Business in the front, party in the back. This describes one of two things (could be more, but I haven’t thought that far ahead). An amusement park - pay for tickets before enjoying all the rides and sparkly things. The second and far more important thing is the mullet. The iconic hairdo that has been making a comeback.
The lore and history surrounding the controversial hairstyle are very much alive to this day, with some seeing it as a symbol of opportunity, and others - of detriment. But one 8-year-old child will be living one of his childhood dreams all thanks to the mullet.
This is the story of Emmitt Bailey, the victor of the Kid's 2022 US Mullet Championship. He was kind enough to reveal his luscious hair secrets to Bored Panda, so stick around for that!
But that’s not all. This is also the story of the mullet itself and a glimpse into what the future holds - are the 80s here to stay? The founder of the championship Kevin Begola brought us closer to the answer. Let’s dive into the details!
More info: Instagram | USA Mullet Championships
An eight-year-old boy named Emmitt Bailey from Menomonie, Wisconsin, has been crowned the Kids Division winner of the 2022 US Mullet Championship
Image credits: mulletchampusa
An eight-year-old boy from Menomonie, Wisconsin, has been crowned the Kids Division winner of the 2022 US Mullet Championship. Out of 688 boys that entered, 25 boys were selected for the finals, competing to see who had the best mullet of all time - or, at the very least, of this year. Emmitt Bailey earned the title after receiving the most votes, 9,896, to be exact, and took home the cash prize of $2,500.
Emmitt was the crowd favorite, with Epic Orta from La Joya, Texas, coming in close second with 8,404 votes, followed by William Dale Ramsey, from Pataskala, Ohio, who got 4,058 votes. It’s clear that Emmitt’s light locks, falling in soft curls in the back and styled in a small mohawk up top, captured the hearts of mullet lovers online.
“It’s awesome,” the boy told Buzzfeed. “It’s cool that so many people tell you that you got sweet hair.” Emmitt revealed that it took him over 2 years to grow out his hair to its current length. The boy has even nicknamed his mullet Mufasa, as it reminded him of a lion's mane. Emmitt hopes to spend the prize on a brand new go-kart to start his racing career.
Out of 688 boys that entered, Emmitt received the most votes from mullet-lovers online—9,896, to be exact—and took home the cash prize of $2,500
Image credits: mulletchampusa
His mom Erin Bailey wasn’t a huge fan of it at first, but you could say it grew on her. “He was pretty adamant about wanting the mullet from the beginning,” she recalled, admitting, “I wasn't on board right away, but it’s just become part of his personality now. He just likes to do his own thing and have his own hair.”
His father Eric Bailey, however, thought it was pretty cool: “I think it's cool. I really do,” he told FOX 9. “Some of the coolest people in the world, athletes and rock stars, have mullets, so I mean, it's pretty cool.”
The parents joked that their boy’s hair has become it's own entity. They saw ads for the contest the previous year, yet the registration had already closed. “We saw the mullet contest, and we always joked about doing it. Let's grow it out, and we'll try it. We'll try it. It's just taken a life of its own,” said Eric.
A year later and the boy has been crowned the king of the child mullet! Emmitt has since been given the nickname “Mullet Boy.” However, he didn’t start growing his hair out for the contest. The boy is a huge fan of hockey, but with the sport comes the hairdo. “I wanted cool hockey hair,” Emmitt told Bored Panda. "My dad's favorite NFL player was Jared Allen and had an awesome mullet."
“It’s awesome,” the boy said. “It’s cool that so many people tell you that you got sweet hair.” He’d been rocking the look for the past 2 years
Image credits: Mullet Boy - Emmitt Bailey
"The contest was awesome!" Emmitt told Bored Panda. He credited his family and friends for the win: "My mom and dad helped a lot by telling people on Facebook. Also my mom and dad's friends helped a lot as well." Whether he'll go back to compete again is still a question in his mind, as "it would be cool to see another kid win a trophy like I did."
To all those interested and eager to participate in the contest, Emmitt has a message: "The advice I'd give to anyone wanting to be in the mullet championship is to be yourself and have fun!"
But what is the secret to having such fabulous locks of hair? Is it a special treatment? A ritual that has to be performed in the middle of the night during a full moon? No, it's far less complex than that: "Wash it and brush it. And have patience, it takes along time to grow!"
Emmitt didn’t grow his hair out for the contest. “I wanted cool hockey hair,” he said, as he’s a huge fan of the sport. They nicknamed his mullet “Mufasa”
Image credits: USA Mullet Championships
The contest first ran in 2020 and has occurred ever since. Created by apparel and footwear store Bridge Street Exchange, they believed it could work well as a marketing idea. Owner Kevin Begola first launched the contest in his local town of Fenton, and after its success, he decided to make it a national event, which is open to everyone with a love for the mullet. The championships also have subsections for teens, adult men, and adult women.
The focus of the competition is to take life a little less seriously. “Especially after everything the last couple years,” the event and its mission seems to be quite a bit more important than before. “This was like lightning in a bottle,” Kevin told Buzzfeed. “I think it was a mixture of cultural pushback on just everything that's been down, with COVID and politics and everything. I think this was a good relief for everybody.”
