androgynous shags that verged on mullets in the late ’70s. These DIY, rough-around-the-edges haircuts fit the punk ethos: they were confrontational, “weird, a bit ugly,” and proudly anti-establishment. At this stage, the style was an underground or subcultural trend – a mark of rock ‘n’ roll defiance rather than a mainstream norm.

1980s: Mullet Mania in the Mainstream

By the 1980s, the mullet exploded into mainstream popularity around the world. What began as an outsider cut was soon seen “everywhere” in the 1980s across the US, UK, and Australia. The phrase “business in the front, party in the back” entered the lexicon as a witty definition of the style’s dual nature. In this decade, it seemed nearly every male celebrity had at least a casual flirtation with a mullet. As one retrospective noted, “practically all of [the ’80s heartthrobs] did” try a mullet at some point. For example, actors like Patrick Swayze and Rob Lowe donned mullets as part of their heartthrob image in films and the Hollywood “Brat Pack” scene. On television, characters like MacGyver (played by Richard Dean Anderson) became iconic for their resourceful heroism and their hair; Anderson sported a classic mullet on the hit series throughout the late ’80s. Even comedian Jerry Seinfeld wore a toned-down mullet on his sitcom in the late ’80s, reflecting the era’s average style.

Musicians were among the most visible mullet ambassadors. In the pop and rock world, Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney had shaggy mullets in the early ’80s, and U2’s Bono flirted with the cut as well. In the hard rock and glam metal scene, many bands featured big hair that often crossed into mullet territory (shorter around the face with long manes flowing back). On the softer side, country music gave us one of the most famous mullets ever: Billy Ray Cyrus’s voluminous mullet. The “Achy Breaky Heart” singer’s look — short, spiky top and long, wavy back — was arguably the exemplar of the style, so much so that it became his signature. Meanwhile, R&B/soul singer Lionel Richie sported a curly mullet, and pop star George Michael wore a variant (shorter mullet with feathered back) during his 1980s Faith era. On the female side, singer Cher even rocked a stylish mullet wig at times in the ’80s, and actress Jane Fonda had a shag/mullet in her early ’80s workout-video days.

Athletes also embraced mullet mania. In tennis, Andre Agassi’s flowing bleach-blonde mullet (often paired with a headband) was nearly as famous as his on-court performance. In professional hockey, the mullet became so common it earned the nickname “hockey hair.” Czech NHL star Jaromír Jágr’s luxuriant mullet from his 1990s days with the Pittsburgh Penguins became legendary among fans. In basketball, players like Larry Bird had a modest mullet, and in baseball, players such as Randy Johnson let their back hair fly out from under their caps. In pro wrestling, a mullet was practically part of the costume – Hulk Hogan famously sported a blonde skullet (bald on top, long in back) through the ’80s. And in Australia, AFL footballer Warwick Capper became an ’80s icon not just for his high-flying marks and tight shorts but for “his unmissable blonde mullet,” which inspired a “legacy we still see on the footy field today,” as ABC News notes. Indeed, mullets were so widespread by the late ’80s that this era is often considered the zenith of the mullet’s popularity.

By the end of the decade, mullets also penetrated youth and subcultures in various ways. Notably, within LGBTQ+ communities, a mullet or mullet-like cut became popular among some lesbian women in the ’80s as a subtle community signifier – a style sometimes jokingly dubbed the “Lesbian Mullet,” conveying a defiance of gender norms similar to its glam-rock origins. In short, the 1980s took the mullet from edgy to everyday. But as with any trend that reaches saturation (and extremes of styling), a backlash was on the horizon.

1990s: From Cool to Comical

In the 1990s, the mullet’s cultural status flipped from fashionable to laughable. What had been a trendy look just a few years earlier quickly became shorthand for being outdated or uncultured. As stylist Rachael Gibson put it, once the mullet reached the “completely ridiculous” heights of late-’80s excess, the trend “naturally dies its death”. By the early ’90s, many former mullet-sporting stars cut their hair short (for example, Andre Agassi famously ditched his mullet by the mid-’90s and even revealed he’d worn a wig to hide a thinning mullet at one point!). The prevailing fashion turned to either long hair all around or shorter flat-top and Caesar cuts, leaving the mullet behind.

