Reflections on the mullet
Posted by HappyPuppy on November 26, 2002 at 22:37:28: Previous Next
Why do mullets have such a terrible reputation? Here's what I'm thinking.
A lot of the beliefs about mullets are based on conformity. People are afraid of being looked at as the outsiders. This has caught on to such a degree as to nearly be classified as mass hysteria. The mullet only gets a bad rap, 'cause there are very few people it actually looks good on. (Hear me out) I didn't think it was possible either, but tonight at work, this guy came in with a mullet, and it actually looked pretty good on him. The sides were buzzed, and the top was about 1/2 inch spiked. The back was about to his shoulders. I'm sure most everyone else was laughing to themselves, but I thought that it was pretty cool.
I think it works the same way as people saying that they don't care about their clothes being stylish or trendy, as long as they're comfortable. To me, mullets have the same qualities. They might not be the greatest looking hairstyles, but you get to have the long hair without it getting in your eyes and stuff like that.
I just realized how stupid and pointless this was. Thanks for your time anyway.
If you're bored, and you wanna help me out, reply to my post from the 24th. It's "Frizz Problem". Thanks.
Re: Reflections on the mullet
Posted by Aaron on November 26, 2002 at 22:43:23: Previous Next
In Reply to: Reflections on the mullet posted by HappyPuppy on November 26, 2002 at 22:37:28:
I see mullets as kind of cheating yourself. I'm looking forward to my hair getting my face until I can tuck it neatly behind my ears and then be able to tail it... Mullets just look odd, but to each his own!
My opinions only, by the way. :)
Re: Reflections on the mullet
Posted by Tren on November 26, 2002 at 23:33:59: Previous Next
In Reply to: Re: Reflections on the mullet posted by Aaron on November 26, 2002 at 22:43:23:
I think its viewed as a '80's thing' and we(kids:-p) know that the 80's were a bad time of bad music, and bad haircuts. so thats a younger(17) person's view on it.
Re: Reflections on the mullet
Posted by SPEEDRACER on November 27, 2002 at 00:04:01: Previous Next
In Reply to: Re: Reflections on the mullet posted by Tren on November 26, 2002 at 23:33:59:
: I think its viewed as a '80's thing' and we(kids:-p) know that the 80's were a bad time of bad music, and bad haircuts. so thats a younger(17) person's view on it.
Hold on just a second...I am indeed a child of the 80's (graduated high school in 1986 & graduated college in 1991). I started growing my hair out in 1984/1985...I had a "mullet type" style for the longest time...you know, "business in the front and party in the back" (ha, ha, ha) And yes, I have had long hair for almost 20 years now...obviously some years longer than other years...but it has "always" been passed my shoulders. I remember my days of keeping the top just long enough to spike it all out and then having the back a loose ratty style...girls used to really dig it back then. At the present time I am in the process of letting it finally get to be all one length...the back is half way down my back, the sides are about an inch past my ears, and the top is a shade bit past my eyes. I am getting it cut on a regular basis for shaping purposes only. I usually just pull as much of it as I can (the sides) into a tail with the back and the top just has to fight for itself at this stage of the game. It's a slow go, but it's getting there.
As for the music of the 80's - how can you tell me that's bad music? Sure it was a little bit of metal and a lot of glam-metal, but I beg you to find a band out today that has a guitar solo in the song...that's right - there isn't any! (at least not a guitar solo like Cinderella, DIO, Dokken, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Motley Crue, Ozzy, Poison, Queensryche, Ratt, Scorpions, Skid Row, Tesla, Van Halen, Warrant, Winger, Whitesnake, etc.) And although there was a ton of hairspray induced hair back then - you've got to admit that just about "all" of those bands had great hair!
Don't take it personal - I'm just playing with you man...but I get very offended when people start trashing the '80s...and especially when people start trashing the music of the '80s.
Re: Reflections on the music
Posted by Hair Religion on November 27, 2002 at 00:24:35: Previous Next
In Reply to: Re: Reflections on the mullet posted by SPEEDRACER on November 27, 2002 at 00:04:01:
Maybe he was talking about the New Wave, Progressive, Rap, Pop, and commercial sappy rock that was so overplayed on the radio in the 80's. I was always into the heavier music but even the glam metal, hard rock type of stuff only got played on a few stations. I definately remember that more people were into the other styles of music at school and elsewhere.
