Cult hairstyle mullet: Australia chooses the best mullets

The cult hairstyle of the 1980s is slowly approaching 50. In a small town in the Australian state of New South Wales, they have been celebrating the mat without bangs for years. At the Mullet Fest Grand Final 2024 at Hebburn Motorsport Park in Abermain, a jury chose the weirdest, most imaginative, most colorful and bravest manes in a whopping seven categories. This year’s title of “Best mullet of them all” went to a man who might look familiar to Quentin Tarantino fans.

The iconic fringe look actually has its origins in the 1960s, when superstar Tom Jones appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show with the corresponding hairstyle. He was followed by rock greats like Rod Stewart, David Bowie, U2 singer Bono and Paul McCartney. However, the mullet only became really socially acceptable in the 1980s. At that time he also decorated many professional footballers in Germany, including the later national coach Rudi Völler. Dutch defender Frank Rijkaard spit into the long, curly mat at the 1990 World Cup.

And so it’s hardly surprising that at the Mullet Fest Grand Final in Abermain some participants started with the “Soccer Rocker” cut, borrowed from football.