Importantly, the term “mullet” itself as the popular name for the haircut gained currency in the ’90s. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term was “apparently coined, and certainly popularized” by the American hip-hop group Beastie Boys. The Beastie Boys released a 1994 song titled “Mullet Head” that both mocked and celebrated the hairstyle, even providing a how-to: “Number one on the side and don’t touch the back, number six on the top and don’t cut it wack, Jack.” (a description of clipper settings for the perfect mullet). They followed up with a tongue-in-cheek six-page essay called “Mulling Over the Mullet” in their Grand Royal magazine in 1995, offering alternate names like “Hockey Player Haircut” and “Soccer Rocker” for the mullet. This satirical treatment solidified the mullet’s image as a goofy, working-class relic of the ’80s. From then on, saying someone had a “mullet” was not exactly a compliment – it implied they were stuck in the past or lacking style.

Pop culture of the ’90s had a field day ridiculing mullets. In 1993, DC Comics even gave Superman a mullet for a short time – when the hero returned from death, he was depicted with long rear locks – a look that fans and critics still tease as the low point of ’90s comics style. In 1998, California punk band The Vandals released “I’ve Got an Ape Drape”, a fast-paced song listing off regional slang for mullets (like “ape drape,” “hockey hair,” “Mississippi mudflap,” etc.) and poking fun at people who wear them. That same year, cult favorite outsider musician Wesley Willis put out a comically blunt song titled “Cut the Mullet”, in which he implores a mulleted man to “trim that hair, you look like a fool”. The jokey country song “I Want My Mullet Back” by Billy Ray Cyrus (released in 2006, but reflecting on the past) also underlined that by the 2000s the mullet was something to be nostalgic about or laughed at, not worn seriously.

The mullet stereotype took firm hold in this era. In the U.S., mullets became associated with “redneck” or trailer-park culture; in the U.K., the term “mullet” often conjured up images of ’80s football hooligans. In Australia and New Zealand, the mullet became strongly linked to the “bogan” subculture – a pejorative term similar to redneck, implying an uncouth, working-class person. By the 2000s, the hairstyle was “popular with the bogan subculture” down under, worn unironically by those who embraced a rough-and-ready image, even as it was mocked by the urban mainstream. One vivid Australian example is the story of Ziggy Mosslmani, a Sydney teenager whose extravagant mullet at a 2015 party went viral. His long-at-the back hairdo was widely ridiculed online with memes and even labeled as belonging in a “Hairy Hall of Shame” by one news outlet. Mosslmani took the extreme step of suing several media organizations for defamation, claiming he was unfairly portrayed as “ridiculous, ugly and a joke” because of his mullet. The case made headlines, but a judge dismissed much of it, noting that the “plaintiff’s striking mullet haircut” had indeed generated mostly humorous commentary, i.e. people were laughing at the haircut, not necessarily defaming the person. The viral “mullet lawsuit” saga underscored how firmly the mullet had been cemented as a comedic icon by the 21st century’s start.

Despite the jokes, a niche appreciation for mullets quietly persisted. Niche documentaries and events popped up, such as the 2001 film “American Mullet,” which documented people who proudly kept the style alive. Certain musicians in country and rock kept their mullets (for example, country star Toby Keith rocked one through the ’90s into the early 2000s). And some athletes refused to let the mullet die – Canadian hockey players, for instance, still occasionally grew “playoff mullets” (a twist on the playoff beard tradition) for luck. But on the whole, if the 1980s were the mullet’s glory days, the 1990s and early 2000s were its dark ages, when the very word “mullet” became a punchline.

