Photo Credit: Celebrity Nine<\/p><\/div>\n
People love to make fun of the mullet hairstyle. Every movie or TV show made today but set in the \u201880s features a character wearing the mullet style. The character is usually a nerd, but in the true \u201880s, even popular kids wore mullets. Icon of punk, David Bowie sported a red mullet as his alter ego, Ziggy Stardust.<\/p>\n
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Everyone knows what a mullet is, but very few people understand the haircut. Let\u2019s shed some light on the misunderstood style with fun facts about mullets:<\/p>\n
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Haircut Traces Back to Ancient Times<\/h3>\n
The mullet might have been immensely popular from the 1970s (Paul McCartney of Beatle fame had one) to the early 1990s, but it can be traced back 1,400 years to ancient Romans.<\/p>\n
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In Roman times, men were known for watching gladiators fight for sport or destroying the Hun empire. Despite their hatred of the Huns, Romans very much liked their mullet-esque haircuts and often emulated the style.<\/p>\n
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Historians say the haircut was beneficial in battles and cold weather. The length in the back kept the nape of the neck warm while the short front prevented other warriors to grab hold of the hair.<\/p>\n
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The Western world has always been obsessed with Cleopatra and her beauty secrets. Perhaps the focus should have been on the trendsetting Huns instead.<\/p>\n
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Beastie Boys Credited with Naming it \u201cMullet\u201d<\/h3>\n
Believe it or not, the mullet was not called a \u201cmullet\u201d back in the \u201880s. Back then, a mullet was still just a fish. It wasn\u2019t until 1994 that rap group The Beastie Boys released a song called \u201cMullet Head\u201d which gave name to the look. The song is an ode to the late \u201880s and early \u201890s with references to Jean Claude Van Dam, the Amy Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco, Kenny G and yes, Billy Ray Cyrus.<\/p>\n
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The refrain of the song begs the barber to \u201cCut the sides, don't touch the back.\u201d The trusted and reliable Oxford English Dictionary even gives credit to the Beastie Boys for coining the term. Fight for your right to party… in the back and business in the front!<\/p>\n
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The Haircut is Illegal in Some Countries\u2026<\/h3>\n
Not everyone is a fan of the half-short\/half-long haircut. Iran banned the mullet and other Western haircuts, such as ponytails and spikes, in 2010.<\/p>\n
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The look is also technically banned for men in North Korea, since they can allegedly only choose between 20-something state-approved haircuts, none of which resemble the mullet. North Korean women, however, have two haircut choices that have a shoulder-length bob type of haircut with bangs across the forehead. Not exactly a replica of the mullet everyone loves to hate, but close enough.<\/p>\n
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…But Not Australia<\/p>\n
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Australia, on the other hand, reveres the mullet so much that an annual festival known as Mulletfest<\/strong> was created to celebrate the style. The festival originated three years ago in the town of Kurri Kurri. There is a mullet competition with awards in categories such as \u2018grubby,\u2019 \u2018vintage,\u2019 and \u2018junior,\u2019 among others.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
According to participants, the mullet is a way of life, not just a haircut. Crikey!<\/p>\n
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Seen on Popular Show The Walking Dead<\/h3>\n
The mullet has been used in popular culture films and television shows to indicate a timeline of the \u201880s. For example, comedian Adam Sandler wore a mullet wig in the film 1998 The Wedding Singer, a movie set in the 1980s.<\/p>\n
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For a more recent example in the 21st Century, fictional character Dr. Eugene Porter on AMC's The Walking Dead sports a mullet. A mullet has often been thought of as a male hairstyle, but actress Scarlett Johansson recreated her iconic teenage mullet haircut for a 2015 magazine shoot.<\/p>\n
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