Mullets Are Back & They’re Cooler Than Ever: We Spoke to Two Guys Rocking the Look Today
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We never thought the day would come, but it has. Everyone and their mother is rocking a mullet in 2022.
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You know what mullets are — business in the front, party in the back. There are quite a few buzzed mullet styles people can dawn nowadays, but specifically, mullets need to have a short-ish top and long, squirrelly bottom toward the neck to be deemed a “mullet.” It’s a look that borders… well… trailer trash — but one that now is taken relatively seriously amongst young professional city-dwellers, fraternity-immersed college students and punk artist types.
Though they’ve been a Brooklyn staple for a little bit now, they became more popular more recently when celebrities such as Miley Cyrus (who clearly took notes from her father), Rihanna, Troye Sivan and of course, Dacre Montgomery, aka Billy from Stranger Things got into the trend.
But why now? The mullet trend faded decades ago, so why does it seem everyone has a mullet?
Well, it’s mainly because history repeats itself. That and a heightened urgency just about every person on Earth feels to try something new. You know, that classic notion of, “So, I did a thing.” We all want to do a thing from time to time.
Just after moving across the country from the East Coast, Giuseppe Inglima found his style evolving through his sense of fashion. He’s had relatively long, very curly hair throughout his adult years but found himself itching for something different to help him start fresh. “I was trying new things, and I felt like I wanted to rebrand myself but still keep my favorite quality still there,” he tells us. “I wanted to keep my hair but make it a little edgier. Something gender-bendy but toward the more masculine side of things. For some reason, a mullet was the only style I thought of trying, and it took me a while to commit to it. Once I did, I became obsessed.”
Given Inglima’s desire to keep most of his hair, he went with a shaved-on-both-sides look and kept the volume throughout the top and backside of his head. That is nowhere near the only way you can style a mullet. Some choose a more drastic route.
As creative director and brand owner of Kone Ranger in Chicago, Konrad Eiring took his mullet to the next level. Instead of having a wavy top, Eiring goes for a fully-buzzed look while only keeping length in the back. “I chopped everything until I had a mullet. From a buzz to a b-ullet (baby mullet) to a full-grown mullet,” Eiring tells us.
What’s interesting about these two trendsetters is that both claim they were in no way hopping on a current trend. Instead, both men looked to ’80s fashion for the courage for their chops.
“I’m against trends; I’ve been rocking this puppy since college,” the 25-year-old Eiring tells us. “I wanted to look like an ’80s bad boy transplanted into 2022.”
And while Inglima is always getting, “You look like Billy from Stranger Things!” that was in no way his intention. “I see the resemblance, but I did my chop before that new season had come out, so it was really just coincidental,” he explains. “I was just inspired by the polarizing view of the style ever since its peak in the 70s and 80s, you either love it or you hate it.”
When it comes to wearing the perfect mullet, both boys agree on the defining factor of mullet perfection: time. You just “gotta let that baby grow,” Eiring says.
Of course, folks with different hair types will also have to work around their perfect mullet. Because Inglima has very curly hair and Eiring’s hair is on the straighter side, the look of their mullets is extremely different — even if they were to have the same cut. If you cut your hair to fit the style, it might look nothing like the boys’ above.
But if you have curly hair like Inglima, he’s got a few tips that might become your saving grace. He prefers using Kevin Murphy’s Killer Curls Cream to get his curls looking the way they do. In addition, he does something on the controversial side of life that many of you might not agree with. “I stopped washing my hair completely at the beginning of this past summer,” Inglima admits. “Now, I just brush my hair out more in the shower to redistribute the oils in my hair, and it makes my hair easier to style. Plus, my hair no longer gets frizzy.”
Kevin Murphy’s Killer Curls Cream
While we don’t recommend you ditch the best shampoos (especially those of you using dandruff shampoos), this could potentially create the best-looking mullet you can ever rock on your head. Who knows?
If you’ve ever had any desire to mullet it up, we suggest you take advantage of the fact you have hair on your head and chop, chop, chop. Hair always grows back, and there are many cuts you can create after a potentially botched mullet.
We suggest making an appointment at a local spot specializing in this hairstyle. Check out local barber shops and salons on Instagram and see if any of their stylists have previously pulled off a proper mullet. This will help ease your mind when throwing yourself at a brand-new cut.
But if you’re looking to have your 2007 Britney moment and shave your head in the comfort of your bathroom, snag a pair of buzzers and go to town. All you have to do is buzz each side as dramatically as you’d like, and bam, mullet. This buzzer from Wahl will help you get it done. Good luck.
Wahl Clipper Corp Pro
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