2010s: Ironic Revival and Fashion Reboot

Fashion is cyclical, and by the late 2010s the mullet began an unexpected revival – this time with a heavy dose of irony and high-fashion twist. What was once “uncool” started showing up on trendsetting musicians, runways, and social media, often as a deliberate retro statement. A key moment cited in the mullet’s comeback was in the K-pop world: in 2015, Korean pop superstar G-Dragon of the group BIGBANG famously sported a bold mullet during their world tou. By 2017, members of other K-pop groups – for example Baekhyun from EXO in the “Ko Ko Bop” era – also donned stylized mullets. This helped reintroduce the look to a young global fanbase, framing it as edgy and cool again. Numerous K-pop idols followed suit, making the mullet (often dyed in bright colors) briefly a cutting-edge hairstyle in East Asia’s pop culture.

Around the same time, Western fashion also toyed with mullet variations. High-profile models and celebrities began appearing with intentional mullets or mullet-inspired cuts. For instance, pop chameleon Rihanna debuted a spiky modern mullet in 2013 (showing it off on Instagram and during New York Fashion Week). Actress Zendaya turned heads with a chic mullet at a 2016 awards show, and pop star Miley Cyrus (daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus) reinvented the mullet in the late 2010s as her own punk-inspired “modern mullet” look – effectively reclaiming her dad’s legacy in a tongue-in-cheek way. On the red carpet, stars like Scarlett Johansson (who wore an “interesting” mullet style to the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards) and Jane Fonda (who sported a gray mullet-shag in 2014) proved that even Hollywood A-listers could embrace the cut for a bold statement. The mullet also found a place in queer and gender-nonconforming communities. Hairstylists observed that many clients in the LGBTQ+ scene favored the mullet for its mix of masculine and feminine vibes. “It refuses to be any one thing – masculine and feminine, long and short, functional and high-fashion,” said one Australian stylist of the mullet’s appeal to queer and non-binary people.

In Australia, the late 2010s saw a particularly fervent mullet resurgence. What was once a “bogan” trope became almost trendy among Aussie youth. Small towns celebrated local mullets instead of hiding them. Notably, “Mulletfest” was founded in 2018 in Kurri Kurri, NSW – an annual festival that proudly crowns the “Greatest Mullet of All” among various categories (including “Everyday Mullet,” “Grubby Mullet,” “Ranga (redhead) Mullet,” “Female Mullet,” and even “Junior Mullet”). The festival, initially a quirky idea to boost the town’s economy, gained international media attention with hundreds of entrants coming from all over Australia and even abroad. Mulletfest’s tongue-in-cheek celebration (“a festival embracing a dodgy haircut,” as one headline put it) shows how the once-derided hairstyle was being reclaimed with national pride and humor. Even Australia’s soccer hero Rhyan Grant became famous for his curly mullet in this era, to the point that his likeness in the FIFA 20 video game prominently featured his mullet.

2020s: The Modern Mullet Trend

The mullet’s comeback reached full force in the early 2020s. In fact, i-D magazine declared 2020 “the year of the mullet”, crediting the COVID-19 lockdowns for its boom in popularity. With salons closed for long stretches, many people grew their hair out and got experimental with at-home cuts – often resulting in impromptu mullets. Barber shops reported that once restrictions eased, demand for mullet cuts went through the roof. A Sydney barber noted in early 2021 that “everyone” – young and old – was asking for mullets and that the style had become “normal now,” crossing over from ironic hipster circles into mainstream acceptance 9news.com.au.

Another factor in 2020s mullet mania was the work-from-home culture. As one Brooklyn stylist observed, a mullet offered the cheeky benefit of a “professional front-facing look” for Zoom meetings while keeping a “messier, more fun look” in the back off-camera. In other words, business in the front, party in the back found a new practical application for the webcam era. The mullet’s new popularity even penetrated traditionally conservative arenas: for example, Australian pro golfer Cameron Smith grew a mullet as a good-luck charm on the PGA tour, joking that he’d like to go “full business at the front and party at the back.” His mullet became a beloved part of his image among golf fans. Similarly, in American football, Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner started sporting a mullet in 2018, proudly continuing a local Pittsburgh tradition (“Yinzer” culture) of mulleted athletes.

