A brief history of the mullet: 'Business up front and party at the back'


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It's one of those rare hairstyles that has been worn by all genders throughout the years, and every country has its own variation and nickname for the mullet, the enduring hairstyle that's short (business) at the front, and long (party) at the back.

In the US it's been called the "Kentucky waterfall", while Canadians favour "hockey hair", and the modern use of "mullet" is usually traced back to the Beastie Boys' 1994 classic Mullet Head, which popularised awareness of the 'do, containing lyrics such as, "Number one on the side and don't touch the back" and "Spike the top because the weekend is here".

While Mullet Head might have opened generation MTV's eyes to the style, according to anthropologists, it has actually been around since humans first pulled on their primordial slime-washed jeans and decided they needed a new 'do for Saturday night at the dino-roller disco.

Historical hairdo

In his book, Mullet Madness! The Haircut That's Business Up Front and a Party in the Back, author Alan Henderson posits the theory that the mullet was likely the 'do of choice for prehistoric humans, because the long hair at the back would have kept their neck warm, while the front was kept short so their hair didn't get in their eyes as they checked for sabre-toothed tigers before they left their cave in the morning.

Henderson also notes that Greek statues dating back to the 6th-century BC have distinctly mullet hairdos, while Native Americans rocked their own version, except theirs was "Mohawk in the front".

Arguably, the mullet peaked in the 1980s, the decade when it was an actual style statement, as opposed to the ironic position it maintained from the late 1990s onward. And possibly the most famous mullet of all time belonged to Achy Breaky Heart-era Billy Ray Cyrus, with the country singer telling Kelly Clarkson on her talk show: "I had Kentucky Waterfall for a while, but I said, 'You know what? I need to update.' So, I went with this one called 'Missouri Compromise'. In Tennessee it's called a Tennessee Top hat."

The modern mullet

Exploding back on to the hairstyle scene in mid-2020, the mullet's resurgence shows no signs of losing traction. Retaining its position as the ultimate lockdown haircut, it's a style that looks like you've done it yourself even if you've paid Dhs1,500 for the privilege.

"The mullet is a look that will always come back into fashion," says Kelly Cyndrowski, co-owner of Dubai's Salon Ink. "It is a very wearable look and can be worked into most lengths from medium to long. This season's mullet has a very soft, almost beach texture to it for a more casual feel."

On the celebrity side of things, the likes of Miley Cyrus and Rihanna have both been rocking razor-sharp versions, while The Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco recently took to Instagram to bemoan husband Karl Cook's mullet, writing: "I don't remember saying 'in sickness and health, oh and mullets'."

Meanwhile, The Kissing Booth star Jacob Elordi, 23, has been rocking a mullet that seriously interferes with his pretty boy image. But being Australian, he can likely claim he's just getting back to his roots – both historically and follicly.

Scroll through the gallery above for some more classic celebrity mullets.

MATCH INFO

Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)

TV: Abu Dhabi Sports

RESULTS

Bantamweight title:
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) bt Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
(KO round 2)
Catchweight 68kg:
Sean Soriano (USA) bt Noad Lahat (ISR)
(TKO round 1)
Middleweight:
Denis Tiuliulin (RUS) bt Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
(TKO round 1)
Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) bt Joachim Tollefsen (DEN)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 68kg:
Austin Arnett (USA) bt Daniel Vega (MEX)
(TKO round 3)
Lightweight:
Carrington Banks (USA) bt Marcio Andrade (BRA)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 58kg:
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) bt Malin Hermansson (SWE)
(Submission round 2)
Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (CAN) bt Juares Dea (CMR)
(Split decision)
Middleweight:
Mohamad Osseili (LEB) bt Ivan Slynko (UKR)
(TKO round 1)
Featherweight:
Tarun Grigoryan (ARM) bt Islam Makhamadjanov (UZB)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 54kg:
Mariagiovanna Vai (ITA) bt Daniella Shutov (ISR)
(Submission round 1)
Middleweight:
Joan Arastey (ESP) bt Omran Chaaban (LEB)
(Unanimous decision)
Welterweight:
Bruno Carvalho (POR) bt Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
(TKO)

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Scores

Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)

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Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)

The Ashes

Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs

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Name: Sari Al Zubaidi

Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati

Age: 42

Marital status: single

Favourite drink: drip coffee V60

Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia 

Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude 

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Favourite vegetable: Broccoli

Favourite food: Seafood

Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange

Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania

Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.

Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes

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50-man Royal Rumble

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Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

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Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho

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Matches to be announced

WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, United States Championship and the Cruiserweight Championship are all due to be defended

Stage 5 results

1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53

2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -

Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott - 

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ  0:00:04

5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07

General Classification:

1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04

2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01

3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33

4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48

5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11

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Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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