Why The Mullet Is The Most Popular Haircut Of All Time (Seriously)
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What do Marie Antoinette and Billy Ray Cyrus have in common? They both rocked epic mullets. Yep. That's right. You heard me. Marie Antoinette had a mullet.
Short in the front, and long in the back hairstyles, also known as mullets have been worn by both men and women for centuries. Allowing for a huge assortment of style varieties, mullets are even why Jane Austen had her regency curls. So, in this video, I'm going to explore why the mullet is the most popular haircut of all time, going all the way back to the 1600s. While this video is focused mainly on 18th century women's hairstyles, including demonstrating a historically accurate 18th-century haircut, the trend is obvious once you realize what you're looking at.
So, if you have found yourself googling "tik tok wolf cut" or "tik tok mullet" or if you're just having a huge moment for 1990s nostalgia, this video is for you.
Maybe.
Or maybe you're just traumatized by growing up in the 1990s and are having a different kind of moment with this whole mullet thing.
cause I know I am...
Emma Markiewicz’s PhD http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/66909/
@Loepsie hairstyling video: https://youtu.be/DuplmblXNPs
@Brad Mondo Hairstyling video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDj3OT...
This music video had me howling - @Jay Powell The Mullet Song (Official Video) ft. C-S1K: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz3MAB...
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♪ In the mirror, ♪ ♪ sharp as a bullet. ♪ ( toy squeaking, ) ♪. I love my mullet ♪ ♪ You're doing great out there. Without me, baby ♪ ♪, like a damn sociopath ♪ ♪, To be loved by you, ♪ ( man, laughing ) ( ``, Tainted Love'' by Soft Cell, plays ) ♪ Ya. Hair. Make me gag ho ♪ ♪. Take it take it ♪ ♪. Take it take it. ♪ ♪ Hold my hair. When I shake it shake it ♪ ♪. Take it. Take it ♪ To be fair. It is a mullet.. I was right. [ Abby, ] Y'all., It's back., It's back., It's back.! It is it's back like oh geez. It'S really here. We're we're back to this point. (, sighs )! Please don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart.. I just don't think it'll understand that the mullet is back. With a vengeance. ( grunts ). So you know how back in the 20 teens like we youths started wearing things ironically like thick frame glasses or something only to be called `` hipsters.'', And then it became like fashionable and normal.. And honestly, I don't even remember what qualifies as'' hipster'' as this point.. Like this elder millennial is in her mid-thirties y'all and she is tired.. However, what I can only hope started ironically on TikTok is the return of the mullet. Apparently also called the wolf cut, sometimes in its most pure and truest form. Thanks Billy, at least your sacrifice was not entirely in vain.. I dunno what you don't understand about what I just said. ♪. I want my money back ♪, Please, God do not bring back the rattail.. It is just ... ( gags ), No rattail., Just whatever we do, please. God, no ratta-, (, gags, again ), It's (! Sniffs ) the worst., No God, No God, please! No! No! Interestingly, though, the mullet is not new and I'm not even talking about like the 1980's or 1990's mullet., Oh, no, no! No! No no.! I'M actually talking about the 1780's mullet, the 1680's mullet. Even you could maybe argue 1880's mullet., But definitely the 19 teens and 1920's mullets.. So as much as my grew up in Louisville Kentucky and Southern Indiana in the 80s and 90s self is deeply disturbed by the resurgence of mullets.. I do want to take a quick jaunt, though down memory lane, with a very brief overview of how the mullet has been the most popular haircut of all time in the west, for both men and women., Though today I am going to focus on the lady mullet, But here are some special shoutouts for the dudes. ♪ And I will remember you. ♪, Including, but not limited to my dad's mullet circa 1986, 1987.. Also just side note for anyone who watches `` The Boys ,''. Personally, I think he low-key looks like Billy., But I digress. Now before we get into the actual history of the mullet. It is that special sponsor time, my friends., So let's give it up for the sponsor of today's video Native.. Today'S sponsor is Native. 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If you'd like to give Native a try, Use my- ( record scratch, ), Hey I'm just going to interrupt myself right now, because I actually made a mistake when I was first editing this and since I'm currently on vacation, we're just doing this real quick right here. You and me on the fly. So Native Deodorants. Right now, if you use my code, ABBYCOX2 line., [, Nicole, ], Three deodorants are only $ 36.. Three deodorants are normally $ 36 [, Nicole ], But if you use my link and code blank., But if you use my code ABBYCOX2, you get them for $ 24, which is 33 % off.. Also, if you use my code ABBYCOX2, you get 20 % off body washes and toothpastes. 10 out of 10 recommend the body wash.. Oh, they smell good.. Actually, Nicole, just went and bought some. ( laughs ). So there you go. All right, bye., Thanks again to Native for sponsoring this week's video. Now to mullets. ♪ Business in the front party in the back ♪ ♪ Kentucky waterfall, Mississippi, mudflap. ♪. So if you are somehow unfamiliar with a mullet, I'm just covering my basis. Here., It is a haircut that is business in the front and a party in the back or shorter in the front, with the back grown out to various lengths.. The proportions vary depending on personal taste, decade and trend., But the general idea is that the front is short and the back is long and the curves are kickin' And I'm thinkin' bout, stickin' anyways ( Baby got Back instrumental, ) beanpole dames. With the magazine you aint it Miss Thing. That was not mullet related. That was just 80s related.. Now, how does this play into Anglo-European feminine hair? Fashions? It'S actually pretty straight forward., And just like today, women's hairstyles were achieved using a mix of hair products, heat setting and hair lengths., Not wigs, like actual hair. Hairpieces, were used, though wigs very rarely.. Now a sort of knee-jerk assumption is that women either had their hair. Really really long in the past or that they shaved their heads and wore wigs throughout most of modern history.. Now, while super long hair definitely served its purpose and that there were some instances of women having to