The Morph of the Mullet

Have you ever contemplated the morph of the mullet? Some people claim this hairstyle was created by the caveman, and you might take them seriously if you rely on cartoons of long-haried Neanderthals in crude loincloths. Actually, the first mullet on record came from Egypt; it was a wig made of black wool or flax reserved for the elite.

Birth at Bowie

The mullet truly came into its heyday along with rock 'n' roll. The androgynous star David Bowie wore a mullet that was short and spiky, with close-cropped sides and long wisps trailing down the neck. This hairstyle, suggested by his wife as a combination of styles she saw in three photos from different magazines, was the birth of the rock mullet as we know it.

Mullet hits mainstream

The mullet exploded in popularity in the 1980's, becoming popular in the rock, sports, fashion and porn worlds, not to mention a thousand high school hallways. Many rock bands wore mullets, but perhaps the best known was Klaus Mein of Germany. In this era of "big hair," stars like Hall and Oates, the Cars, Michael Bolton and Bono all sported the brilliant mullet.

Schlong holds strong

By the 1990s, mullets were passe in the rock world, but they held on in country music. Billy Ray Cyrus, Travis Tritt and Tracy Lawrence wore mullets that were clearly visible under their cowboy hats. Other celebrities kept on sporting mullets as well; Zachary Ty Bryan, who starred on "Home Improvement," was known as Kid Mullet.

Loyal to the locks

In the new millennium, there seems to be no generally-accepted rules for personal style; haircuts are more diverse than ever. But there are still some die-hards who will likely stick with their mullets forever.