A History Of Haircuts!

March 16th, 2008 at 9:37 PM.

There have been some pivotal moments in haircut history that have influenced our culture. We have compiled a list of what we think are some of the best and funniest haircuts throughout history.

#1. The Jheri Curl

What is it?
Usually spelled “Jerry Curl” or “Jeri Curl”, this haircut was very popular throughout the African American community in the late 70’s and well into the 80’s. Invented by, Jheri Redding (hairdresser, chemist, and entrepreneur), this particular haircut gave a person a glossy, curled style.

Why was it popular?
It was regarded as a “wash and wear” haircut, which minimized time spent getting ready.

Why did it go out of style?
When the hair grew, you’d have to go to the salon for a touch-up which could get fairly costly. It was later replaced by the hi-top fade.

What celebrities wore it?

• Coolio (Rapper)
• Buddy Guy (Blues guitarist)
• Rick James ( Singer)
• Michael Jackson (Pop singer)
• Samuel L. Jackson (a la Pulp Fiction)
• Little Richard (Musician)

#2. Flock of Seagulls

What is it?
Originating from Mike Score (who started A Flock of Seagulls with his brother, Ali), this haircut was formed by combing the back of the hair to the front that cascaded like a waterfall, then, both sides of the head’s hair to the center. It was mimicked and copied in television shows, movies, and radio.

Why was it popular?
For general hilarity purposes as well as the references in the media formed a spike of interest in the hairstyle.

Why did it go out of style?
It was never necessarily “IN” style, however it is still being parodied and copied now and then. It is very popular with the college crowd.

What celebrities wore it?

• Danny Pintauro (actor)
• Mike Score (A Flock of Seagulls)
• The Wedding Singer (On flight steward)
• “Weird Al” Yankovic (In the song “Alburquerque”)

#3. The Mullet

What is it?
A hairstyle that is short in the front, sides, and top of the head, but long in the back. Commonly referred to as “business in the front, party in the back”. It gained popularity in the 70’s and well into the 90’s. From females to males, old people to young, the mullet is a part of our culture that is here to stay whether you may like it or not.

How did it get it’s name?
The Oxford English Dictionary attributes the Beastie Boys to coining and popularizing the name, in relation to their 1994 song “Mullet Head”.

Why did it go out of style?
Don’t worry folks. The mullet is still alive and in full effect. We don’t expect this fading out of style any time soon. For the most part, the folks in the good ol’ southern states are helping fuel the movement.

What celebrities wore it?

• David Bowie (singer)
• Florence Henderson (Actress)
• Gallagher (entertainer)
• Michael Keaton (actor)
• John Stamos (actor)
• Steven Segal (actor)
• Chuck Norris (actor/martial artist)
• Bill Ray Cyrus (musician)
• Macgyver (character)

Other nicknames for the cut:
Achey Brakey Hair, Mississippi Mudflap, Hockey Hair, Tennessee Tophat, Ape Drape, Joe Dirt, Camero Cut

Variations of the Mullet:

• Chullet: A child with a mullet.
• Frullet: back of the head shaved, long fringe draping over the face.
• Rasta mullet: A combination of dreadlocks and a mullet.
• Jheri Curl mullet: Mullets for those with curly hair.
• Fem-mullet: A female wearing a mullet .
• Skullet: Shaved head with long hair draping behind.

#4. The Mohawk

What is it?
The mohawk (or Mohican) is a haircut style that is formed by shaving each side of the head while leaving a strip of longer hair in the middle. They gained popularity amongst the “punk rock” subculture in the late 70’s to early 80’s.

Why was it popular?
It is associated with the “punk rock” edgy and rather snotty attitude which creates a statement of carelessness and non-conformism.

Is it still popular?
Despite being associated with the punk rock subculture, not only are mohawks still popular — they are becoming a part of mainstream fashion. A modified version of this hairstyle, called a fauxhawk became semi-popular in early 2000.

How is it maintained?
Holding agents like egg whites, shoe polish, toothpaste, glue, gelatin, and cornstarch are all products that can be used to maintain the “spike”.

What celebrities wore it?

• Chuck Lidell (UFC fighter)
• Mr. T, P Diddy (rapper)
• and a countless number punk rockers.

