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Spanish mullet, o ese extraño corte de pelo Posted by on Mar 18, 2011 in Spanish Culture

Cuando me lo contaron, me negué a creerlo. No puede ser, es imposible, pensaba: seguro que quieren tomarme el pelo. Pero como es una idea que todavía me atormenta, me he decidido a preguntar.  Sed sinceros: ¿alguno de vosotros, en alguna ocasión, oyó hablar del “spanish mullet”? Es curioso, ¡ni siquiera conozco el término español para este fenómeno!

Para quienes no sepan de qué hablo, voy a intentar aclararlo: pelo corto por delante, casi rapado por los laterales, y largo por la parte de atrás. Puede ir acompañado de rastas, aunque no es indispensable. O lo que en palabras de mi padre sería: “parece que te ha pelado un burro a bocados”, ¡pero ahora encima hay que pagar al peluquero!

Nunca he sido dada a criticar la moda, principalmente porque soy la primera que se la salta a la torera, pero debo reconocer que mi sentido estético no va acorde con esta tendencia. Investigando un poco he descubierto que ya en el siglo VI algunos rebeldes de la Roma clásica lo pusieron de moda, aunque ellos lo llamaban corte a lo “Huno” (si, como Atila, aunque yo siempre los imaginé con melena). Y por supuesto, la década de los 80 le dio todo su esplendor. Desde David Bowie hasta MacGyver lucieron orgullosos sus mullets. Por desgracia, no desapareció junto con las hombreras, y hoy día la llevan muchos adolescentes españoles, y otros no tanto.

Así que amigos, el día que deseéis visitar España, preparaos para disfrutar de su sol, su cultura, su maravillosa gastronomía, y la visión por doquier de estos jóvenes modernos del siglo XXI. Y por supuesto, no penséis que es un corte de pelo exclusivamente masculino, ¡aquí también existe la igualdad!

Y ahora me marcho a cortarme el pelo antes de que mi peluquero lea este artículo porque… ¡él también lleva uno!

When they told me, I refused to believe it. “It cannot be, it is impossible”, I thought: obviously, they are taking me for a ride. But since the thought still haunts me, I have decided to ask you. Be honest: have you ever heard about the “Spanish mullet “? Funnily enough, I don´teven know the Spanish term for this phenomenon!

For those of you who don’t not what I am talking about, I´ll try try to clarify it: short hair in the front part of your head, shaven along the sides, and long on the back. It can be accompanied by dreadlocks, though they are not required. Or what in my father’s words would be: “you look like you got your haircut from donkey bites”, but people actually pay for this!

I have never one to criticize fashion, mainly because I am the first one flouting it, but I must admit that my aesthetic sense does conform to this trend. Doing some research I have discovered that, in the sixth century, some rebels in ancient Rome made it fashionable, but they named it the “Hun” haircut (yes, Attila the Hun, although I always imagined them with long hair). And certainly, the  80s gave it all its splendor. From David Bowie to MacGyver, they all sported their mullets with pride. Unfortunately, it did not disappear together with the shoulder pads, and today it is worn by many Spanish teenagers, and even people who are not so young.

So, my friends, when you want to visit Spain, prepare yourselves to enjoy its sun, its culture, its wonderful gastronomy, and the pervasive sight of all these modern youth of the 21st century. And certainly, don’t think that it is an exclusively male haircut, gender equality also applies here!

And now I’m going for a haircut before my hairdresser reads this article because … he also wears a mullet!

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About the Author: Magda

Hi all! I’m Magda, a Spanish native speaker writing the culture posts in the Transparent Language Spanish blog. I have a Bachelor’s in English Philology and a Master’s in Linguistics and Literature from the University of Granada, in Spain. I have also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, and then worked as an English teacher in several schools and academies for several years. Last year was my first at university level. In addition, I work as a private tutor, teaching English and Spanish as a foreign language to students and adults. In my free time, I’m an avid reader and writer, editing and collaborating in several literary blogs. I have published my first poetry book recently. And last but not least, I love photography!