A packed crowd celebrated the much-maligned but enduring mullet on Monday in a competition at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg. The contest celebrating the short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back coiffure, once the province of Canadian hockey players and hair metal bands, attracted about 150 competitors and more than a thousand spectators for the day's "mane" attraction, per the AP. The top award, in the form of the rear bumper of a Corvette, went to 10-year-old Drew Fleschut of Dallas, Pennsylvania—who wore a red-and-black shirt in an homage to movie character Joe Dirt and carried Joe's trademark mop.
Contestants were evaluated for the style of their cut, any props or accessories, their presentation, and their overall sense of commitment, says judge Brittany Goldberg. "This is for fun," says Goldberg, owner of Heavy Metal Hair Salon in Philadelphia. "It's about the camaraderie and everyone having a laugh and a good time." There were magic tricks, customized T-shirts, and even a "skullet"—a mullet sported by a balding man. One kid didn't want to leave the stage; another took the occasion to pick his nose. Some danced the worm, some dabbed, and a few ripped off their shirts, pro-wrestling style.
Though mullets likely have been around longer than there have been barbers, the Oxford English Dictionary cites hip-hop legends the Beastie Boys for helping popularize the term
"mullet" with the song "Mullet Head" on their 1994 album Ill Communication. As the venerable dictionary notes, it's a term that's slang, humorous, and "frequently derogatory." The contest, in its third year, is one of the few at the Pennsylvania Farm Show open to people who live outside the state.
Ben Barley, 7, of Red Lion arrived at the event wearing a T-shirt featuring his name and the words "MULLET LIFE 6-7," a nod to both his hairstyle and the bafflingly popular youth catchphrase. He said he'd been working on his mullet for two years. It's taken Lancaster resident Brayden Shaner, 14, about four years to grow his mullet, which was good enough for third place in the teenager category. "I like it because it's different," he says. "You don't see, walking through the grocery store, people with a mullet. I think the girls like it."
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