#5. The Rat Tail

What is it?
The rattail is a style of haircut that is recognized for it’s tail-like characteristic which stems from the back of the head growing down towards the buttocks. Although it’s not as popular as it once was in the 80’s, now and then you may be able to catch a glimpse on someone. It can be braided, straightened, curled, permed, or even dreaded.

Why was it popular?
The hell if I know.

Is it still popular?
It has recently become less popular, however it still has a decent following in the southern states by predominately white Protestant males.

How is it maintained?
It is relatively easy to maintain, due to the fact that those with this hairstyle generally don’t give a crap about how it looks. Their main concern is that the tail is draping down their back like a waterfall touching their butt.

What celebrities wore it?

• Miroku (InuYasha)
• Dr. Tofu (anime character)
• Kostya Tszyu (boxer)
• Bobb Cobb (inventor of the Cobb salad)

#6. The Afro

What is it?
Often called a ‘fro, this haircut protrudes in a globe-like style ballooning the hair in the form of a halo. Most afros require extremely curly hair, which is why they are typically found on African-Americans. This haircut is all about volume, folks; the denser the hair, the better.

Why was it popular?
Today, afros are used in pop culture for satirical purposes. Long ago, the ancient Egyptians wore hairpieces that resembled the ‘fro’ style. It wasn’t until the 70’s that it gained the height of its popularity. Amidst all the Black Power/Pride movements, it was used to stand apart and stick up against political militance (see: Angela Davis). It started going mainstream when disco and funk music made a breakthrough.

Is it still popular?
Although now it is more of a fashion symbol, it still is popular amongst not only the African community, but the Jewish community as well. “JewFros” are basically afros on Jewish people, and have become quite the popular style.

How is it maintained?
Maintaining an afro is difficult without a professional hair stylist or help from another person since it requires the hair to be frizzed all over. In addition, an afro pick is needed to puff up the hair and give it that “full” appearance.

What celebrities wore it?

• Jesse Jackson (asshole)
• Reggie Jackson (athlete)
• Michael Jackson (singer)
• Angela Davis (socialist organizer)
• Janine Green (actress)
• Macy Gray (singer)
• Jimi Hendrix (guitarist)

Posted in: lists
Tags: afro, flock of seagulls, jerry, jheri curl, mohawk, mullet, rat tail

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Stupid Fads Americans Followed

February 29th, 2008 at 2:13 AM.

As a consumer nation, Americans love to do stupid shit. Buying it, speaking it, or doing it — we’re all guilty. Many fads have created and changed American pop-culture. Some for the better, but a staggering amount for the worse. We are here to bring you a list of what we think were some of worst fads to be introduced to American culture.

#1. Pogs

Originally started in Hawaii, this past-time (or waste thereof) was all the rage throughout middle school in the height of its popularity circa mid 1990. It should have been a warning that a Canadian game company publicized the game, or the fact that people were excited to turn over pieces of cardboard with a slab of metal (for you enthusiasts — a slammer).

The premise was to stack a bunch of circular cardboard cutouts and use a slammer (heavier pogs generally made of metal or sometimes plastic [for low income families]) to flip as many as possible upside-down.

I was an unfortunate victim of the game’s wrath until it was classified as gambling throughout most of North America.It was cool for a couple weeks, but people started to take it way to seriously. I once made a guy cry because I took one of his ‘best’ slammers and never gave it back. Poor kid. He currently mows lawns for a living and loves it. Such is life.

Some 3rd world countries are just hearing about it…

#2. Pet Rocks

Where do I begin with this stupid gimmick? Find a rock, put it in a bunch of fake moss, give it a birth certificate, then sell it to the public. Sounds like a horrible idea right? The creator (Gary Dahl) certainly made a killing by selling over 5 million of these before people realized how much they sucked.

I should start selling petrified feces in boxes. Throw some moss in there and add some four leaf clovers and claim it’s origination dates back to Jerusalem biblical figures.

I don’t even think I’d release a Moses just to throw avid collectors off.