shave their heads for medical health reasons not for vanity sake, that really wasn't a thing for most of modern history., ( upbeat music ). Most women took care of their hair in similar ways that we do today. Regular combing, brushing a wet or dry washing, depending on what century we're in and regular haircuts to get rid of the dead ends.. They would dye their hair curl, their hair, teased their hair and use a wide assortment of hair products to achieve certain results with various levels of toxicity.. Some of the recipes are a little like. I know everyone gets like hung up on like white makeup, even though that really wasn't that popular hair dyes man. Wow., That's really where it gets a little hinky. Anyways. A variation of the mullet was crucial in achieving a lot of women's hairstyles.. Since my personal expertise is in late 18th century women's hair dressing, that is the century that I'm going to focus on the most., But we can actually see the mullet throughout the mid 1600s well through the 1920s in various forms and capacity. When 18th century women's hair Is discussed it's usually within the context of it being several feet tall and over the top. Part of this is just a mix of hyperbole and accidental misinterpretation of 18th century terminology., Like when people say that the headdress is three feet tall. This is including tall ostrich. Feathers and not like just the height of the hair itself., These descriptions can also still be pretty hyperbolic because the 18th century loved satire.. Now, however, for most of the 1700s women needed their hair to be pretty short in the front to be able to achieve the right styles. Like you can't achieve these really amazing cute double horns with long hair., It has to be cut. Short. Same thing goes for these curly styles, which were only achievable if you hair was short enough in the front.. The only real exception to this need is roughly 1772 to 1778 or nine, when the fascia for tall hair was in Vogue.. Before and after the hair is actually pretty short in the front., A fantastic example of how to cut an 18th century mullet is in `` Plocacosmos'' by James Stewart.. If this title sounds familiar to you, it's the same book that Loepsie, I think I'm pronouncing her channel correctly and Brad Mondo tried to follow their hairdressing instructions from with various levels of success. And now part of their struggles were actually based in that the hair that They were styling was not the right cut. Because before you actually get to the hairstyling instructions, Stewart walks you through how to cut the hair to achieve the style that he's explaining in the book. And it's a fricking mullet guys.. It'S like the most extreme mullets of mullets., It's insane. Honestly, when I watched Loepsie's video for the first time. I actually panicked because craping your hair, which is what the instructions are walking you through for the front, need your hair to be short., So the creeping doesn't result in a massive knot that will destroy that lock of hair. ( upbeat instrumental music, ) ( music becomes A little less upbeat ). I cannot even tell you guys how relieved I was when she finished it and it looked good.. I was literally sweating it out for her.. It made me so nervous., So here's what ( struggles to say: Plocacosmos ) I've always just called it. Plocacosmos, that's not probably correct, but that's that's what my mouth can say.. So that's what we're calling it here. Plo-ca-cosmos Plocacosmos. Plocaco-. There probably isn't an extra's' in there. Anyways ( struggles to say, Plocacosmos again: ) Anyways, so here's what Plocacosmos, ( laughs ) says about the haircut. ( laughs ): oh my god., All right.! So here's the de- ( hiccups, ) deal. One. I have the hiccups. And I know you might be sitting at home, going'' Abby. Why are you filming when you have the ( hiccups, ) hiccups, ?'', And that is a very valid question.? The answer to that question is I'm on a deadline. We're doing this now Hiccups or none., So just bear with me. I apologize in advance, but here's the thing So as I was like talking and like you know doing the spiel that you guys are watching. I was like you know, this is really hard ( hiccups ) to demonstrate just with words right Like it doesn't make any sense., And so I was like. Oh, I wonder if I could buy a cosmetology head for the cheap on the internet turns out. You can and try and demonstrate what this actual haircut is supposed to look like.. So that's what we're doing right now! That'S what we're going to do this afternoon. Danielle here is her name.. She is dirt. Cheap. She's got a very thin head of hair.. I thought my hair was thin oh-ho ho ho. You all have not met Danielle yet. So, but we're going to try to cut Danielle's hair following the instructions in Plocacosmos.. I am not a trained cosmetologist.. I do not cut hair professionally.. I have cut one person's hair in my life, one human person's hair in my life, and I was terrified to do it.. My experience in haircutting comes with cutting Subie's butt fur because she gets dingleberries and she needs to kind of keep her backside, trimmed up. To side. Note: I've never seen Subie's asshole., It's a mythical place, full of wonder and shit., And so please don't critique my technique.. I don't cut people's hair., I don't want to cut people's hair., I don't even cut my husband's hair.. I don't cut my hair.. I pay money for that. Okay, We got some big Venus energy in this bitch right here.. She likes to pay professionals to do it.. She'S, not a professional., I'm not a professional, don't critique my haircutting skills., But we're going to try we're going to try to see how this goes following instructions, so we can at least demonstrate the extremeness of this haircut.. Now, since Danielle is cheap, it's probably not gon na look that good. ( toy squeaking ), I'm just going to say it's destined to fail. (, laughs ) at this point., But we're here we've committed. I've bought the head.. I need to be able to write it off for my taxes, this year., So this is what we're going to do. With this comb. You are to part the hair.. This is the foundation of the dressing, the excellence of which greatly depends on and requires a considerable degree of nicety and attention to do it. Well. Part your hair and put it nicely., Don't be messy.. The depth of parting depends on a good deal of the quantity of the hair.. If very thick. The parting must be narrower in order that the hair may dress light and transparent.. If the hair is thin, the shade must be