Re: Reflections on the mullet
Posted by SixStringThing on November 27, 2002 at 12:44:13: Previous Next
In Reply to: Re: Reflections on the mullet posted by SPEEDRACER on November 27, 2002 at 00:04:01:
: As for the music of the 80's - how can you tell me that's bad music? Sure it was a little bit of metal and a lot of glam-metal, but I beg you to find a band out today that has a guitar solo in the song...that's right - there isn't any! (at least not a guitar solo like Cinderella, DIO, Dokken, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Motley Crue, Ozzy, Poison, Queensryche, Ratt, Scorpions, Skid Row, Tesla, Van Halen, Warrant, Winger, Whitesnake, etc.)
Ugh, I really hate people rating music by guitar solos. As a guitarist I myself do enjoy solos but they are NOT what makes a song (In fact... you can actually have music WITHOUT a guitar GASP!!!) To me a great song is a song that can bring out an emotion in you (sadness, fear, excitement, joy... it doesnt matter) and not one that has amazing guitar solos but you don't really get anything out of it... this will vary for everyone, for me people like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani are amazing and I have a great deal of respect/admiration for them but the music does not reach any of my emotions so it bores me. I would rather listen to most oldies which are very simple but they have some rather deep lyrics (well theres always exceptions) and they are so fun to listen to. There are a few bands that combine the touching lyrics with the virtuoso style which is great (Dream Theater comes to mind)
Re: Reflections on the mullet
Posted by SPEEDRACER on November 27, 2002 at 13:14:37: Previous Next
In Reply to: Re: Reflections on the mullet posted by SixStringThing on November 27, 2002 at 12:44:13:
I did not mean - "This song has a guitar solo in it...it's Awesome...This song doesn't have a guitar solo in it...it Sucks" That is not what I meant at all. True, the guitar solo doesn't make the song at all, but you've got to admit that it was indeed a staple of just about every song from just about every band from the '80s?! When speaking of bands from the '80s I am talking about the whole big picture...the band image, the band fan base, the band's sound when everything is combined together, the song's lyrics, etc. I too am a big fan of lyrics, and - personally - the lyrics from the '80s were much better than what's out there now.
By the way, I have every one of Dream Theater's CDs and have even had the pleasure of seeing them live a few times. Yes, they ROCK!
: Ugh, I really hate people rating music by guitar solos. As a guitarist I myself do enjoy solos but they are NOT what makes a song (In fact... you can actually have music WITHOUT a guitar GASP!!!) To me a great song is a song that can bring out an emotion in you (sadness, fear, excitement, joy... it doesnt matter) and not one that has amazing guitar solos but you don't really get anything out of it... this will vary for everyone, for me people like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani are amazing and I have a great deal of respect/admiration for them but the music does not reach any of my emotions so it bores me. I would rather listen to most oldies which are very simple but they have some rather deep lyrics (well theres always exceptions) and they are so fun to listen to. There are a few bands that combine the touching lyrics with the virtuoso style which is great (Dream Theater comes to mind)
Re: Reflections on the mullet
Posted by Trent on November 28, 2002 at 00:17:48: Previous Next
In Reply to: Re: Reflections on the mullet posted by SPEEDRACER on November 27, 2002 at 13:14:37:
he he...opps :-p
no, really I was just being the sterotypical teenager when I said the 80's sucked. I DO think the music wasn't tall that good, as the pop. glam-metal goes atleast, but then again I can't really say when any of the mainstream music was any good. so far is far. I just think that most teenagers associate the 80's with sucking big.....stuff...and thats why the mullet is bad, its associated with the 80's. but thats the typical teenager....which I am not, thank goodness. but thats my 1/2 cent
Re: the mullet
Posted by Hair Religion on November 26, 2002 at 23:51:04: Previous Next
In Reply to: Reflections on the mullet posted by HappyPuppy on November 26, 2002 at 22:37:28:
Mullets are thought to be cool by those who have them but 99.9% of those who have one have never had real "long hair".
In many cases mullets are a pathetic attempt to grow long hair. I say pathetic because they don't achieve long hair except in a few cases where a small part of their hair is grown out and most of it is buzzed pretty damn short...but they think it's really long.
