Why do Baby Boomers Hate Mullets?
Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably noticed that the mullet is making a comeback. The hairstyle that was dormant since the 1980s is storming back into the western hemisphere. I’ll be honest; I have no idea why. Perhaps it is due to the Aussies or because it does a hell of a job of covering up a receding hairline. Regardless, the renaissance is in full swing. Gen X appear to be okay with it, which makes sense, but the boomers on the other hand are not on board with the trend. I found that out the hard way.
Fast forward to March 2024 and I was vibing with the possibility of getting another mullet cut; I only kept the mullet for two months in 2023. The problem with the hairstyle, in my case anyway, is that after three weeks, the sides grow back and you can barely notice that I had a mullet in the first place. When I arrived back in Europe in September and travelled to Italy to see my grandparents, they were none the wiser. A couple of weeks passed, and my grandmother said we should all go to the hairdresser's as my hair was getting out of hand (she wasn’t wrong). Every time I visit, I usually get a haircut, and we always go to the same place owned by a group of Chinese people. You can get a quality wash and cut in under 10 minutes for just 10 euros in that place. It is a total bargain! Then I showed my grandmother a picture of my intended haircut. She was mortified.
Listen, I am not delusional; my grandmother is 80, and my grandfather is 82, so of course I did not expect them to encourage or be happy about my new hairstyle. What I did not expect however was the persistent campaign to convince me to get a ‘proper’ haircut. My grandfather is old-fashioned, so I didn’t even hear a peep from him, but I heard his opinion through my grandmother's messages. ‘You’ll never get a job’, ‘your Nonno hired lots of people, he would never have hired a person with such a haircut’ ‘, Do you want to be a cashier at Lidl?’. The rhetoric lasted right up until I sat down on the barber chair, and believe me, they thought every tooth and nail. I got the trim, and my grandmother actually said she liked it; my grandfather did not say a peep.
That is how I found out that Baby Boomers do not like mullets. I am sure Gen Z will hate a popular haircut or type of music one day. It's human nature I suppose. The most important thing is that you do what you feel is best for you, not what others think is best. Be resolute and affirmative while also exuding class, kindness and understanding.