Three “mulleters” on campus discuss their look

This past year, I noticed a reemergence of a fashion statement so bold and so shocking, one that was thought to be lost long ago in the age of glam rock and unfettered redneck masculinity. I’m talking about the ape drape, the squirrel pellet, the achy breaky bad mistakey — the mullet. The term was coined by the Beastie Boys after “mullet head”(meaning dimwitted), and can be spotted at the football field, art studio or fraternity house. Students not around for the mullet’s heyday are willingly opting-in for what is often considered hair-do faux pas number one. 

The mullet is one of the few haircuts that draws an immediate visceral reaction — forcing you into a double-take as you stammer, “Is that what I think it is?” The advent of the mullet goes way back to centuries before it found infamy in contemporary Western culture. Ancient Roman chariot racers, Native Americans and even Benjamin Franklin with the “skullet” (barren scalp in the front, party in the back) proudly donned versions of the hairdo. 

Those not wary of its presence in the annals of history may have become acculturated to the hairstyle by its takeover in the 1980s when the tousled mane flowed down the backs of superstar rockers like David Bowie and Paul McCartney. Since the 1980s, the mullet went into deep hibernation, and many — myself included — came to the conclusion that it had seen its final day. 

And yet in the face of all odds, it carries on. I caught up with three “mulleters” on campus to find out why.

For Sam Cohen-Suelter, a fourth-year communication and cinema digital media major, the mullet started out as a joke, but has since expanded into a signature ‘do.

“I think at first I was doing it for a joke,” Cohen-Suelter said. “I’ve done weird things with my hair before so it wasn’t completely off-brand, but the first time I did, I was like, ‘I kind of mess with it.’” 

Cohen-Suelter noted its versatile benefits, as the bold choice offers nearly limitless options.

 “I really like long hair, but I don’t like it getting in my face,” Cohen-Suelter said. “Instant fix. Another one is to even tie it up. You have a short little ponytail and put it through the back of your hat.”

Since adopting the mullet, Cohen-Suelter has seen the style pop up all over, including in the realm of competitive Super Smash Bro events. Cohen-Suelter cited the elite-level German gamer, Mustafa Akçakaya, professionally known as “European Mew2King,” as an influence on his decision to rock the “ape drape.”

“I play Super Smash Brothers competitively and one of my favorite players has the same haircut,” Cohen-Suelter said. “So I was like, ‘I gotta replicate it.’ This is the best player in Germany. His gamer tag is ‘Ice.’ He’s got the trucker hat. It looks good. It looks really good.”

According to Cohen-Suelter, the mullet is a look you have to grow into. He had his own mullet epiphany while out on a run.

“It’s only been like the past month or so where I’m like, ‘Holy sh-t, what is that on my head?’” Cohen-Suelter said. “I’m pretty down for it. Once I went for a run, my hair was just really sweaty. I just pushed it up and it didn’t fall down to the sides. I just looked up and it was perfect.”

While contemplating what to do for his next fraternity composite picture, Evan Swanson, a fourth-year international relations major, decided that he wanted to go all in. He wanted something unabashedly “frat,” and the mullet fit the bill.

“The only reason I grew it was for the composite picture because I just thought it’d be really funny to have a mullet,” Swanson said.

Swanson’s mullet legacy will live on long after he leaves the campus.

“I think having it hung up [in my fraternity house] for the foreseeable future is pretty cool,” Swanson said. “It’s definitely something that when I come back when I’m older and I’m ever in town, I’ll be like, ‘Yeah man, I remember doing that. I was that guy.’”

Holly Murphy, a second-year environmental policy and analysis major, proudly repped the mullet for its versatile qualities. Like Cohen-Suelter, they choose the mullet life as a joke, but since then they have come to enjoy its fluidity.

“I’d always been wanting to do something a little more masculine, and I have a very feminine face,” Murphy said. “Recently, I like to dress more androgynous and more masculine, and I think with long hair and bangs you just can’t really do it. So it was time to be more androgynous — let’s cut the hair.”

At first, Murphy was rather self-conscious about the mullet, but they eventually found themself growing quite fond of the look.

“There was a little moment of self-consciousness that was kind of scary, but then once you rock it, you get into it,” Murphy said.

