Business in the front, party in the back: the mullet is becoming respectable again in Australia (kind of)
Lesson summary
Hi there everyone, I’m Jeff and this is Plain English lesson number 505. JR is the producer and he has uploaded the full lesson to PlainEnglish.com/505. That is where you’ll find the full transcript, how-to video, exercises, and more.
On today’s lesson: the mullet is a men’s haircut from Australia. It’s considered—I’m not passing my own judgment here, I’m just saying—it’s considered to be a haircut that doesn’t carry a lot of status, at least in cities and among people in the public eye. But that might be starting to change.
In the second half of today’s lesson, I’ll show you how to use the phrasal verb “catch on.” And to celebrate the last day of summer, we’ll have one more summer-themed song of the week from JR. Let’s dive in.
The mullet is becoming fashionable in Australia
The easiest way to describe the mullet haircut is to say that it has dual personalities . There’s the part that looks like it’s a short, more traditional men’s cut. And then there’s the part that’s more unkempt , like a long-haired rocker .
A mullet is typically cut short along the sides and medium-length on the top and in front, but it grows long in the back. So when you look at someone with a mullet, it looks a little strange. If you look at the person straight on , you might think he has a more professional, shorter cut. If you look at him from the side or the back, it looks like he has grown his hair long. That’s why they say of the mullet, it’s “ business in the front, party in the back.”
There are many variations . To stand out , you can shave your head bare on the sides, sport the top in a mohawk , and let your locks flow in the back. If you want to blend in a little more, you can get a more traditional haircut, but let it grow a little longer.
The mullet is not considered, shall we say, a prestigious haircut. It’s most associated with men in small towns in rural Australia. A mullet is the kind of haircut that you can give yourself in your backyard .
In big cities—both in Australia and especially in other countries—the mullet is not fashionable. The attitude in the cities is that a person sporting a mullet is not sophisticated , has no style , whatever . A private school in Perth, a city on the western coast, has banned the mullet among students. The haircut is “ untidy ” and “not acceptable,” the school said.
But as is so often the case, what people in the cities look down on , the people in the country consider a point of pride . In fact, “Mulletfest” in the Australian state of New South Wales attracts mullet-wearers from around Australia, all competing to see who has the most outrageous style .
Now, though, a funny thing is happening Down Under: the mullet is invading respectable culture . It’s starting to catch on in the cities. That’s right: in Australia, it’s now okay to have a mullet.
It’s common for Australian football and rugby players to sport mullets. For a really good example, search for the football player Bailey Smith. His blond mullet looks like the mane of a lion . You can also see mullets on the red carpet and among celebrities.
Stylists say that the mullet is a flexible option that allows you to play with texture, shape and personal identity. One stylist has even earned the nickname “mullet mummy.” She says that the resurgence of the mullet is all about acknowledging the history and going from there.
The mullet has long been associated with people who are poor and from rural areas. But here’s another truth of art and fashion: it’s sometimes considered fashionable, or even glamorous , to look a little poor. And so a lot of celebrities and wealthier people in the cities can now use their haircuts to say, “look how authentic I am.”
Women can have mullets, too. I’ve seen a few pictures of women with mullets and it looks a little more natural on women than on men. It’s a flexible cut. I’ve seen mullets where a man’s whole head is shaved, except for the long hair in the back. And I’ve seen women with mullets that look…almost normal. The only requirement is that a mullet has to have some difference between the front and the back.
They’re in Chicago
You do not see a lot of mullets where I live. This is a style that originated in Australia, is most associated with Australia, but people do have them in the United States. Like in Australia, it’s not a prestigious haircut here. You would not go into an office job in downtown Chicago with a mullet.
Here, like in Australia, it’s considered a small town, rural, kind of lower-prestige haircut. A lot of bikers have mullets. Mullets and tattoos go together . Mullets and t-shirts with the sleeves ripped off go together.
Well the other day at the gym, I saw someone with a mullet. And not a subtle one , either. Like, full shaved sides , long hair up top , flowing locks in the back. And I was speechless . So I wonder…is that just a one-time thing , or am I going to start seeing that more in the city? I’ll let you know if this catches on here.
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