Mullet Warriors

Spanish+Teacher+Scott+Sigel+poses+for+a+photo.+Business+in+the+front+party+in+the+back

Tony Booth

Spanish Teacher Scott Sigel poses for a photo. Business in the front party in the back

Tony Booth, Staff Writer

While the hairstyle we know as the mullet became popularized by the Beastie Boys and Billy Ray Cyrus, it has been around for centuries. Many people think that it was just for the rock rebels but, according to History.com, in the late 6th century B.C. they used the mullet to protect the nape of their necks from the sun and to keep it warm.

Their helmets were also a lot easier to put on with the top of the head short and the back very long. The mullet was very hard to grab during battle and when they were doing sports like chariot racing.

The modern mullet was popularized by people and movies like Billy Ray Cyrus in his song “Achy Breaky Heart “, or the Beastie Boys. Becoming popular in 1992 then after Billy Ray Cyrus’s song “Achy Breaky Heart ‘’, dipping down in popularity, then becoming popular in 2020 and slowly still gaining popularity.

More and more students at NPHS are getting mullets and I think that the trend looks good. “Business in the front; party in the back,” the term that was used as a slogan for the mullet. 

Many NPHS students have had the mullet for most of the 2020-2021 school year. Spanish teacher Scott Sigel has been growing his mullet since quarantine started. “I couldn’t get it cut during quarantine so I let it grow”. 

Sophomore Rydon Lampe had a mullet but shaved it off at the end of the first semester. He thinks that people on the fence and unsure due to people not liking it should get it. 

Sigel says that he got the idea from many people in central Nebraska having the haircut. He says that his mullet is here to stay and not planning to go anywhere. After moving from North Dakota, Sigel wanted to look more central Nebraskan and get the haircut. He says that a lot of people in Montana have the haircut “because they have taste.”

According to Google Trends, the mullet was popular again in April 2004, then in Feb. 20, 2021 peaking. Many actors through the years have donned the haircut, like Sylvester Stalone, David Spade and Brad Pitt. 

Sophomore Garrett Horne poses with his mullet in the hall. (Tony Booth)

Many people think that the mullet is unprofessional due to it being associated with the punk and rock culture, and it can be a very long haircut. It’s a formal haircut in the front, usually never getting past two to three inches.

I think that the mullet gets a bad wrap because it isn’t a bad haircut. I’ve always thought mullets were cool since I was a kid because movie characters like “Joe Dirt” and “Rambo” had them. Rock and roll bands and singers had them like The Beastie Boys.

Kurt Russell, an actor and a musician, sings rock and roll and has had the mullet for most of his career. He’s played in movies like Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 2, Fate of Furious and Christmas Chronicles.

It is likely the mullet is going to die in popularity after reaching its peak in popularity, then in a few years come back better than ever. Many people have said that they wish the haircut stayed in the 80s.

Spanish teacher Scott Sigel has been growing his mullet since the pandemic shutdown. (Tony Booth)