However, as the mullet gained broad popularity, it also faced pushback in certain settings – ironically echoing its history. Some schools and employers deemed it too unruly. In Australia, a few private schools made headlines by banning mullet haircuts as “unacceptable.” In 2021, Waverley College in Sydney told students the iconic “business at the front, party at the back” style was inappropriate on campus. One Perth college similarly declared the mullet “not acceptable” and required students to get haircuts or even sent them home, viewing the resurgence with alarm. These incidents underscore how the mullet, despite its mainstream revival, still retains a bit of its subversive, rule-breaking vibe – enough to rile school principals!

On the lighter side, the 2020s have turned the mullet into a competitive sport of its own: the USA Mullet Championships. Beginning in 2020, an annual nationwide contest in the U.S. now awards titles (and cash prizes) for the best mullets in various divisions – kids, teens, and adults. The contest has produced viral photos of adorable 5-year-olds with tiny mullets and adults with truly gravity-defying “Kentucky waterfalls.” Winners of the Mullet Championships often enjoy their 15 minutes of fame on morning talk shows and social media. In 2023, for example, a 14-year-old teen from California won the teen mullet championship after reportedly being bullied for his hair, turning him into a minor celebrity and local hero. Also in 2023, Guinness World Records recognized a Tennessee woman for the world’s longest mullet – measuring over 172 cm (68 inches) – after she had let her hair grow for 33 years straight. Clearly, the mullet is not only back, but it’s breaking records!

Crucially, the mullet’s 2020s revival comes with a sense of fun and irony. A Vice article interviewing mullet-wearing teenagers found that most got the cut “as a joke,” fully aware of its “disgustingly gross” reputation – which, paradoxically, made it cool in an ironic way. On TikTok and Instagram, mullet content went viral: the hashtag #mullet amassed hundreds of millions of views, with young people posting transformation videos of shaggy haircuts turning into sleek mullets. The “modern mullet” often incorporates a fade or undercut on the sides, giving a cleaner, tapered look that updates the classic shape. Related hybrid cuts (like the so-called “wolf cut,” essentially a shaggy mullet) also trended heavily on social media. By 2022, mullets were so ubiquitous that some fashion observers wondered if the trend had peaked. As one stylist quipped, when even clean-cut private school boys and bankers are getting mullets, “that’s probably when you know it’s time for something else”. But for now, the mullet’s ride as a fashion phoenix risen from the ashes continues.

Pop Culture References and Iconic Mullets

The mullet’s distinctive shape has made it a memorable element in pop culture – used both sincerely and satirically. Here are some of the most notable references across entertainment and media:

• Television & Film: In addition to MacGyver and mulleted wrestlers on TV, numerous characters have been defined by their mullets. A classic example is the comedy film “Joe Dirt” (2001), in which David Spade plays a hapless, mullet-wearing adventurer – the film’s humor largely centers on Joe’s dated hairstyle and 1980s rock obsession. Likewise, the cult hockey movie “Slap Shot” (1977) featured minor characters with mullets before the term existed. The Netflix series “Stranger Things” (set in the ’80s) showcased a textbook mullet on the character Billy Hargrove (played by Dacre Montgomery) – complete with feathered top and long curlicue back – as a visual cue to his reckless, rebellious nature. In animation, the 1990s eco-superhero Captain Planet sported a teal-green mullet, and even Homer Simpson once donned a mullet wig in a Simpsons episode spoofing the style. Another notable mention: Kiefer Sutherland in the 1987 vampire film The Lost Boys. Sutherland’s platinum-blonde spiky mullet in that movie is often remembered as an ’80s moment; the actor later joked that he might have inadvertently started a hairstyle craze, as people kept copying that look.
• Music: Beyond the artists already discussed (Bowie, Cyrus, Rihanna, etc.), the mullet has popped up in music videos and stage personas. In the late ’80s, for example, U2’s Bono sported a mullet in the “With or Without You” video, and metal bands like Metallica (James Hetfield’s early ’90s look) and Def Leppard (Joe Elliott) kept mullets in the metal scene. Billy Ray Cyrus’s mullet in his 1992 “Achy Breaky Heart” music video arguably helped propel that song’s huge popularity – the video was pure early ’90s country style. Decades later, in the 2020s, rapper Lil Nas X put a modern spin on the mullet, wearing a curly mullet hairstyle (often dyed or adorned) as part of his genre-blending, gender-bending fashion statements. And in the realm of parody, Weird Al Yankovic donned a comedic fake mullet in some ’90s performances to spoof country singers.
• Sports & Live Events: Certain sports moments have immortalized the mullet. A famous example is the Canadian 1998 Winter Olympics hockey team photo, where a significant portion of players proudly displayed mullets (a snapshot of hockey culture at the time). In Australian sports, rugby league player Billy Slater and AFL star Barry Hall both flirted with mullets in the 2000s. More recently, the post-match interview of Aussie Rules footballer Bailey Smith in 2021 went viral not just for his performance but for his flowing peroxide-blond mullet, which fans nicknamed “the party at the back.” Sports broadcasters have even organized on-camera “Mullet Count” segments when noticing many mulleted fans or players in attendance at games. Additionally, some events turned the mullet into a gimmick – for instance, minor league baseball teams in the U.S. have hosted “Mullet Night” promotions where fans with mullets get in free, and the crowd might attempt a group mullet photo. All these instances cement the mullet as a light-hearted cultural symbol that people immediately recognize and react to.
• Memes & Nicknames: The internet age has given rise to a plethora of mullet memes and jokey monikers for the hairstyle. Some popular nicknames include “Kentucky Waterfall,” “Tennessee Top Hat,” “Missouri Compromise,” and “Camaro Crash Helmet,” among many others – often regionally themed slights implying the wearer is from some backwoods locale. An image macro meme in the 2000s titled “Mullet Galore” circulated with a collage of the “worst mullets ever,” and websites like “Rate My Mullet” popped up for users to ironically share mullet photos. The phrase “mullet time” (riffing on “Miller Time”) or calling someone “mullethead” became casual taunts. As mentioned, the case of Ziggy “Mullet Boy” Mosslmani in Sydney showed how quickly a striking mullet can turn into an internet spectacle. In his case, memes compared his tall, angular mullet to everything from a (hypothetical) Pythagorean triangle to a fin on a 1950s Cadillac, highlighting the internet’s limitless creativity in mullet mockery.

Finally, it’s worth noting that the mullet even found its way into politics and news as a tongue-in-cheek symbol. During the 2020 U.S. election season, for instance, a viral social post joked that one candidate’s fluctuating fortunes were “the mullet of campaign trails – business up front, party at the end.” Meanwhile, in Australia, a satirical petition once called for giving an actual mullet haircut to the Prime Minister as a show of solidarity with working-class Aussies (it didn’t get very far, of course). These playful references underscore the mullet’s firm place in pop culture: it instantly conveys a mix of humor, nostalgia, and rebellious spirit.

Songs and Lyrics Celebrating the Mullet

The mullet’s legend lives on not just in images, but in music. Several songs across genres have paid homage to – or poked fun at – the hairstyle in their lyrics:

• “Mullet Head” – Beastie Boys (1994): As noted, this punk-rap track by the Beastie Boys is often cited for popularizing the term “mullet.” It famously describes how to cut a proper mullet (“number one on the side… number six on the top…”). The song brims with slang and even lists mullet-wearing archetypes, essentially serving as an ode to (and roast of) mullet culture in the ’80s and early ’90s.
• “I’ve Got an Ape Drape” – The Vandals (1998): A comedic punk song that enthusiastically catalogs different nicknames for the mullet and references seeing mullets on talk-show guests and country singers. The term “ape drape” itself is SoCal slang for a mullet. With tongue firmly in cheek, the Vandals turned the mullet into a catchy anthem of low-brow pride.
• “Cut the Mullet” – Wesley Willis (1998): A cult-favorite track by outsider artist Wesley Willis, essentially a humorous rant set to music. In it, Willis admonishes a man in a city bus to cut his mullet because “it’s bringing you down”. Its deadpan, repetitive lyrics (“Cut the mullet! Cut the mullet! Cut the mullet!”) became an internet meme themselves, encapsulating the late ’90s attitude toward the hairstyle.
• “Mullet Lady” – Anime (circa 2000): An obscure but amusing reference – the English dub of Pokémon even had a brief original song in one episode about a “Mullet Lady” (a character with a spectacular mullet). While not a commercial hit, it shows how the mullet permeated even kids’ entertainment in a jokey way at the turn of the millennium.
• “I Want My Mullet Back” – Billy Ray Cyrus (2006): A country song by Billy Ray Cyrus that nostalgically yearns for the past – specifically, for the days of his glorious mullet. The lyric “I want my mullet back, my old Camaro and my 8-track” is a deliberate throwback to the late ’80s/early ’90s era. Cyrus often performed this song with a wink, even donning a fake mullet on stage for comic effect, embracing the joke that he is the patron saint of mullets.
• “Hockey Hair” – Pansy Division (1997): A song by the queer punk band Pansy Division that celebrates a crush on a hockey player with a mullet, simultaneously celebrating and teasing the trope of hockey players and their famous hairdos. It’s a playful cultural snapshot (released in Vancouver, fittingly a hockey town).
• “Mullet Song” – (Internet parody songs, 2000s): The internet age saw countless parody songs and YouTube odes to mullets, often set to the tune of other hits. For example, a parody of “Sweet Home Alabama” called “Sweet Home Alamullet” made rounds on file-sharing sites in the early 2000s, and a YouTube comedy music video titled “Mullet Song” (by user Jay Powell) in 2013 gained views for rhyming “mullet” with “skullet” and referencing comedian Theo Von (known for his mullet). While these may not be chart-toppers, they demonstrate how the mullet’s mystique has inspired grassroots creativity and humor in music.

In summary, the mullet has been enshrined in music from punk rock to country to novelty internet tracks, proving its lasting appeal as more than just a haircut – it’s an idea ripe for lyrical exploitation.

Changing Perceptions and Cultural Impact

The journey of the mullet reflects broader cultural shifts over decades. Once a symbol of cool nonconformity, then a target of ridicule, and now a quirky retro-chic statement, the mullet’s rise, fall, and rise again says a lot about how we assign meaning to hairstyles. In its heyday of the ’70s–’80s, the mullet was bold and new – it telegraphed a rebellious spirit (think Bowie or a punk rocker defying gender norms) as well as a laid-back machismo (the rock star or athlete who was both “business” and “party”). Then, as it became overexposed, it transformed into a marker of out-of-touchness – by the ’90s a mullet signified someone oblivious to changing fashion, often portrayed as a hapless “hick” or lovable loser in media. In Australia, especially, it became “quintessentially Australian” in the sense of being unpretentious and practical – yet also a bit of a joke. The term “bogan” grew around that image, but interestingly, that didn’t kill the mullet; it simply localized it as a form of working-class pride for some.

The latest resurgence recontextualizes the mullet once more. Today’s “modern mullet” is often worn with a knowing wink – it’s camp and cool at the same time. This irony-laced revival has actually peeled away some of the stigma. It’s not unusual now to see stylish people in creative industries, models, or even urban professionals sporting mullets without it being automatically seen as low-class. The mullet’s newfound acceptance in queer and youth subcultures as a gender-flexible, expressive haircut has given it fresh relevance. And yet, the mullet never fully loses its comedic undertone – part of its appeal is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. As one young Aussie mullet-wearer put it: “I like the culture around it being kind of ‘boganish’ and a joke.” In other words, people embrace the mullet because it’s a bit ridiculous, turning the joke on its head and claiming it confidently.