wider in order to give a proper substance to the four-part.. So what that means is, depending on how thick a person's hair is, it depends on how far you're going to port the hair over here and how much you're actually going to cut and how much you're going to leave in the back.. Obviously, if the hair is thinner and finer you're going to have more pull to the front and if the hair's thicker you're going to have less., That's what he means.. I think it's really important to note that, with 18th century hair dressing that the individual's hair length - texture thickness, all of it is regularly discussed and taken into consideration.. Just keep that in mind.. The usual breadth of shade just in front, is from two to three inches or more and must gradually increase as to be from five to six and the temples.. I think, that's suppose, to be at the temples.. So if your temples here, then you know it's supposed to be like kind of back here, somewhere. From thus the line must run down almost directly down about an inch and a half behind the ear.. The front hair now must be loosened.. You must take it with you. That nice parting is particularly wanted when cutting. For the parting uneven will be the means of cutting the hair, irregular and bungling.. Basically, you need to part your hair well or the haircut and the following hairdressing system is going to look like trash.. Do your job right, basically, is what he's saying. In all of your maneuvers begin in the middle of the front., Thus draw a line about an inch on each side of the center of the forehead. Let the hair on each side be properly done back and out of the way draw the comb through this that you have got in your hand and hold it upright from the forehead between two four fingers of your left hand and with the small mini shears switch-. I don't know if that's what I have., I just have these. They do a good job with Subie's butt fur., So we're going to go with it. Or tapering scissors. In your right hand, gently open them gently and snip a few hairs regularly from one side to the other within a little more than half an inch of the forehead.. So you guys see where this is going now, Hmm., When this is done with your comb, frizz them down or rather half separate them from the long.. Then, with your scissors proceed as before., But not so near the head, this being the second tier, bring it down to the first and do the third as the rest., But still higher up higher up meaning longer, leaving them longer, as you go. And so on. Until you come to the pointy ends., When properly done, it should rise from half an inch in the front to four inches more or less on the back, part. And so regular that there should not be two hairs of one length but standing on end. Like a fine, curious planting row after row, slanting to a point., ( laughs, ) ( continues to laugh ). She looks like Joe Dirt. Hi., (, laughs, again, ), So yeah. That'S, probably honestly, It's not four inches.. I cut it a little short., But she also doesn't have a lot of hair. So there's there's that.. You are then, to proceed as you did with the middle parting, but with singular attention that, as you move from the center to the ears, you cut it more freely in the front and leave it gradually longer behind.. Thus, the short hairs will not be perceptible above half an inch back just on the middle of the forehead, while they gradually increase, as you reach to the temples. And from the temples to the ears, to be full two inches of perceptible short hairs. That is the short hair may be from a half an inch to an inch and a half or two inches long.. So from the center of the under part of the front, it is from four to five, six, seven, eight or nine inches as it comes down. The side of the head. ( upbeat music ), So I kind of did that.. I was a little aggressive on this one, but I can try it on the other side.. So this is where it starts to get longer on the side.. So you can see down here. I was able to kind of correct myself and get this kind of long.. It'S still not it's not a smooth layer, cut., It is bad., But you know for my first time ever doing it ( random mouth noises, ) (, upbeat music ). So this is my second side, and this is my first side. I kind of went in and tried to clean this up a little bit.. I think somewhere, probably in the middle of this, a nicer, a more even shading is the correct way to go about doing. This., As I said, I'm not a cosmetologist.. I did not go to school for this.. This is me just 18th century books and book instructions and just winging it for the sake of YouTube.. But as you can see, she is mulleted.. She got the shaggy hair in the front, the short really short Joe Dirt level short here in the front, with it being very, very long in the back.. So this is what they're talking about in Plocacosmos in the 1780s., That this is the haircut that it's supposed to be, or hopefully it's something much nicer than this ( laughs ), but it just kind of helps show how extreme the mullet actually was for women in The 1880s. And the same goes for men too.. They had the same. They had very similar haircuts.. It was not just women doing this., It was men., I'm just. I have more knowledge in female haircuts, but you can see how, like short, it is here and how it just kind of, like obviously she's fake hair, but like the idea is that it kind of just kind of sticks up and just kind of sits like that. And sits away from the face, which is what you want for a 1780's hair., So this is it.. So this is why Loepsie's and Brad Mondo's attempt at trying to understand the instructions for how to fix 18th century hair. It'S according to that book didn't technically work because they didn't have the right haircut.. I personally would love to see. Brad Mondo try this again with actually cutting his mannequin's head according to the instructions, because I would like to see someone who actually knows how to cut hair. Do it instead of me. Battle axing my way through, like I'm trimming, Suba's butt fur.. But this is why we did it on a mannequin. For the full effect hold on. There. We go., Maybe she's, born with it. Maybe it's Joe Dirt. Right on I'll hold your hat for ya. (, whispers ). This is I'm so sorry.. I know you're not real, but I still am sorry that I did that to you. Look. (, laughs ). This is so bad. (, laughs, ). Here'S actually an illustration from the book that I think is supposed to reference. This cutting and frizzing and hairstyling technique. Mullets were crucial in achieving fashionable women's hairstyles and