THE MULLET

Writer: Melanie Kramers

Before I came to Buenos Aires, the good looks and canny fashion sense of the locals were repeatedly impressed upon me. When I stepped off the plane, however, it wasn’t the dapper dressing or the beautiful faces that most struck me, but the hair. Hardcore eighties fans will be happy to hear that the mullet did not die; it’s alive and omnipresent in Argentina. In fact, it’s so common here that they don’t even have a proper word for it-just your regular cut.

It’s only foreigners who view the mullet as a fashion disaster; for Argentines it’s a perfectly acceptable style. The mullet transcends class and age; you see trendy young things sporting highlighted takes on it, creatively shaped around the face and gently brushing the shoulders at the back, as well as the classic bus driver look, achieving maximum contrast between the short, conservative trim up front and the long, greasy rocker coiffure behind. Many girls also proudly model a female version, which makes going to the hairdresser’s a terrifying experience.

FASHION DISASTER OR PRACTICAL SOLUTION

A British friend who’s taken immersion a step too far confided the mullet’s appeal. Apparently it’s the ideal style, having it short at the front prevents the hair from hanging annoyingly in your face, but leaving a lengthy mop at the back keeps the sensitive nape warm and is nice to run your fingers through. I remain unconvinced; for me, mullets are not a good look in any language.

Even worse are rat’s tails-long, solitary strands hanging from an otherwise shaven head. These are the result of years of careful growth and cannot be explained away as bad hair days. And just when you think you’ve seen everything, along comes a guy with one lone dreadlock protruding from the side of his skull like some kind of hirsute antenna. Whatever happened to “short back and sides”?

IMAGE
by John Green