They cited inspiration from the Queer community of the 1980s, when lesbians rocked the style to break barriers and proudly identify themselves. They elaborated that the Queer community has truly transformed the mullet to fit their own unique style.

“It’s a big thing within the Queer community, especially with lots of lesbians in the 80s, because it’s short in the front and you can do a lot in the back,” Murphy said. “It’s kind of an in-between. And then we start seeing women and nonbinary people rocking this more masculine look. I think what the gays really started doing was looking at this farmer chic or hick chic and started taking it and turning it into their own thing.”

The three mulleters have found their choice in hair-do generally well-accepted within the Davis community. Murphy received praise in the form of a shout-out on the app Wildfire and Swanson was all the rage among his fraternity brothers, even passing the test of approval from his girlfriend. Cohen-Suelter’s mullet also drew a crowd at an In-N-Out Burger drive-thru when a bewildered employee pointed it out to their co-workers. 

The mullet is a symbol of rebellion against the status quo. You can take issue with the optics, but you have to respect the courage to rock it. 

“There’s definitely a little bit of attitude that comes with having a mullet,” Swanson said. “I feel like it says something about you, where you’re giving vibes that say ‘I’m bold.’”

Written by: Andrew Williams — arts@theaggie.org

A clapback to the patriarchal music industry 

Women in the music industry have been challenging the patriarchal nature of the business by extending a big middle finger to The Man. Musicians like Taylor Swift and Megan Thee Stallion have gained considerable popularity for stances they have taken against the sexist roots of the music industry. Sexism remains a pertinent issue in major industries, and women have and will continue to clap back until justice is achieved. 

Released on Feb. 27, Taylor Swift’s official music video of her hit song “The Man” spurred chatter over her rather unique exhibition of sexism in not only the music industry, but also in reality. Swift plays her male alter-ego “Tyler Swift” in order to mock the absurdity of sexism. 

The music video includes examples of double-standards evident in American pop-culture, highlighting toxic masculinity, mansplaining and the objectification of women. Tyler Swift lives a lavish and rather promiscuous lifestyle as an egotistical power-hungry man praised for doing little to no work while tyrannizing others. 

Multiple scenes in the music video are chock full with the sexualization of women while Swift’s alter-ego mascarades around with women at his feet. Swift parades down a hallway of 19 hands, high-fiving them along the way. The 19 hands are a reference to the 19th amendment of the Constitution declaring women’s right to vote. By celebrating one of his “conquests,” however, the scene is ironic in the sense that people haven’t realistically changed the dehumanization of women since. 

Other intentional references are made to certain individuals who have caused controversy in regards to gender norms. The significance of the tennis scene is a direct reference to Serena Williams’ episode with the chair umpire in the 2018 U.S. Open. Williams’ reaction was seen as ridiculous while the male reactions (which, in some cases, were worse), were regarded as “passion” for the game. 

The last scene of the music video is of Taylor Swift as the director, telling her alter-ego Tyler to be “sexier” and “more likable,” signifying the underlying sexist norms placed on women by the entertainment industry. She then mockingly applauds Loren Gray for her part in the tennis scene as “tennis ball girl,” in which she solely rolled her eyes. 

Taylor Swift indirectly claps back at Scooter Braun and Big Machine Records (who own Swift’s first six studio albums and have caused a public, contentious contract disagreement) by peeing on the wall of graffiti and a sign prohibiting scootering. In Swift’s own way, she was able to utilize her creativity to fight against sexist norms in major industries — and, from the looks of it, she succeeded. 

In fact, Swift is not alone. The female rapper and singer Megan Thee Stallion recently gained immense popularity after suing her record label, 1501 Certified Entertainment. The label allegedly took a vast majority of her income, the rights to her music and basically ran her entire music career without any say from the musician herself. 

The release of her third EP, “SUGA” was much more of a hassle than it needed to be. Simply wanting to discuss renegotiating her contract, 1501 blew her request way out of proportion. The record label basically buried their own grave. 