variations were used throughout the rest of the 1780s 90s and actually well into the 1800s.. We can see that the hair parting in all of these portraits show that the front half of the head from the ears forward is traditionally cut short with the back left long.. So it's easier for women to curl the hair into the fashionable styles. The length of the front, half obviously changes depending on what curl length is trending at that particular time.. Eventually, we do see the mullet fade from style at the end of the 1830s into the 1840s.. Actually from ``, The Handbook of the Toilette ,'' 1841.'', Very few female faces will bear curls or ringlets'' ( spits hair out of mouth and laughs )''. Both impart of vulgar appearance and frequently make a gentlewoman appear like a dressed-up servant-maid or a seamstress who hires herself by the day.'' Damn. Someone's a classist bitch. Hmm.'' Curls, however suit some very young, ladies having small, delicate features., The best, the simplest and the most elegant Fashion of dressing, ladies' hair is a parting in the middle of the forehead and reaching to the crown and the hair placed smoothly over each temple. Behind it may be dressed without being tied at all, But if it must be bound, let the ribbon be at some Little distance from the root and not pulled too tightly.'' Hmm. There, you go. Gen Z, will love it., Just kidding Gen Z, you're, fine., (, laughs, ), And while maybe we could get a bit pedantic in the comparison of 1980's mullets, with their heavily layered cuts versus More blunt cut lady mullet of the 18 teens and 30s. When we break down mullets in their truest short in the front and long in the back form. These women are rocking some mullets and they're epic mullets at that Ones. That would actually, I think, make Billy Ray Cyrus. The most jealous. ♪. Don'T tell my heart, my achy breaky heart ♪ ♪. I just don't think he'd understand. ♪ Now one final, historical mullet. Hurrah that actually Carolina Abrosk reminded me of.. A group of us were randomly discussing. Mullets is the late 19 teens early 1920's mullets. See we just assume that, like 1920 hit and women went after their tresses with like a hacksaw. ( hacksaw noises ). But the reality is that quite a few women would actually leave their hair long in the back and then cut the front to kind of look bobish.. So it kind of looks like a bob, but it isn't a bob. You know So it's like yeah, flapper, mullets. Mullets were a thing and they have been a thing for a while for centuries, honestly. And so look. If you want to go get yourself, a mullet, go for it. It'll be cool for at least 10 minutes. You'll have hilarious pictures to show people 10 years from now, when they're no longer considered cool., They are truly a gender neutral haircut. And if you hate it Well, that's what buzz cuts and pixie cuts are for. Okay. Plus, like some people, do actually look amazing and mullets AC Slater being my case and point. ( cheering and applause ). Oh, by the way, I have it on very good authority that you get 100 extra bonus cool life points. If you perm, your mullet, too. Have fun with the mullets guys. Bye. Doot doot doot doot doot doot mullets Woo, woo woo., And even these descriptions can still be satirical and ( struggles to say. Hyperbolic ), Hyperbolic yeah. Can still ( laughs. ) can get that fucking out of my mouth., I'm so sorry guys.. Is there a hair? Oh my god, there is a hair.. You smell like butthole., You do.. Can you go back to laying down Here we go Here. We go Grif.. This one is debatable, but definitely the 19 tweet- ( laughs, ) Miss my sister can't resist a red beans and rice anyways.. Do you guys remember the Herbal Essences commercials from like the nineties? Oh yeah, oh yeah., ( upbeat, outro, music, ),
Comments
Abby Cox: Smelling Fresh & Clean thanks to Native Deodorant! Save 33% on your first Native Deodorant Pack - normally $36, you’ll get it for $24! Click here https://bit.ly/nativeabbycox2 and use my code ABBYCOX2 (don't forget you can also get 20% off body wash & toothpaste with the code!) Y'all. These Danielle "epitaphs" are KILLING me.
bridgetthewench: My younger sister is a bartender, and temporarily gave herself a mullet on accident. She was horrified by all the Gen Z's complimenting it and quickly fixed it. She was born in 93 and is just old enough to remember 90's mullets. She also has amazing 3C hair that most women in the 80's would be super jealous of, so her short-lived mullet was pretty epic by 80's standards.
Linda Fears: Weird mullet fact though, in medieval Ireland after the English invasion a hairstyle which was described in documents as being short in the front and long at the back were banned by English for anglo-irish settlers because it was too celtic and made it hard to distinguish between Irish individuals and English ones , clearly showing that the English found the hairstyle to be pretty stylish, so yea they're a pretty old hairstyle really
Kirsten Paff: Would women in the 18th century ever wear their mullets unstyled (i.e. not frizzed or curled at the front)? Could you imagine the Duchess of Devonshire chilling at home with a full on 80's mullet, because she felt like having a lazy day and couldn't be bothered with having her hair styled?
vals023: I have to say that the modern female mullet or "Shag haircut" looks great in natural curly hair, lot of volume
Bella C: ngl I'm totally pro-mullet. Some people can *really* pull it off, and I feel like it's often a really good option for people who need a hairstyle that frames their face nicely. That being said, I'm not planning on getting one myself anytime soon lmao
R Burns: Poor Danielle, first she's called cheap and then she gets laughed at for having Sonic the Hedgehog's haircut.
WantedVisuals: I spent most of this video looking at the length difference between the front and back of Abby's hair, and wondering when layers or bangs technically evolve into mullets. There has to be a tipping point, no?
A F: The mullets are necessary though! Kids now days seem to skip that really rough awkward phase and go from 10 year old kid straight to gorgeous teen. At least if they have a mullet they'll have something to look back and laugh at!
Annie L: "Wait? It's all mullets?" "Always has been."
Kagey: Picture it... Flash forward a couple hundred years in the future and Abby's future generations are making videos on the historic origins of the 80's mullet. Sparks joy doesn't it?
Ambarking: Honestly, mullets being historical just makes me yearn more strongly for their Power...
