Mullet 101
There’s a revolution going on in today's society that not many people know about. It’s called the mullet. Business in the front, party in the back. The Tennessee waterfall. The Camaro crash helmet. Between hockey and lacrosse players, surfers, musicians, comedians, and power bros and ladies who assume nothing less than dominatrix, the mullet is BACK and ready to stomp out any haters.
This is Brian. Brain had always wanted a mullet and in 2016, he decided to grab life by the hair. He walked into the barbers shop a quiet man, scared of his own shadow. When the barber asked how he wanted his hair cut, Brian said, “I’m ready to go fast so surprise me.”
The barber disappeared into the back room and came back with two ice cold beers and put on some Lynyrd Skynyrd. Free Bird started playing and without thinking twice, Brian Stone Cold Steve Austin’ed both beers and said, “Let’s do this.”
With a smile on his face, the barber started to cut. As each hair fell to the ground, Brian felt his inner mullet spirit growing. He felt his blood start pumping and he began transforming into a diesel powered man-machine hybrid. When the barber finally finished shaping the most dangerous and rebellious haircut known to man, he knew he changed Brian’s life forever. Brian thanked the barber with a, “Hell yeah brother,” and began his new life as a member of the mullet gang.
Brian didn’t know at the time, but he joined a society with a deep rooted history full of rebels and leaders. We're here to inform you on everything you need to know about the history of the epic haircut as well as some tips and tricks to keep your mullet-mane luscious and healthy.
Mullets were popularized in the 80’s with icons like David Bowie, Patrick Swazye, and Jerry Seinfeld all sporting the look. But, it’s been around since ancient Greece. Greek warriors would rock a mullet because it had many advantages in battle. Just seeing a bronzed mullet mulletia (all puns intended) would make any enemy shake in their boots, but it was very practical too. With short hair on top, it made it easier for them to fit into their helmets as well as helped them see better because they didn't have luscious locks in their face. Then there's the longer follicles in the back. This is the flow that kept their necks warm and dry. Ancient Greeks weren’t the only ancient empire to rock the mullet. Ancient Romans loved a mullet too. Much like today’s Nascar events, groups of hooligans would go to chariot races and booze as their hair flowed in the wind. After the races, the mullet gang would continue the day's festivities by drinking their lives away.
After the Romans, the mullet had a hard time reemerging until the Native Americans reconnected with the mullet spirit and brought it back. They would combine the Mohawk up front with the long hair in the back creating one of the most underappreciated hairstyles the world has seen. Native Americans saw the mullet as a way to project strength and pride. As some of the earliest flexers, you can see many buffalo hunters and warriors mean muggin with a mullet.
Early English settlers soon adopted the mullet by creating wigs that were short in the front and long in the back but when we told England to kick rocks, we had to get rid of the wigs.
One of America’s forefathers took it upon himself to bring back the natural mullet. Ben Franklin was one of the first Americans to respect the power that came with a mullet. Ben used his balding mullet, otherwise known as a skullet, to woo the French into increasing their financial and diplomatic support during America's early days. He used his fading Washington waterfall to portray himself as a common man even though he was one of the most influential and intellectual people of his generation. Ben’s skullet was his preferred look but being the savage he was, he used his mane as a marketing tool.
Fast forward to the early 70’s. Music icon David Bowie grew out an ELITE freedom flap and took the final step thus solidifying him as a mullet lord. He dyed his mullet bright orange and the world never looked back. A few years later, all of America had a neck warmer. The glory years of the 80’s saw the complete mullet takeover.
Heart-throbs like Mario Lopez and John Stamos had heavy mullet flow fit for stardom. Sports stars like Wayne Gretzky and Larry Bird had some of the most power mudflaps in the game. Actors like George Clooney and Rob Lowe had mullets that left viewers starstruck. The mullet grabbed the 80’s by the lettuce and said, “This is our time!”
Oh and how can I forget wrestling. Some of the most iconic and well remembered mullets came from the wrestling world. Jake “The Snake” Roberts. “Macho Man” Randy Savage. Hulk Hogan. “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. If you were a wrestling fan, you were a mullet fan. It’s as simple as that.
Men weren’t the only ones to ball out with a mullet. It was also very popular with women as well. The femullet was born in the 70’s and spread like a wildfire. After Bowie famously wore his orange mullet during the press conference where he spoke out about gender identity and gender fluidity, many women started rocking the femullet to show that the style wasn't just for men. The femullet was a sign of women's empowerment with many very famous celebrities sporting the look from the 70’s all the way to today.
Each decade had a different style of femullet but women still rock them to this day. Carol Brady from The Brady Bunch had a blonde flowing flap in the early 70’s. Famous singer Cher had a dark neck drape with a lot of volume in the 80’s. Dolly Parton rocked an epic double D sized headdress in the 90’s. Even stars like Rhianna, Lady Gaga, and Scarlett Johansson have all experimented with mullets.
Music stars Zendaya and Miley Cyrus have recently supported the femullet movement. Zendaya rocked a femullet at the Grammys in 2019 and received a lot of criticism. When Zendaya was asked about her femullet she responded, ““I think we can’t allow ourselves to get caught up in other people’s opinions of ourselves because then we’re never going to progress, we’re never going to go forward. So we’ve got to be real. We’ve got to do what we want to do even if people don’t like it.”
