Modern mullet hairstyles turning heads

Growing out short hair is awkward. And as women tire of the short cuts so popular in the spring and summer, it could be time to embrace the awkward chic of the mullet.

The mullet, that short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back hairstyle mocked both for its proportions and its associations with tackiness, was popular in the late 1980s and early ’90s, and now it is back.

Like any fashion trend worth its salt, it has its own Instagram account. The proprietor has a signature catchphrase: “mulletmazing.” Could it be so bad it’s good?

The mullet revival kicked off when stylist Guido Palau gave each model in the Marc Jacobs fall 2013 runway show a pixie wig with long, wispy ends. The style was repeated in that season’s ad campaign, and its star, Edie Campbell, took her hair from long and blond to a dyed black mullet.

Other models, such as Charlotte Carey, committed to mullet cuts; some have gotten shag haircuts so layered and extreme that they look like mullets.

The new mullet doesn’t resemble the ’80s extreme of Billy Ray Cyrus so much as the ’70s cuts of Rod Stewart, Patti Smith and Joan Jett.

Celebrities who have gone short, whether following trends or for film roles, have turned to the mullet. Jennifer Lawrence and Kristen Stewart have chosen softer styling in front with length in the back. Portia de Rossi’s short hair, as seen on Scandal, was dubbed a “power mullet” by one writer.

“I much prefer a mullet over a bob,” said Sally Hershberger, who has salons in New York and Los Angeles. “It feels current and edgy and sexy, and it’s extreme, which I like.”