Pennsylvania contest celebrates the much-maligned but enduring mullet
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A competition celebrating the much-maligned but enduring mullet hairstyle will begin Monday at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.
The short front and long back hairstyle, once reserved for Canadian hockey players and hair metal bands, was expected to attract dozens of competitors for the “mane” attraction of the day. Categories included Children Under 5, Retro Mules and Patriotic Flow of Freedom Award.
Ben Barley, 7, of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, arrived at the event with his parents two hours before the event, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with his name and the words “MULLET LIFE 6-7,” a nod to both his hairstyle and the incredibly popular youth slogan. He said he had been working on his mule for two years.
Although mullets have probably been around longer than barbers, the Oxford English Dictionary cites hip hop legends the Beastie Boys for helping popularize the term mullet with the song “Mullet Head” on their 1994 recording, “Ill Communication.” As the venerable dictionary notes, it is a slang, humorous “and often derogatory” term.
The competition, now in its third year, is one of the few open to people living outside of Pennsylvania.