I'd say in most cases it's an easy solution to being a "wild-man". You can have a little longer than short hair in the back part of your head but won't have to worry about how others will react to it because most of it is actually very very short and the bit that is "long" just looks like you forgot to cut it during the last couple of visits to the barber. It won't take much care that way either.
It's like dipping your toe in the water and never going any farther.
If you know some guys sporting a mullet you will notice that it's not a step towards long hair, they tend to maintain their mullets for very long periods of time. When it's time for a change, almost all will cut the mullet off as opposed to growing it out into actual long hair.
Those are some of the reasons mullets have the reputation they do. Besides, they're just kind of funny looking and dated like many sculpted hair styles are.
Re: Reflections on the mullet
Posted by nWo_Slapnut on November 27, 2002 at 10:30:11: Previous Next
In Reply to: Reflections on the mullet posted by HappyPuppy on November 26, 2002 at 22:37:28:
I'm surprised with the quality of responses that this post has seen. Very insightful suggestions, guys. I think the analogy of a man sticking his toe in a pool but not actually diving in says it best. And it IS important that we question such things and not just take for granted that things like mullets are bad w/out any sense of knowing why, for if one was to get so caught up in maintaining the status quo of mainstream beliefs, they might as well NOT grow out long hair in the first place!
Re: Reflections on the mullet
Posted by HappyPuppy on November 27, 2002 at 23:31:24: Previous Next
In Reply to: Reflections on the mullet posted by HappyPuppy on November 26, 2002 at 22:37:28:
Just to clear things up, I'm not thinking of growing a mullet. I just thought that that guy's hair looked pretty cool, and it inspired me enough to post on it. (Easily inspired, I guess.) But thanks for not yelling at me w/ the replies. I enjoyed everyone's views. Learned a little too.
Re: Reflections on the mullet
Posted by Full of it on November 28, 2002 at 14:36:33: Previous Next
In Reply to: Reflections on the mullet posted by HappyPuppy on November 26, 2002 at 22:37:28:
Its you guys that are full of it. Some grow the mullet style
because of job responsibilites and therefore family responsibilities.
It may be the only style available to those who work in a corporate
environment.
I say its a lot better than a buz cut or other short styles.
Re: on being full of it
Posted by Hair Religion on November 29, 2002 at 19:07:25: Previous Next
In Reply to: Re: Reflections on the mullet posted by Full of it on November 28, 2002 at 14:36:33:
We are full of it? We are full in information about hair is what we are.
Do you think that it's a bad thing to discuss why others have half-baked styles like the mullet and to clearly say that we are in favor of long hair over mullets...on a "longhair" board?
Growing long hair requires dealing with variations in hair length and understanding why you are doing what you are doing and the differences between your style and other styles...such as the mullet.
I doubt that you would find many mullethairs who have thought much about why they have such an inbetween sort of hair style. You seem to think that the mullet is seen in the corporate enviroment. Maybe you are thinking of a different style but mullets are much more prevelant in the factory-type work area. If anything, it's not a way to conform to the short hair requirements (that would be easy, just cut your hair short) but rather an attempt to push the limit of any such rules without creating any imaginary conflict by having "long" hair...but thinking that you do have pretty long hair anyway.
Mullet growers are not really looking to grow their hair any farther than it is as a mullet. Ask some and I'm sure that is what you will hear.
Re: Reflections on the mullet
Posted by Zaphod on November 29, 2002 at 00:14:46: Previous Next
In Reply to: Reflections on the mullet posted by HappyPuppy on November 26, 2002 at 22:37:28:
Why can't you guys be accepting of other guy's hair styles? That's what you expect of them, right?
Re: We're so mean!
Posted by Hair Religion on November 29, 2002 at 18:46:27: Previous Next
In Reply to: Re: Reflections on the mullet posted by Zaphod on November 29, 2002 at 00:14:46:
I think that we ARE accepting of other people's hairstyles, you don't see any of us walking around outside of this board telling people that their hair sucks and that they should grow it long. Translation: We are content to live in this big world full of all kinds of hairstyles but on this "longhair" board we share a common preference...LONGHAIR!.
If you have a problem with that then you will not enjoy your time spent here.