Lori Sews Stuff: I remember back in 80's when a stylist, too busy talking on the phone, grabbed a handful of my waist length hair and whacked it off above my ear with one snap of the scissors. I was beyond horrified. I had just wanted the ends trimmed a couple inches. The only way for a second stylist to make it look bearable was to give me a mullet. The front of my hair was 1 inch long and the back came down to my waist. The stylist and I both looked in the mirror and said, "Nope." So I had a mullet that looked like the 18th century ones for a couple minutes. I cried as she cut the rest of my long hair off. Mind you I went from glorious lions mane to nearly no hair in the span of about 30 minutes. I took to wearing a black felt bowler hat to try to hide my head. It took years for my hair to grow back. Sadly, it never got that long again. I have had long hair ever since. Whenever I think I might like to shorten it a bit I remember that mullet. My long hair is staying.
Sarah W: Thus, history taught us that even mullets can look attractive, if dressed properly. Let us all sit down and recover from this shock, and lament that our fellows of the present age do not possess this skill.
Mel Z: in German the mullet is called vokuhila, which is short for vo - vorne (front) ku - kurz (short) hi - hinten (back) la - lang (long) and it has such a bad connotation and is always pronounced with an barely held back gag.
The MetatronGirl: Noooooooo! Not again!! Nearly all of my male friends in high school, including my bestie, had mullets. One dear friend spent hours longer on his hair each day than I did with spiral permed hair to my mid-back…which is saying something. I had no clue mullets had been so popular in the past, though!! This was very informative while being frickin HILARIOUS ! I gigglesnorted SO many times. I also have a dog that is occasionally attacked by Klingons. We have to keep a supply of baby wipes to assist with defense.
Kat Brown: The original mullet comes from the medieval (and earlier tbh) period when warriors would cut their hair shorter in the front to accommodate helms. Trust me, you don’t want hair in your eyes while fighting! But if you’re having trouble with your helm fitting you can always bunch your hair up under it for more padding.
mayalynn: My mother has cut her own hair and worn it in a mullet for basically my whole life, so I'm always a little defensive of the style. Super interesting to see the history of it on both sides of the 1980s.
Mpkw1984: Abby, I highly recommend Janet Stephen’s Channel too , which is entirely dedicated to historical hair reconstruction. She has many videos on Roman hairstyles that relied on shorter hair in the front to create curls, ans demonstrates how adding hairpieces to modern short hairstyles was used to create different lengths too!
Ang Reed: As a wig stylist for a local costume hire company I am indeed pleased with how easy it is to restyle some of our period wigs into shags and mullets and I'm happy others have noticed this
Ashes Negron: My hairdresser said she has never seen anything like this before. Men are coming in droves to get permed mullets. She also said that women are all asking for a shag cut. Like early 80’s Joan Jett and Joey Ramone. I’ll keep my “Rachel” cut thankyouverymuch! Love your channel Abby!
sutarikun: Before there's a million comments: "Loepsie" is pronounced like "loopsy" (or like "Lucy" with a p stuck in the middle). For the next time you reference her :)
Seán: I would like to point out that princess peach has a mullet. Thank you
Ragnhild: In Norwegian, the mullet (the 1980s version) is known as a “hockeysveis”, where the last part basically means “hairdo”.
Gabriel Hanssens: if i didn't care about my hair so much i would have probably cut myself a historical mullet just because i've been so curious to see how those hairstyles looked unstyled
E Kawarimono: That time as a kid when you cut your dolls hair and then realized it wouldn't grow back.
quadrlmuff: the only conclusion I can draw from this is that period films have deprived us of hair-cutting scenes and I, for one, should love to see this most grave oversight be rectified posthaste!
Maja!: In Danish we call it "svenskergarn" which means "Swedish yarn" ("garn" is slang for hair) or "Bundesligahår" which means "Bundesliga hair" (Bundesliga is the German football championship), so we definitely blamed our closest neighbours on its popularity.
StormKat: I buzzed my head last May, and it’s now just over a year grown out (zero touch ups). I was shocked to get a ton of compliments at work a few months ago and had to look up why… apparently it accidentally grew out into a fashionable mullet/wolf cut ♀️ Now I’m just embracing it.
ELISABETH M: Well, I never meant to end up with a mullet, but about 2.5 years ago I went for a quarter inch buzz all over my head…I haven’t trimmed it since, except once for my bangs. It was a surprise how the hair in back grew out much faster than that at the front and crown - Who knew the mullet is the MOST NATURAL form of hair growth?
Sandra Saunders: It's funny, I'd never heard the term "mullet" back in the 80s. It wasn't until years later that the term made it to my ears. At the time my friends and I just called it, "that stupid haircut". LOL
The Random Bookdragon: I remember hearing the stories of my mother, former professional hair stylist, cutting my dad's hair in a mullet and then perming it. It was the 80s and he was in a rock band.
Ann Brookens: I love the dress you're wearing for the mullet-cutting portion of this video! My daughter recently shaved her hair above her ears in roughly a 3x4 inch swatch. Her surrounding hair is only 2 or 3 inches long. She keeps saying "I have a mullet!" (...which I secretly thought, when she came out of the bathroom, but never said.)
Yuna_nanda: Wait… so mullets are just hair that is shorter at the front and long at the back? … Does this mean that the Japanese Hime cut its a type of mullet?
furchtbarer mann: the mullet has been back for like YEARS tho. all my alternative friends have already cut off their mullet bc it became too popular lol
Christine G: OH MY GOD, Flavian women had mullets!! The mullet goes back to Ancient Rome at least. *whimper* Though I never would have dreamed of applying that name, that's the best way to get those towering curls up front, bigger than any '80s bangs.
