It's Kind of Catchy, Kind of a Virus, Cutting your Hair like Billy Ray Cyrus

While I am sure there will be more posts about fashion in Prague, there is only one trend so pervasive and horrifying that it can begin the reports.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you... the mullet.

I understand that the Czech Republic missed out on some of the finer points of the 80s, you know, with Communism and all, but really? The mullet? At first I thought that it was one or two poor souls who had perhaps tried to trim their own hair. It's much more difficult to reach in the back for a short trim. However, it began to feel as though I saw one or two mullets on each excursion.

Although I do not have photos yet, one of the other students on my program has begun taking photographs of mullets around the city. But what is a mullet, and who would wear such a horrendous style?

How to Recognize a Mullet

The mullet is most commonly identified by the phrase "Business in front, Party in back." What kind of parties these people are attending I don't know. The style is short in the front as well as on the sides but has length in the back. The length on the sides is part of what distinguishes the mullet from simply "long hair". Usually the length of the hair reaches past the collar and onto the upper back.

Who wears a mullet? Typically, a man in his late 50's who completes the ensemble with his socks and sandal combination. However, this trend appears to be popular with the younger generations as well. In this case, the mullet has been combined with dreads, creating a pseudo "rat-tail." Although I'm not sure what kind of rat this would be, seeing as there are usually 3 or 4 baby dreads. I also sadly must report that I saw the more standard mullet on a small child -- People are forcing mullets on small children. We must find them, and stop them.

To be honest, I find it amusing that so many people have mullets. I rarely seem them at home nowadays, and if I do it's in something making fun of rednecks or hillbillies. Billy Ray Cyrus is still borderline although much, much improved from the days of Achy Breaky Heart. He's got better things to do now like worrying about whether his 15 year old daughter is posing in the nude for magazines.

I'm trying hard not to be judgmental. Some people claim that I like to talk alot -- whether or not this is, um, true, I also do spend a good deal of my time listening and watching. I've stopped listening to my iPod on transportation because it's such a wonderful place to people watch. It's things like noticing that Czechs line up for the trams parallel to the cars rather than perpendicularly. It's assessing whether or not you should give up your seat for the old man on the train. Today I had two people address me in Czech while riding public transportation because of how I acted. Perhaps I am starting to get a hang of things?