In Love With Mullets and Style Icon Yolandi Vi$$er

Earlier this year, my hair guru Keith Carpenter tried to persuade me to go back to the kind of pixie style he gave me in the 1990s.

From 1992. Click for original post.

I was like, “NAHHHH,” because I love my mullet.

In June, I had to try on a pair of overalls to go with my mullet for the complete People of Walmart look. Click for original post.

I’ve done variations on mullet-y hairstyles — short on top, long in the back — for years. This photo is from 2008 …

Click for original post.

… and this teeny image is from 2003.

Gigi the dog has a pink ribbon in her hair! Click for original post.

It’s a fun hairstyle to have because (a) you have the best of both worlds, obviously and (b) there generally haven’t been a lot of stylish mullets around. Lady Gaga’s friend Lady Starlight was one of the few, and the ever-changing Rihanna did a good one last year.

Keith trimmed my hair last week, but I told him I want to go more extreme on the next cut.

But, lately, mullets have been attracting the attention of the high-fashion world. Maybe the high/low hemline in apparel helped paved the way? Every time I see an article — like this one from Refinery29 in October — I send it to Keith. A week after the Refinery29 piece, the New York Times was asking, “Mullets: Are They So Bad They’re Good?” PopSugar chimed in with its own slideshow. In fact, I better stop sending these to Keith or he’s going to say, “Well, errrrryone has this haircut, so now you have to change it. How about a pixie?”

When you’ve got the fabulosity to pull it off, I say the more extreme the mullet, the better. My absolute favorite is worn by Yolandi Vi$$er of the South African rap-rave-zef group Die Antwoord, which also consists of the rapper Ninja and DJ Hi-Tek.

Yolandi Vi$$er.

I first looked up Die Antwoord on the recommendation of someone who knew I’m partial to lady rappers and a 1980s-influenced sound.  When I heard Yolandi’s squeaky Minnie Mouse voice I was instantly in love; when I saw the crazy January 2012 video for “I Fink U Freeky” I was obsessed.

I also got a kick out of the hilariously gross (OMG, the prawn star!) October 2012 video for “Fatty Boom Boom,” which attacks Lady Gaga for having the temerity to ask Die Antwoord to open for her tour. It such a demented and old-school-punk and totally DAFUQ? move to be angry at a huge star for being a fan, especially these days when any business-minded artist hopes for a helping hand from a megastar.

I listen to “Fatty Boom Boom” at least a couple of times every day while I’m at the gym. Sometimes I listen to Gaga’s “Bad Romance” after, so it’s like Die Antwoord is opening for her after all.  Oops!

Interestingly, Die Antwoord’s new video — just today — features a bunch of celebrity cameos, including Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, actor Jack Black, model Cara Delevingne, Marilyn Manson and Marilyn’s ex-wife, burlesque star Dita Von Teese. But who cares about them. I just want to stare at Yolandi looking like a gorgeous mulleted black swan.

Click Yolandi’s screen cap to watch the “Ugly Boy” video.

I’m kicking myself hard because at the very beginning of September I had looked for Die Antwoord tour dates and saw only that they’d canceled some shows — including one in New York — earlier in the summer. Somehow I overlooked the fact that they were scheduled to play makeup dates in a matter of days, so I missed them at both Irving Plaza and Terminal 5. Argh! Yolandi, come back to me soon.

Click for a great Yolandi slideshow.

You can bring Ninja and Hi-Tek if you want.