From a broader perspective, the mullet’s endurance underscores how hair can carry cultural meaning. Few haircuts have a lifecycle as storied as the mullet’s. It has been a military strategy (for ancient warriors), a rock-and-roll flag, a mainstream fad, a marker of rural identity, an internet meme, and a high-fashion trend – all in one. It’s been banned by authorities in some cases (even listed among “un-Islamic” hairstyles in Iran’s morality guidelines) and conversely celebrated with its own festivals and contests. The mullet’s ability to keep coming back in new forms speaks to a certain rebellious resilience. It laughs in the face of propriety (after all, neat and conventional it is not), and that quality remains forever appealing to those looking to push boundaries or just have a bit of fun.

Timeline: Key Moments in Mullet History

• Ancient Times: Sixth-century Byzantine youths adopt a “Hunnic” long-back style; Homer’s Iliad notes warriors with hair “long at the back” – early evidence of the mullet concept.
• 1972–1974: David Bowie unveils his Ziggy Stardust mullet (1972); other stars like Rod Stewart and Paul McCartney follow with shaggy mullets by ’74. The mullet enters rock culture.
• 1980s: Worn by everyone from Pat Sharp (UK TV host) to Patrick Swayze, Lionel Richie, and countless athletes, the mullet becomes a global craze. In Australia, Warwick Capper’s blond mullet (mid-’80s) sets a trend on the footy field.
• 1994–1995: Beastie Boys release “Mullet Head” (1994) and Grand Royal magazine’s mullet issue (1995), popularizing the term “mullet” and cementing its comedic reputation.
• Late 1990s: Mullet mockery in full swing – Superman sports a mullet in comics (’93), movies like Friday Night Lights feature mulleted characters, and songs like “Cut the Mullet” (’98) openly ridicule the style.
• 2001: Documentary “American Mullet” is released, chronicling mullet-wearing Americans. The hairstyle now firmly viewed as kitsch nostalgia.
• 2010s: Early signs of revival – Rihanna (2013) and various K-pop idols (2015–2017) rock mullets; Australian Mulletfest launches in 2018. Miley Cyrus debuts her modern mullet (2019).
• 2020: Declared the “Year of the Mullet” amid COVID lockdowns. Surge in mullet haircuts worldwide; USA Mullet Championship founded. Netflix’s Tiger King (2020) features Joe Exotic’s bleached mullet, captivating millions stuck at home.
• 2021–2022: Mullet trend peaks on social media (TikTok #mullet) and in fashion magazines. Schools in Australia enforce mullet bans due to ubiquity. Vice Media documents the ironic mullet craze among Gen Z.
• 2023: Mullets remain in the spotlight – world records (longest mullet), viral contest winners, and even appearances in high fashion campaigns. By now, the mullet is both a tongue-in-cheek nod to retro style and an accepted unisex cut in salons.

Conclusion

From the ancient battlefields of Europe to the concert stages of the ’80s, and from the trailer parks of internet legend to the runways and TikTok feeds of today, the mullet has proven to be much more than a mere haircut. It’s a cultural phenomenon that encapsulates the spirit of its wearers – whether that be rebellious, carefree, nostalgic, or humorous. The mullet’s cultural and historical relevance lies in its unlikely journey: few hairstyles have been as celebrated, vilified, and resurrected as this “short-long” wonder. As trends continue to cycle, one thing is certain: the mullet’s party is far from over. In the immortal words of Billy Ray Cyrus, “I want my mullet back” – and indeed, a whole new generation has taken him up on that call, reviving the mullet and ensuring this iconic hairdo will keep swinging (in the back) for years to come.

Sources: The information in this report is drawn from a range of historical accounts, news articles, and cultural analyses. Key references include ABC News features on the mullet’s history and Aussie resurgence abc.net.auabc.net.au, the Oxford English Dictionary’s note on the term’s etymology via the Beastie Boys en.wikipedia.org, Wikipedia’s summary of mullet history and its pop culture milestones en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org, as well as various media retrospectives highlighting famous mullet icons over the years menshealth.commenshealth.com. Together, these sources paint a comprehensive picture of the mullet’s enduring legacy in style and society.