Kamila Ferens: Danielle's "completely de*d inside and done with your sh$t" blank stare was the absolute icing on the cake when you were chopping her hair off X'DDDD also as the fellow "deep in her 30s" miserable piece of existence, I completely understand your feelings about mullet comeback
Ragnhild: I’d love to see what Snappy Dragon would make of these cutting instructions. After all, she _is_ a professional.
charischannah: Anyone remember the reverse mullets of the early 2000s? Long bangs in front, short and spiked in back?
Scarlett Dearheart: As a hairstylist I have to say 2 things: 1. Some of the haircut images you used as examples were more liken to the Shag and not the Mullet. 2. I believe your mannequin head was probably synthetic hair and nothing you did was going to help that cut work for the style you were going for.
Peggy Riordan: Having been a hairdresser in a previous life, this was so comical to me. I laughed so hard at all of the descriptions of the mullet hairstyle and admired your brave, gallant attempt to create one on the mannequin head just made my day!! The mullet graduated into becoming what was called the 'Grecian Goddess' hairstyle which was the precursor to the iconic Farah Fawcett hairstyle the 70s that has carried over to today. The mannequin you have is very similar to the one that we all have used in learning how to cut and style hair. They all start out with long hair and by the time we graduated it was much, much shorter as we learned all of the basics of cutting all of the hairstyles of the day and those to come on that one head. All hairstyles emanate from one basic cutting style and if a student aces that, they can cut any style a patron might want. I have cut my hair for years and I've cut my husband's hair since we met. He was very nervous to say the least!! I really enjoyed this video and kudos to you for trying out these instructions. You did really well for never having done this before. Thank you so much!
werelemur1138: I was in the Navy in the early 90s and the "femullet" was really popular with my shipmates. You could have the ease of styling of short hair, and then pin the long hair in the back up so that you had a regulation hairstyle.
Beagle is Sleeping: Abby: it's back! Me here in southern Ohio: was it ever gone?
Tina Yoga: I had heard that you can stop hiccups by shocking the person with them. About 20 years ago I came into work and our receptionist had the hiccups. I decided to try and stop them for her. I took out my wallet and I placed a $100 bill on the counter. I told her that if she could hiccup one more time then the $100 is hers. She was shocked by what I did/said, and the hiccups stopped right then. I was later asked what I would have done if she still had the hiccups. I said I would have given her the $100. I don't make false offers. I wasn't sure it would work. I took the risk. It was an experiment, I wanted to know if it could work.
antoinette guy vare: Actually, there is an adorable girl who works at the whole foods I shop at and she has a RAT TAIL! LOL I was in awe of her bravery. She is adorable but it honestly has taken me a few weeks to get used to it
T Lac: In Germany we call the mullet: Vokuhila. Short form for "Vorne kurz, hinten lang" meaning "Front short, back long". I don't like this cut and I never had it, even in the 80ies as a male. But the german word for it is funny.
Ronin Elenion: I've had two pixie cuts in my life, and every time I grew them out, I would develop mullet about six months down the line. I tried to disguise it with hats and the best tiny ponytail I could manage, but I was never completely successful. Mullets are why I just ask for the shortest bob the stylist can manage now.
ForeverWander03: I’m so happy to have found your channel! I have a history degree and love fashion (though like many I’m in loungewear a lot these days). Such great content! ! Btw—I thought you were in your mid 20s—so fun that we’re close in age and have similar culture touch points! ☺️
M. MacLellan: F.Y.I. a great way to make Sooby's (forgive spelling) butt trim look less chopped is to use "thinning shears". They are kind of a "gap tooth" scissor. They do a very nice job of blending the cuts (you DO need to angle them different ways - i.e. cut in different directions, to achieve the effect of trimmed without 'lines' of obvious cuts !) Might be able to find a video on YouTube?! My sister's a dog groomer and I had a Aussie, so I know the butt fur trim tricks !
Astro Gallus: Great vid! Many of the images from paintings of Elizabeth Tudor suggest some of her wigs would have been in the mullet cut style. The Roman Flavian hairstyles of women, that Elizabeth Tudor's iconic hairstyles (wigs) were based on, is also a mullet cut to achieve the tall, pompadour front and the long, braided orbus bun in back. Many ancient Greek hairdos, for men and women, seem to be based on the mullet cut. I bet if we could go back in time, we would find cave mullets! :-)
Alexandra C: I'm sharing this with my friends in a specific contingent of the punk community, for they have dutifully loved homemade mullets for ages.
Ka0s Kitt: At the age of 45, I can now admit that I rocked my 'lady mullet' as the stylist called it. Also, I had a rat tail when I was questioning my gender at about... 12. XD I ALSO DON'T WANT THEM COMING BACK. THE RAT TAIL WAS *urp* AWFUL, AND STILL IS.
Elora Hildebrand: Given the fact that curling irons of the day were literal *rods of iron heated in the fire* and accidents were not infrequent, I think that's probably part of the reason. "Mama, Lizzie has burnt off some of her front hair with the curling tongs!"
Mercy Monroe 💄💋: OMG, you just said “Elder Millennial”! I use that phrase all the time - it’s better than the other name for our generational subgroup, “X-ennials”. Are you a fan of Iliza’s too? EDIT: I caught the “Snooch!” Theme Song you sang at the end - we are kindred Iliza fans for sure!!!
Jeanne Helfrich: I was really into 1940's styles there for a while and you need a "middy cut" and pin curls to achieve those styles. It's totally a mullet. But, a very precise cut.
voxangelaemortis: I am not saying that I watch your videos for the outtakes at the end, but they are always a fun little cherry on top of the info-tainment.
