A front and side view of a mullet

今天我们来介绍一个汉语中没有的好玩单词——mullet。It's actually a hairstyle. If you have a mullet you have long hair at the back but it will be short at the sides and on top. A mullet 就是一种上短，侧短，后边长的特定发型。It is also described as "business in the front, party in the back." 如此形容一个发型是不是很有趣？ People make lots of jokes about the mullet hairstyle. The hairstyle was popular during the late 20th century, from the early 1970s to the early 1990s. 这种发型足足流行了20年，真是不简单。说不定哪天mullet潮流会卷土重来呢。

翻开字典，我们会看到mullet的本意是一种鱼。那么，鱼和发型又是怎么扯上关系的呢？这要追溯到19世纪。那时候的渔夫打渔时为了保暖，总是喜欢在后背上披着长长的头发。所以说，这个发型创意的鼻祖就是渔夫。

而让Mullet真正流行的功臣，则是演艺界的明星们。他们在各种公开表演场合，镜头前，唱片专辑中顶着一头mullet。甚至著名的白人说唱团体Beastie Boys还在1994年推出了一首名为"Mullet Head"的歌曲。

当然，伴随着mullet的流行，是对这种发型的冷嘲热讽。一些时尚界人士掀起了a trend of anti-mullet sentiment。互联网时代来临后，a number of web sites sprung up with photographs of people with mullets, often accompanied by mocking comments based on stereotypes of mullet-wearers.

尽管mullet被嘲笑和打压，但它在葡萄牙和西班牙依然非常流行。在东欧的一些国家，比如罗马尼亚，它依然受到18-34这个年龄层人士的追捧。在美国和加拿大，mullet总是和特定的群体有关：蓝领工人、玩重金属音乐的、球迷、冰球运动员......

还有几个由mullet演化而成的发型。比如说skullet。A skullet is defined by a shaved or otherwise bald head with long hair on the sides and in the back. 再比如 tropical mullet。The tropical mullet, also referred to as a dreadmullet or drullet, is a hybrid of dreadlocks and a mullet. This hairstyle is seen throughout the world, especially among youth.

a skullet

为了加深对mullet的印象，我们来看看下面这组对话。

A: These old photos are really embarrassing!

B: Oh my god! Look at your hair on that one--great mullet!

A: Yeah thanks…

因为这种“怪发型”如今已经不流行，所以当翻起老照片的时候，好多人看到当年的自己都会觉得搞怪尴尬。

最后提醒一句，上世纪末风靡一时的mullet发型更适合男性哦。也许，你现在去弄个这样的发型，还能掀起一股怀旧的潮流呢。