Granted a temporary restraining order against 1501, Megan went ahead and signed a management deal with Roc Nation in September of 2019 and they have helped her stand her ground against 1501. She started to tweet the hashtag #FREETHEESTALLION to raise awareness of her mistreatment. Ironically, Megan was the first female rapper on the label — but she was obviously not treated with the level of respect she deserves. 

In Megan’s interview with Rolling Stone, she expressed her appreciation to the court’s denial of 1501’s request to dissolve her restraining order, which would ultimately stop her music from being released. 

“To be clear, I will stand up for myself and won’t allow two men to bully me,” Megan said. “I want my rights.”

Prior to the legal affairs, Megan was featured on the front cover of Rolling Stone magazine with the headline, “women shaping the future” — and she has stood true to that statement, along with other women in the industry such as Swift. 

Written by: Sierra Jimenez — arts@theaggie.org

The Arts Desks’ weekly picks for movies, books, music and television shows.

Movie: “Police Story” (1985) dir. by Jackie Chan  

Democracy is flailing, COVID-19 is spreading and the stock market is the worst it’s been since the 1930s or something like that. So you owe it to yourself to kick back, relax and watch Jackie Chan beat the living daylight out of hundreds of corrupt officials and their henchmen. Set against the backdrop of a 1980s Hong Kong, “Police Story” is the ridiculous tale of Chan Ka-Kui (Jackie Chan), who botches a sting operation, pisses off his superiors and causes general mayhem, all in the name of higher justice. Intoxicating colors and rapid cinematography define the film’s energy — fun, yet deeply gripping. “Police Story” is hilarious, even for an international audience. At the same time, it has moments of tragedy, serious drama and character development. But at its core, it’s just a really fun piece of filmmaking. If you’ve never seen a crime lord fall through multiple panels of glass in a Hong Kong shopping mall, can you really call yourself a cinephile?

Book: “5,000 km per second” by Manuele Fiore 

Near the end of the first chapter of “5,000km per second,” Piero, our main character, gets an earful from Nicola, his best friend: “You saw her for three minutes! You can’t be stuck on her already!” Immediately, he responds: “Seven minutes. And I think this is it!” Never have I felt more attacked by a piece of literature. That being said, there are quite a few reasons you should pick up a copy of “5,000 km per second.” It could be the art: beautifully analogous watercolors that convey just as much emotion as they do plot. It could be the narrative: A not-quite love story that bounces from Europe to Africa and then back again. Or it could be the message at the center of it all: A simple glance is sometimes all it takes to change your life, for better or worse. On a sunny day, I sat down and finished the graphic novel on the Quad in about an hour. I hollered with laughter, I quietly shed a few tears and when I finished it, I smiled. 

Album: “Hippies” by Harlem  

Growing up in San Francisco meant that there were always at least a couple of stinky, grimey, degenerate-filled house shows happening on any given weekend. They were energetic, electric and, most of all, a ton of fun. Harlem is kind of my go-to band when people ask me what the sound of these shows are. At its core, it is frantic, catchy garage rock jams that just make you want to dance. No synthesizers, tons of fuzz pedals. Fifty percent chance of a broken amp and 100% chance of someone slapping the bag while they play. Put simply, it’s what someone who works at The Co-Op would call “straight bangers.” Hippies itself is filled to the brim with certified earworms — seriously, every song on this record could be a single if it wanted to, and that’s saying something. With pure guitar riffs, alkaline lyricism and a penchant to explore youth in urbanity, Harlem jumps over a fence that separates good artists from great; they capture a moment in time, a feeling. 

TV Show: “Seinfeld” 

With a dozen things happening at once, and another dozen up in the air, the ample time one has to relax should be spent in any fashion that makes you crack a smile. For myself, that looks like gathering a plethora of blankets, wrapping myself up like a bean and cheese burrito and watching “Seinfeld.” It is, in every sense, escapism. A simpler time, “Seinfeld” somehow took the malaise of everyday life and weaved it into hilarious narratives of friends living in The Big Apple. The show has, in many ways, just been something of a mood booster. It is quite hard to juggle the many different obstacles life throws at us. But somehow, despite all that, I have found solace in a dumb ‘90s sitcom, one that can make me laugh when everything else seems to make me frown. 

Written by: Ilya Shrayber — arts@theaggie.org