Nicola Kunz: Video from You, Constance And Nicole all on one day!! My mom cut my older sister's hair into a mullet in the 90s when she was trying to do layers, it was hilarious, the was Much Denial.
kisn pisn: i just trimmed my bangs into a mini-mullet an hour ago edit to my defense: i got wild hip-long hair that looks disastrous without a little trim at the edges
Kaalo Lovett: My mother gave me a mullet when I was 6 or so. My father thankfully turned her right around and sent me back to the hairdresser to cut my hair again. #thanksDad
Mary Ellen Putnam-Reinhardt: I actually loved my old “shag” hair back in the day…lol.
Nidomhnail: Both Danielle and I wear our hair baby fine and long. This is the reason why I passed through the '80s and beyond without a mullet. Sadly, Danielle, being cheap, succumb to the scissors. Stay safe in the triple-digit heat.
Ashlee Baker: I regret to inform you I'm having my mullet touched up in a week. Embrace it. It's been updated and it's a great cut that flatters a lot of face shapes
New life: I had a super cute mullet for years. And everyone LOVED it! I have long hair now with fringe & it took about 3 yrs to grow out my mullet to long even hair.
My Merry Messy Life: I just love the way you edit and do your videos! You are always entertaining and have a great sense of humor. And then the sound effects, music and images you add really make it even funnier. This one was hysterical! I was laughing right along with you. Also a topic I never knew I wanted to know about am now happy I do.
Jennie Eveleigh Lamond: My brother was a rattailian child back in the 80's. I love my brother, but man, that hair was horrendous. As someone who clearly remembers the 80's I am sincerely hoping that rat tails will remain buried in history. Hiccup cure: let all the air out of your lungs through pursed lips. Hold your breath with the air out of your lungs past one hiccup (two if you can), then slowly breath in through your nose until your lungs are full. Breathe slowly for two breaths.
nartyteek: You can buy mullet wigs at the halloween pop-up stores! So I'm now realizing that might be a good way to do 18th century looks on a budget, because, oh god, don't trust me with hair scissors!
Suzalinn: So Jared in the Labyrinth is history-bounding the 1780s via hair?
Hannah B: I'm with you I will CRY if rat tails come back. Just no. Please.
Nikki Oliver: I got my first mullet a month ago and I LOVE IT!!! It’s pink and orange and looks super cute in tiny pig tails in the back. P.s I’m 41 and embracing my new lady mullet.
Jennifer Absher: So, about 8 years back or so I had my hairdresser do a 1940s middy cut ...a shorter layers in the front with long u cut back length. Yeah it was basically a cut that lent itself to 18th century styling; which I wore completely out of context just for fun.
Giggle PantsIII: I went to high school with someone who was very proud of his mullet. He only cut it short into a 'classic taper' when he got a job and the dress code didn't allow for it. Edit: this was way after mullets fell out of fashion. He was the only person in school to have one
Maddiecaffeinated: When I was styling the wig for my Jareth cosplay, I showed a pic of him to my mom who's never seen the movie (she was too busy studying and somehow missed a whole era of movies), she took one look and went "oh yeah, that was just how guys hair looked then" and I just can't stop thinking about that now. And I'm absolutely planning on getting the "wolf cut", not because of Jareth or any modern looks, but so I can have that Lady Oscar/Rose of Versailles aesthetic!
MarvelousSandstone: My partner has let his hair grow for a few years now, it's wavyand curly and when stretched goes past his shoulder blades. He has said a few times that if or when he cuts it shorter he first wants a mullet for a while. Thought I would hate it or would be against it but jokes on him with his hair type it would probably look amazing and I'm always pro self expression and even if I hated it it's his head not mine so I don't get a say.
KRN 26: Thanks Abby! I had managed to block the rat tail out of my circa '82 brain until you brought it up again. I gagged the same time you did! Some trends should never return!
mobiushireen: I’d love to see Abby try to style the mannequin head into an 18th century style now.
Lauren Schiller: I've been growing out a buzz cut and it's currently rocking a 90s fashion icon mullet thing and it is weirding me out. (Currently going between the thoughts of "if I cut it, I can make it all the same length and maybe rock a 1920s bob instead" and "but if I cut it, I won't be able to put *any* of up for another six months")
Rai: I cut myself some curtain bangs some months ago and honestly... It looks like a mullet /wolf cut thing without the back layers and I love how my face looks its even more noticeable because I'm a rapunzel in the back!
bunnymoon vii: Danielle's transformation into a Kingdom Hearts villain...
Marcelino Daggatt: Of course the second I grow out my lime green frosted tips mullet, mullets come back in style...
killedbyrabbits: In 2014-2016 I had something similar to the flapper mullet. I moved at the end of 2015 and haven't gotten my hair cut since. I watched The Lost Boys again the other day and I kind of want my mullet back. (At the time I thought of it more as a rat tail but the long part was thicker so I was calling it a wolf tail).
Kendall Jennings: Hey, I love your subject matter, but I especially appreciate how you don’t take yourself too seriously, how you let yourself have fun, how you’re playing your thoughts out on camera, how you present yourself naturally, not feeling the need to present yourself as Instagram perfect. Since you brought up your elder millennial status, as a 32 year old middle of the pack millennial, I appreciate that. I can rely on you and Lindsay Ellis for that real honest energy.
J: Awesome! I'm not doing it. But I do wonder if it would look better with naturally curly or textured hair instead of the super straight wig hair. Because the best mullets were the volumized ones. For anyone interested in a more recent history of the mullet Decoder Ring did a great episode on that too: https://slate.com/podcasts/decoder-ring/2020/08/the-history-of-the-mullet
aksdjkdksja: FOR THE HICCUPS: deep breath out, inhale as much as you can, hold it, then drink large gulps of water (while still holding your breath and tightening your stomach muscles). It works because it pushes the diaphragm back where it's supposed to be!
