# Origin of the term "mullet."

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-mullet/193968>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 9, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-mullet/193968 "2003-08-09T02:54:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-mullet/193968/1 "2003-08-09T02:54:18Z")

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The hairstyle has been around for awhile, but the term “mullet” is comparatively much more recent than the cut. I only heard it maybe three years ago. I don’t have a cite for this, but I read somewhere, I think in the style section of the Houston Chronicle, that the term can be traced to a Beastie Boys song. I can certainly believe that they were ahead of the curve in hairstyle slang, but I am witholding my belief that this origin is accurate.

I did a [SDMB search (titles only)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php?action=showresults&searchid=803493&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending%5B/url) to see if it had been asked before. I read some comments about a movie, “American Mullet,” which may have some clues.

Anyone know the Straight Dope on the term “mullet?”

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-mullet/193968/2 "2003-08-09T02:59:40Z")

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[The Mullet](http://www.word-detective.com/052301.html#mullet)

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**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-term-mullet/193968/3 "2003-08-09T05:57:58Z")

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I agree that the word “mullet,” or at least the fascination with the term, is relatively new. I would say two or three years ago there was a kind of mullet explosion where the term really found a spot in popular culture and the style was made fun of more than ever. About the same time on an episode of _Jackass_ the guys were describing a hair cut; short on top, long on back, and the barber replied, “You want a standard mullet.”