The mullet has long been seen as a laughable hairstyle, mocked for its “formal in the front, party in the back” appearance. But if there’s one person who can pull off the look, it’s Rihanna. The megastar has been rocking a mullet for several months now, and somehow she looks shockingly chic.
On January 25, Rihanna posted a video to Instagram, showing herself dancing in some new lingerie from her Savage X Fenty collection. The steamy post caught our eye for obvious reasons—that cheeky lace-up skirt to be specific—but it was her unexpected hairstyle that made us do a double take.
Shorter on the top and sides, with wispy baby bangs in the front, her hair is long in the back for modern take on the mullet. And while the sexy black lace certainly helps, it’s Rihanna’s gorgeous facial features and laid back vibes that make the cut work for her.
“ofc @badgalriri looks good even with a mullet ” one fan commented on the IG post.
This isn’t the first time Rihanna has showed off her mullet, though this video really gives us a great glimpse from all angles. In October, the singer-turned-fashion-designer sported the ‘80s style in a teaser video for her Savage x Fenty lingerie show, which aired on Amazon Prime Video.
And let’s not forget that RiRi first debuted a mullet in 2013, long before its recent revival. That said, she joins a long list of celebrities who have recently made the cut. Miley Cyrus comes to mind, of course, but in the past year we’ve also seen the style on Maisie Williams, Billie Eilish, Keke Palmer, and Debby Ryan.
There’s also evidence that the mullet is going mainstream. According to Cometify, the search term “how to cut a mullet” was up 1124% in 2020, while searches for mullet haircuts for women are currently up 100% on Google. Celebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger also predicts we’ll see much more of the modern mullet, or what she describes as the “evolved, editorialized mullet,” in 2021.
The past year brought about many unexpected trends, and while opinions of the modern mullet are conflicting, Rihanna is proof that it’s making its way back into fashion.
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