 

#3. Tamagotchi

Tamagotchi, Gigapet, Piece of Garbage — whatever you chose to call it, these things SUCKED. Every pre-teen girl who couldn’t convince their parents to buy them a REAL pet settled for this sad substitute. The thing was basically a hand held computerized pet, which would die if you didn’t keep feeding it every 30 minutes. That’s an awesome concept to teach young children; if you don’t service your addiction regularly, you’re gonna die.

#4. Rollerblading

I really don’t know where to begin with this. I wish I could, but honestly, this makes Soap Shoes look cool. I remember my rollerblading phase. It consisted of me biting the pavement twice and shredding the meat off of my chin in the exact same spot. Six stitches later, and I was good to go. Even growing up as a kid, I could never see how shoes with wheels looked cool when someone would do a trick with them on. I can see how they may make you “feel” cool while you’re in mid-air and doing a flurly-mc-twist-back-shuvit, but if anything, these make you look like a spaz.

#5. Fanny Packs

Who besides Hulk Hogan still wears one of these? Actually, you’d be surprised of how many people are actually trying to bring back this relic of a bygone era. Just take a stroll through Wal-Mart one day, or hang out at the race-track and you’ll be bound to find some poor soul who either thinks it’s convenient, or bad-ass. I hope for the former, but expect the latter.

#6. Checks *

O.K. — who the hell still uses these? For some reason with the improvements in technology and ease of payment options, some asshole still decides to march around stores with a plastic bag containing:

• A bruised banana
• Beanie from the 1980’s recently purchased from a garage sale
• Skid Row poster rolled up and poking through one side
• TIMEX light-up 100 meter underwater watch
• A fucking checkbook.

It seems with whatever job that I work at, there is always “that person” who asks if we accept checks. You know something has become so obsolete when you have to make sure that it is still being accepted. Generally I scorn at the thought, but keep a straight “business professional” face on. If you have a checkbook, it’d be in your best interest to burn it. Not only does it piss off the people who have to verify the checks, it pisses off everyone in line waiting for all your 8 forms of identification that need to be presented during the process, as well as yourself. It pisses you off and you know it because you still write checks.

Maybe you don’t feel comfortable walking around with cash in your pocket — or you just had a shitty credit score and can’t get issued a credit card. Whatever the case may be, do everyone a favor and rid yourself of the hassle of owning a checkbook.

* Due to the many negative comments directed at LOLATTACK for adding this to the list, it has therefore been honorably discharged. We have teamed up with ChecksInTheMail once we alerted them of this dilemma. Therefore, for every order you place with the coupon code “LOLChecks”, you will receive 20% off your order.

#7. Beanie Babies

Beanie Babies and some other lame toys

A Beanie Baby is essentially a fancy bean bag in the form of a stuffed animal and became popular circa 1995. Many designs were retired to make them a hotter collector’s item. That marketing campaign took a dive when they were retiring half of their line which alerted people that it was all a publicity stunt to inflate sales. This was a precursor to all the fake Gucci/Versace/Coach shit you now see. Some people actually went as far to counterfeit these things.

A St. Louis Park couple who smuggled counterfeit Beanie Babies into the U.S. and sold them on the Internet were sentenced Thursday in federal court in Minneapolis. Read the rest of the story here »

 

#8. Stupid Witty Retorts

These were the WORST! Words like “Psyche!”, “Not!”, “Duh!” amongst others were NOT witty, funny, or anything in between.

Some examples used in a conversation:

Psyche

Hayden: Yo Johnny! I’m going to shit my pants!!
Johnny: Whoa man hold on! Wait until I pull over to the side of the road first!
Hayden: PSYCHE!

NOT!

Johnny: Hey Suzy, you are really pretty
Suzy: Aww thanks Johnny! You’re so sweet
Johnny: NOT!

DUH!

Johnny: Hayden, we need to stand in line for Star Wars tickets before they sell out
Hayden: Duuuuh! (emphasis on the “uh”)

#9. Bowl Cuts

The Bowl Cut is created by cutting the hair at the top in a circular line around the head. The hair below this cutting line is clipped to 1/8 - 1/4 in. and follows the traditional men’s cut at the perimeter.

In other words: your haircut is going to suck.

Posted in: lists
Tags: , bowl cuts, checks, duh, fads, fanny packs, pet rocks, pogs, psyche, retorts, rollerblading, tamagotchi

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