The Mullet

Viewed everywhere from Wisconsin- where it’s the “Wisconsin waterfall”- to New England- the “neck warmer”- the mullet was a popular hairstyle in the 20th century.  While many different types of haircuts came and went during this period- the mohawk, the bowl cut, the rat tail, or the flat top- the mullet holds a special place amongst these for being present at the highest number of marriages involving first cousins.

The first mullet was sported by Alexander the Great. As he came to spread his dominion throughout the world, he also took his new haircut with him. Inspiring the downtrodden, and giving them a new hairstyle at the same time, Alexander ran rampant across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

It is important to know why Alexander went around conquering with a mullet. 

As with many other trends, this one began because of a bet. In fact, Alexander lost a bet with his boy. As such, this friend got to cut Alexander’s hair however he wanted. He thought it would be funny for Alexander to go around looking like his nickname, which was the “Macedonian Mongrel,” so he shaved the sides of Alexander’s head. Alexander also thought it was funny, so he let his hair grow. Eventually “mongrel” got translated from Macedonian to English- which is how it came to be known as the mullet.