Zendaya channeled the femullet spirit and didn’t give a flying fuck what people thought. She got a lot of backlash but she also promoted self-confidence and individualism. Miley Cyrus adopted the femullet in 2020. She had a long conversation with podcast superstar Joe Rogan about the mullet. Miley and Joe talked about how the mullet is making a comeback in 2020 and how it inspires people to be true to themselves.
Today, people with mullets are seen as outrageous outlaws that want nothing more than to crush beers and rip dirt bikes (not at the same time, wink wink.). However, mullets are like snowflakes. No mullet is the same and people get mullets for different reasons. It allows people to express themselves. Whether you’re in a punk rock band trying to revive the 90’s punk scene, or a model trying to make a statement on gender equality. Mullets have a certain stigma, but in reality that’s not the case. WAP mops are just another style and everyone’s reason is different. Brian, for example, needed a change in his life and felt the mullet would give him the freedom he desired.
Now that you know the deep roots of the mullet, here’s how to properly grow and take care of your beaver tail. Let’s assume you don’t already have flowing hair like Lord Farquaad. You have 2 options, let everything grow together or get periodic trims to gradually shape your mullet. If you really don’t give a shit you can power through the awkward 3-4 months of not short but not long hair, which will leave you with the perfect natural mullet when the time finally comes. We recommend the second option of gradually shaping your mullet, because nobody likes a scrub. This allows you to maintain a cleaner look while still working towards your desired length in the back.
Another thing to think about when growing out a mullet is understanding what kind of hair you have. If you have curly hair, it may take longer to grow it out because you’ll have to grow out the curls but it will give your mullet more volume. If your hair is naturally more straight, it’ll be a bit faster to get to the perfect length in the back but it may not look as full. The good thing about hair is that it grows! No matter when you get cut, your mullet will constantly improve.
Depending on what look you want your mullet to have, you have to style it differently. A mullet is a personal statement so you have the freedom to style it however you want, but there are 3 main ways to style a mullet.
The first is the 80’s mullet. This requires some nifty work with a hairdryer and takes longer to style, so this is for the hardcore 80’s lovers. Once you get out of the shower, dry off your hair but leave a bit of wetness. Take some styling putty and start working the roots of your hair, this will add some volume and hold to your hair. After the putty has been evenly distributed, take your blow dryer (high speed and high heat) and start working your hair up and back. Once your hair is 80-90% dry, switch the blow dryer to cold and start styling to your flows content. PRO TIP: Work your fingers through your hair to add texture and dimension toward the end of the blow drying process.
The next style is the modern mullet. The modern mullet gives you the volume and poof in the back without looking like a perm in the front. After a shower, towel dry your hair leaving some wetness. Use the styling putty like the 80’s mullet and make sure you work the roots. Once the putty is evenly distributed, take your blow dryer and go to town on the back. With your free hand, push the hair up. This will give you some nice volume and layers in the back. Once you’ve finished the back, start working the front. This is where you can get creative. Blow dry the front until you’re 75% dry and then grab more putty and style however you want. PRO TIP: Start small with the putty. You can always add more putty but too putty much will weigh your hair down and make you look greasy. And nobody likes a grease ball.
The third style is the most popular among the mullet gang. It's a natural mullet. This is for the people who just want to rock tf out of their mullet no matter what shape it’s in. Once you get out of the shower, dry your hair off and run a comb through it (if you want). After that, you’re done! PRO TIP: Mullets are meant to be unique so don’t let anyone tell you how to rock it!
Taking care of a mullet is very important because nobody wants a greasy mop. Depending on the person, you may have to shampoo and condition your mullet daily. If you feel like washing your mullet daily is drying out your hair, maybe only wash it 3 times a week. A stinky, greasy mop is a major turn off so before you go out, make sure it’s clean. Another important aspect of maintaining your mullet is snipping split ends. Split ends are when the end of your hair starts to fray like a rope. This makes your hair very rough and itchy. Every 2-3 months you’re going to want to get those split ends taken care of. This will leave you with a healthier and more full looking mullet.
After Brian was jumped into the mullet gang, he’s done quite a lot for society. Not only is he wearing it loud and proud, but he’s gone onto bigger and better things. Brian has created an extremely stylish lifestyle company called B Fresh Gear. He started this company with his friends who may not have mullets themselves, but they have the mullet spirit within (you best believe Brian has beaten it into them!). As a group, they have learned many lessons from the mullet spirit.
They’ve learned that just like the mullet, they wanted to make a brand that was unique. They understood that not everyone was going to like their style but they didn’t give a shit! They wanted to create a brand that they believed in and stood out. B Fresh Gear has everything from visor shades to fanny packs to turtlenecks. Whether you’re on your first day of growing out a mullet or you’ve had a mullet your entire life, B Fresh Gear has something to match your style.
Brian and the rest of the B Fresh Crew has worked very hard to maintain an identity that is totally unique to themselves. At the end of the day, mullets are a sign of individualism rooted in strength and pride. Once you get a mullet, you’ve accepted a responsibility to wear it proudly regardless of what people think. The mullet spirit has survived since the ancient Greeks. It’s up to us to teach the world about its powers and continue the legacy. Now mullet on and go fast, brother!
