Table of Contents
How iconic hairstyle has endured for centuries
Before it had a name
Rock stars take over
From fame to punchline
New generation
How iconic hairstyle has endured for centuries
ONCE dismissed as fashion’s favourite punchline, the mullet has travelled from ancient practicality to glam-rock rebellion and a modern revival.
Few hairstyles carry as much cultural baggage as the mullet. Its basic construction is immediately recognisable: Hair cut short around the front and sides while length is preserved at the back. Depending on the decade, it has represented rebellion, working-class pride, queer identity, sporting culture or questionable taste.
A mullet requires a clear separation between the front and rear sections.
Its familiar “business in the front, party in the back” description belongs to recent popular culture, although the haircut’s origins stretch much further into history.
Before it had a name
Ancient styles resembling the mullet were probably born from practicality. Shorter hair around the face kept a wearer’s vision clear, while additional length covered the neck against cold weather and sunlight.
Roman historian Suetonius wrote that Emperor Tiberius wore his hair long enough at the back to cover his neck. In the sixth century, Byzantine scholar Procopius described members of the Blue chariot-racing faction wearing hair cut short over the forehead and long behind, a look associated with the Huns.
Similar arrangements appeared in other cultures without necessarily sharing a direct connection. A 1621 account described Abenaki leader Samoset as having hair that was short in front and long behind. In Borneo, mullet-like hairstyles have also been documented among communities including the Penan, Kayan, Kenyah and Iban.
Calling every historical example a mullet applies a modern label retrospectively. However, the recurring shape shows how frequently people arrived at the same practical solution.
Rock stars take over
The haircut entered modern popular culture through music. Tom Jones wore an early version during televised performances in 1965, while David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Keith Richards and Paul McCartney adopted variations during the following decade.
Bowie’s fiery Ziggy Stardust hairstyle gave the cut an especially powerful image. Its combination of sharp angles, bright colour and uneven length matched glam rock’s theatrical rejection of conventional masculinity. Joan Jett and Cher later showed that the style could move easily across gender lines.
A mullet begins to take shape as the hair around the face is shortened and the nape is left longer.
By the 1980s, the mullet had escaped the rock stage. Actors, athletes, office workers and labourers wore it in straight, curled, permed and heavily sprayed forms. Chinese rock musician Cui Jian helped popularise the hairstyle among young men in China, while ice hockey players made flowing “hockey hair” part of the sport’s visual culture.
From fame to punchline
The haircut remained visible into the early 1990s, appearing on country musicians, professional wrestlers and even Superman following the character’s return from death in DC Comics.
The word “mullet” only became widely attached to it during this period. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the Beastie Boys popularised the term through their 1994 song Mullet Head and a subsequent article in their magazine Grand Royal.
The name arrived just as the haircut’s reputation collapsed. Films, television programmes and comedy routinely used it as shorthand for poor taste. By the 2000s, wearing one often seemed like an ironic gesture, although the style retained devoted followings in Australia, New Zealand and parts of North America.
New generation
The mullet began returning through fashion, sport and nightlife during the late 2010s before salon closures accelerated its revival in 2020. Uneven home haircuts made experimentation easier, while video calls offered an amusing advantage – the restrained front remained visible on screen and the longer back stayed largely hidden.
Contemporary versions are more varied than their 1980s predecessors. Barbers combine the longer nape with taper fades, textured fringes and tightly shaped sides. Others merge it with the layered wolf cut or adapt it for curls and Afro-textured hair.
Its appeal now rests in that flexibility. After centuries of reinvention, the mullet has survived ridicule by becoming a framework that each generation can reshape for itself.
READ MORE:
Men’s leather shoes: Stepping into style
Fast fashion’s hidden bill
Pass the hat: Why did hats go out of fashion?
The Sun Malaysia