A $10 entry fee was charged to each competitor, half of which was donated to Maggie's Wigs 4 Kids - an organization that provides wigs for children who are suffering from hair loss due to cancer, alopecia, or other diseases and disorders. Mullets may not be so bad after all, huh?
As wholesome as this all is, one cannot ignore the stereotypes that follow the mullet. Most memes and jokes stem from the mullet being a favorite hairdo of the hicks and hillbillies from southern states. The Urban Dictionary is full of jokes surrounding the hairdo, one of the definitions being: “Haircut traditionally associated with American whitetrash, wrestlers, middle of the road American cockrock bands, and in general the eras of the late 70's through to the 80's.”
Harsh. That’s putting it lightly. Where did that stereotype come from? Let’s look a little into history.
The boy hopes to spend the prize money on a new go-kart to help start his racing career
Image credits: Mullet Boy - Emmitt Bailey
Although the mullet has been part of human history all the way back to the ancient Greeks, we associate it with a time much closer to the present. According to Dazed Digital, the mullet transcended culture in the ’80s and became a mainstream haircut. Everyone from Metallica’s James Hetfield to Billy Ray Cyrus had a mullet. It typically signified fun and flamboyance and was seen as genderless.
As for where the name came from, according to the US Mullet Championships website, it actually originated from the Beastie Boys in 1994, when they released a song called Mullet Head. However, it was soon after that the hairstyle became nearly extinct. The mullet’s popularity dropped quicker than a penny into the ocean.
Kevin told Bored Panda that "people associate the Mullet with the 1980's and it was a time of strange fashion and expression overall. As we shifted away from the 80's I think people started to poke fun at the hairstyle. We haven't had another decade of long hair that was really in style, except maybe the Man bun," he laughed.
Not only was the style fading, it was becoming one of the most divisive hairstyles of all time, and stereotypes emerged. They depicted low-income families in backwater towns, redneck dudes in dive bars who clung to their beloved country music. One man in a TV report said mullets instantly made him think of guys with cigarette packs tucked under their T-shirts. “It just looks dirty,” he said, “it emanates dirt.”
The hairstyle became a means of going against the grain and was popular with art ‘weirdos’ and subculture ‘freaks.’ And yet, Kevin believes the people rocking the mullet are some of the nicest people around. "Over the past few years I have got to know a lot of people," he told Bored Panda. "People with mullets are carefree, they like to have fun and, most importantly, they are down to earth and help each other out. Oftentimes you can see that they live a simple life and they are happy with what they have. They are hardworking and blue collar at heart and it shows."
Although his mom wasn’t too thrilled about the hairstyle, it grew on her. Meanwhile, his dad always thought it was really cool
Image credits: Mullet Boy - Emmitt Bailey
Although buried for around 30 years, it started to rise back from the dead with fashion trends taking inspiration from the 70s-80s. Who’s gonna overlook the mullet, the staple of the time?
Kevin explained that the mullet had some stereotypes "of people being stuck in the 80's or having no style. But now I think that is changing with the Mullet 2.0 that we are seeing now; it is the same but so different, because the the cut is different."
"I think the stereotypes are going away with the current renaissance going on now," he continued. "You are seeing celebs, sports athletes, kids and college kids sport a mullet. I think that is oftentimes where things become 'cool' and people start to follow the trend. Also this is not a 'down south' thing at all! We are seeing contestants from all over the country and some people who are more 'city folk' getting involved."
"Yes, the roots of it will always be country, but people are having fun with it no matter what now."
It's not just a fashion statement; to some it's a means of perfect self-expression. As Alverd Gual-Cibera told VICE, “I find this sort of cultural reappropriation very interesting, especially as a kind of empowerment. It's also a form of radicalism—a way for me to capture my punk side. Also, I like how it represents a blurring of gender lines. That suits me perfectly.”
The mullet continues to divide opinions, but as long as Emmitt is happy, that's all that matters. We wish him and his family nothing but the best for the future!
Image credits: Mullet Boy - Emmitt Bailey
It’s nice to see people embracing the freedom of hair and all the possibilities it brings. And although we’ve seen the rise, fall, and rise again of history’s most divisive hairstyle, we’re sure it’ll be one to stay. Especially considering the relative ease of looking after it. Practical, somewhat rebellious, and fun! And as the mullet competition states, “No matter what you think of it, the mullet has become a staple of the American aesthetic.”
Kevin believes that the contest is just the beginning. "We want to turn it into more of a sport that mixes the personalities of awesome people and their hairstyle. Everyone has a story to tell and I think people with a Mullet have some amazing stories!"
Emmitt has no plans to cut his hair - it’s become part of his image. And to all the people who are hating on the mullet: "Why be negative? Life is fun! Just because you don't like something, doesn’t mean it's wrong. If you're not having fun, you're doing life wrong!" You tell them, Emmitt! We wish him and his family all the best for the future.
The adult competitions are still open, so get your mullets ready! Registration ends August 31 and voting will begin on September 12.
Let us know if you’d like to participate in something like this and if you’re a fan of the mullet! Hope you have a good hair day!
People showed support for the boy, but there are those that continue to meme. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