Laura Otermat: I've cut one persons' hair in my life. After a year of cutting my 4 year old's hair so it would stay out of his eyes and ears, he definitely had a mullet. I put him in a suit for Picture Day and we'll treasure the photos for the Pandemic memories that they are.
Karma: I got one of those "anime haircuts" that you know, looks like the medium length haircuts the guys wear in anime but still stuck out from their heads. but still had my full length in the back which I kept in a pony tale all the time. I didn't know it back then but that was considered a mullet XD Thing was I totally pulled it off. I wanted it bc I still wasn't sure if I wanted to cut all my hair off at that point, but hated how the weight of my hair always pulled on the top of my head and at the front of my hair line. This style cut the weight of my hair in half and only pulled down where the hair normally pulled down even when worn down. It also kept the hair from getting in my face when doing anything even when my hair wasn't pulled back or up, which I loved! I did eventually cut my hair short, but it took me a while to commit to what I really always wanted for my hair style (pixie cut). My hair is abnormally thick and dense, even for the Nordic ( _and Celtic_ ) heritage I have on my dad's side. But it really did help me back then, if I had been more honest with my likes, I would have cut the back part off to be as short as the front, back then instead of just recently. I hate high maintenance hair and my hair being as thick and stuff as it is, I never needed products to keep my hair "up" with that cut even though it was a few inches long in the front. It's basically horse hair XD
Mike Carson: Love it! Another great video that is well researched and presented in a fun and informative way. One request: Could you provide voice over for the portions of your videos which are text on screen, like the one that talks about craping the hair? For viewers who are visually impaired these portions that are text only are not accessible to them as they cannot see the text to read it, so the important contextual information conveyed is lost. This is also helpful to sighted viewers who may be doing other activities - like sewing - while watching/listening to your videos. Having an audio narration enables them to continue following along while working without interruption. Thanks!
sanityisrelative: So apparently I was accidentally historically accurate when I gave myself "bangs" that was basically just a gentle mullet when my hair was getting too long to hold a curl well in the vaguely 1920's style I prefer. Then summer happened and I hacked the back to match the front and my hair his at chin length now.
historical.isolde: As an Aussie, we take our mullets seriously. I have been seeing mullets (and more than a few rat tails!) on my students for the last four year! You don't know a good rats tail or mullet until you see them on half a dozen six-year-olds, all in the same class!
Anna C. Meyer: Canadian 80s teen here - we called it "hockey hair"
AM B: I'm only 3 mins in and I'm already DYING. Your video essays are always so informative and so freaking funny! I'm an GenX/X-ennial, btw.
Dylan: I've had a joan jett mullet on and off for years- they look better with bangs imo- it's pretty grown out at the moment, but since getting into historic fashion I thought my hair would look so anachronistic with 18th century garb, until I noticed this too...maybe they didn't have undercuts but close enough! I'm a younger millenial so maybe I don't have that baggage that those who were senintent in the 90s do, but I think they're cool, maybe its because I'm a big fan of early 70s glam. And don't despair Danielle, you can join a hair metal band with that look!
Michelle Wu: I've had a mullet since March and yesterday I got it cut into an even more mullety mullet. Tbh, I really like it (still not used to the new one, but it's cool)
Adela Aîre: Wait,so your telling me that ,in the varying lengths that I've cut bangs ,I accidentally created a historic mullet?!?!!! Cause ,due my stiff and semi-cury hair ,Danielle cut is what i look like when I wake up in the morning!! Now I don't whether to fell attacked or complimented;Thanks Abby!!
Megan Schoettler: This is great! Also, it was really nice to randomly meet you at the airport, Abby! I hope you're having a good vacation!
David Blum: I see the word mullet and I’m thinking this can’t be an Abby video. How wrong can I be? I guess there are worse hair fashions that could return. I appreciate how close the costuming community is when you reference each other.
Jojo M: Just loving your channel, you crack me up! Having been a stylist for 40 years….. Starting to work in the early 80’s, I LOVE mullets. My kids are mid 20’s, I’ve been telling them for years…. When mullets come back, I’m your stylist. Perming mullets, suck, going from super short to long. I’m old now, and will never do another perm…. Everything in style does always come back around. More like a spiral. Every new generation thinks it’s so cool. Apparently stir-up pants are making a comeback…. My motto, if I wore it the first time, I’m too old to wear it again!
Argus Fleibeit: Shags were always great. It was when the top turned into a super short men's haircut with long in the back that it turned into a mullet. My hair is all bangs and short on the sides, with the back long, in a braid over my shoulder. I have the best of long and short hair, and can cut it all myself. I've had it that way for a very long time. Most people look better with some kind of hair around their face.
Allis_O: Flapper mullet does sound like the fanciest of mullets, and the few times I've seen them they've looked amazing on naturally curly hair.
Cute Dark Arts: I, sitting watching this, have had multiple different mullets at different styles and lengths and am currently growing one back out, and was kinda laughing at Abby’s disgust at the mullet. Mullets do look good. The problem with mullets in the near past is that they weren’t maintained nicely and were very poorly cut lol.
seir323: Suddenly, the crazy mullet Amadeus wears in the movie of the same name makes so much sense. XD I remember reading somewhere that they styled him to look a bit like a modern (80s) rock star, and it's amaaazing that the cut's probably close to historically accurate, just done up with pink and hair spray! Also, when you cut the weird graduated reverse-bangs but the hair was still long, totally reminded me of a cosplay wig for like, a Final Fantasy character or the like hahaha