“…the mullet is as American as pick-ups with rifle racks, tractor

pulls, Wal-Mart, wet T-shirt contests, slapping your girl upside

the head with a frying pan and living in the woods.”

-Beastie Boys

      The term mullet is fast becoming a world-renowned slang term.  It is one of those versatile terms that can define anything from a specific species of fish to the haircut that holds a nation captive.  In this paper we will be discussing its origins and use as a slang term.

       The term mullet, according to the Old English Dictionary (OED), was first used in 1398 and described a certain species of fish.  In 1599 Cynthia’s Revolution Volume IV used the term mullet as “small pinchers for curling the hair.”  (www.dictionary.com)  However, this is not the definition from which we derived mullet as slang.  Mullet-head is defined as fish having a large flat head or a fool.  The term mullet-head was fist used in 1866 in an edition of Harpers magazine.

       According to The Mullet:  Hairstyle of the Gods the term mullet in slang refers to haircuts that are “sort at the front and long in the back”.  (Larson and Hoskyns 13)  Mullet itself has slang terms such as the Kentucky waterfall, the camero cut, the beaver paddle, the ape drape and the neck warmer just to name a few.  To me, all of these things describe a mullet.

       My usage of the term mullet is restricted only to the slang version.  For instance when I am out in public and happen to spot a person with this specific hairstyle it is not uncommon for me to refer to them as having a mullet.  Those humans who do so chose to sport the mullet do more so in rural communities.  Call it what you will, but it is a ‘bulls eye’ for identifying a ‘hick’ or country bumpkin.  Much of the entire rural community is also up to the times and recognizes ‘mullet’ not just as the fish they love to hunt and devour, but also as a type of haircut.

      Mullet should defiantly be admitted into standard American English as a hairstyle description due to the fact that it is fast becoming a world recognized slang term.  There are countless web sites, magazine articles and even a book all entirely devoted to the legacy of the world’s most popular hairdo.  With such a recognizable label it most certainly be recognized by its peers.

      The mullet of today’s society can mean many things, but to those who truly love America for what it is and the people that represent it the term mullet will forever be synonymous with a simple hairdo.