The mullet is the breakout celebrity hair trend we never saw coming

In what is perhaps the most unexpected throwback beauty trend revival of all time, the mullet has made the comeback of all comebacks (and TBH, we have a strong inkling that Billy Ray Cyrus is behind it).

It’s currently doing the rounds in celeb circles and we have a strong feeling it’s set to be one of this coming year’s biggest hair trends. So, whether you love it or hate it, there’s no doubt the mullet (in its many incarnations) is back and bolder than ever.

From Billie Eilish’s lime green version to Kesha’s soft, wavy style, there are so many ways to wear the style, and we've rounded up a few of our faves...

Jazmine Sullivan

We’re used to seeing Jazmine Sullivan with cascades of jet black hair. But to celebrate the holidays, the singer rocked a mullet that we’re personally comparing to Rihanna’s. Sullivan, on the other hand, has joked that her new look puts her in league with the likes of Joe Exotic AKA The Tiger King. Potato, potato…

Jojo Siwa

Jojo Siwa’s departure from adolescence was marked by the ceremonious cutting of her iconic ponytail. So for the last few months we’ve grown accustomed to the dancer’s new pixie cut, but it seems Siwa is ready to add another chapter to her ever-changing hair journey. The 19-year-old took to TikTok to share her highly entertaining hair extension installation. 

The Dance Moms star’s new mullet is giving ‘country’ in a Billy Ray Cyrus kind of way. Though, if we’re honest, Siwa strikes an uncanny resemblance to another reality star – Joe Exotic AKA The Tiger King (Or in Exotic’s own words, “the gay, gun-carrying redneck with a mullet”. The only difference? Siwa’s cut is genuinely chic.

Millie Bobby Brown

Her honey blonde hue may have made headlines at the Stranger Things 4 premiere, but when it comes to her onscreen life, it appears Brown is embracing some sort of '80s mullet. Could it technically be a classic fringe-adorned half-up half-down 'do being blown back for dramatic effect? Sure. But this is Stranger Things, okay? Weirder things than mullets have happened, and so we think it's pretty plausible that Eleven is embracing the style.

Camila Cabello

Of all the celebrities we expected to see experimenting with a mullet in 2022, we’ll be honest, Cabello was at the bottom of the list. But the pop star has taken to the rocker haircut like a fish to water for an (as yet undisclosed) photoshoot, which employed the hairstyling talents of Dimitris Giannetos. To be frank – it’s one of the longest mullets we’ve ever seen – the 25-year-old is definitely making her case for the accessibility of mullets. What a time to be alive!

Demi Lovato

Thought Lovato's pastel pink crop was going to be their biggest hair moment of the year? We'll bet their new jet black mullet would have a thing or two to say about that. The singer may have returned to their signature brunette shade, but it appears the growing out phase following the cut will be edgy, not awkward.

Lovato has expressed hopes to one day completely shave their head (having only rocked undercuts in the past), though, so we wouldn't get too attached to any one look if we were you.

Cara Delevingne

Delevingne is all about dramatic hair changes – we’ve seen her with everything from a bleached buzz cut to long cotton candy coloured locks over the years. But the razor-chopped mullet she just debuted for Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show (fitting considering Ri herself recently revealed a similar style) is certainly a standout. Whether it’s a wig worn solely for the show or not remains to be seen, but in the meantime we’ll be over here doing our damnedest not to immediately follow suit.

Rihanna

Allow us to introduce one of the latest (and hell, we'll say it, chicest) members of the mullet club: Rihanna. Yes indeed, the Bad Gal herself has jumped on the bandwagon, swapping her longer length for business in the front, party in the back, and inspo all over. It's not her first trip to mullet town, either; Rihanna rocked one back in 2013, which makes perfect sense considering she doesn't usually follow trends, she sets them.

She's definitely kept this mullet for a little longer than the last, though – she debuted the shaggy chop back in November of 2020, but it's still going strong today, as proven by the promo for her upcoming Valentine's Day Savage X Fenty collection. She has, however, in true RiRi fashion, put a completely fresh 2021 spin on it.

The front and sides are shorter, sleeker, and chicer, and she's letting the length grow out a bit more in the back. Basically, it's gone from a style that only Rihanna could rock, to one that's almost wearable enough for us to consider ourselves... the power she holds.

Months on and it would seem the Bad Gal wants nothing more than to keep the mullet inspo alive; the singer just debuted a fresh variation of the style for a teaser of the upcoming Savage X Fenty Vol 3 runway show. No doubt we’ll see the now signature hairstyle make an appearance during the show on the pop star or one of her hand-selected models, considering the mullet has been a mainstay of past Savage X Fenty shows.

But back to the Bad Gal’s hair… Rihanna is very much channeling disco punk vibes in the clip, with a skinhead-inspired mullet that’s short and tight on the sides juxtaposed against a chainmail metallic blue mini dress. She’s maintained the length we’ve seen her rock in past seasons but now the layers are soft, wispy and feminine. 

Seriously if she keeps this up, one of these days we’re just going to bite the bullet and get a mullet ourselves… stop tempting us RiRi.

Dua Lipa

Lipa was spotted strolling through East Village in New York City sporting a choppy new mullet with a bleached fringe and crown section. But, as the New Rules singer later revealed in an Instagram Story, her fresh beauty vibe was the result of bleach breakage rather than choice - but she's "runnin' with it."

Billie Eilish

As one of the forerunners of the trend, Eilish first debuted her mullet hairstyle late last year. Her mullet was also the result of an unfortunate bleaching episode that caused breakage throughout her strands. However, she seems to have now accepted the style as her own and Eilish and her mullet have been inseparable ever since.

Miley Cyrus

Following in the footsteps of her famous country music star dad and his signature look during the height of his career, Cyrus decided to go the chop and is now sporting her very own mullet. But she hasn’t had an easy ride with her new look and many of her fans have taken to social media to express their distaste with the singer’s freshly-chopped mullet. But hey, it’s her hair so let the girl do what she wants.

Kesha

Kesha’s take on the mullet trend embraces her naturally wavy hair texture. Her look is fun, uncontrived and almost feels slightly reminiscent of a close relative of the mullet: the ‘70s-shag haircut. To give her look an extra rock ‘n’ roll ready edge, Kesha frequently styles her ‘do with wet-look gel.

Barbie Ferreira

Euphoria star Ferreira loves pushing the boundaries when it comes to experimenting with beauty so it’s unsurprising to see she’s now rocking a mullet like nobody’s business. After trialling the look with the help of a clip-in fringe last year, she has now joined the ranks as a full-time mullet-wearer with her edgy new haircut.

Keke Palmer

It may be a new year but the mullet trend is still going STRONG. Keke Palmer has ditched the braids she was rocking in the year-that-must-not-be-named and marked the beginning of 2021 with a Joan Jett-inspired shag mullet that’s giving us serious Rihanna vibes. Is there no look this woman can’t pull off?

Rico Nasty

The “Tia Tamera” rapper just got the haircut of the year, documenting her hilarious transition to a punk-blue mullet with shaved sides on TikTok. Rico’s not shy of trying new styles so we’re not surprised she opted for this shocking shag of a style.

Main image credit: Getty Images

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