YORK — For years, Will Joyner’s mother wouldn’t let him grow out his thick, curly hair. As soon as it reached ear level, off to the barber he went.
By 2020, Will had decided he wanted a mullet — long hair in the back, shorter on the top and sides — just like his father and uncle had sported in their pasts. When hair salons shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, he seized his chance.
Three years later, the 16-year-old Seaford resident has brown locks that fall all the way down to the middle of his back — a key piece of the mullet that just placed fifth nationally in the teen division of the 2023 USA Mullet Championships.
“I have a very good mullet, and I felt like people around the country should have the honor of getting to see it,” he said. “It feels great that I did so well.”
Will, a junior at York High School, competed against 90 other teens in the annual summer competition, which also has categories for kids, men and women (“femullets”). This year’s edition had more than 1,000 total entrants, 900-plus of them in the kids’ division.
Popular in the 1980s, the mullet hairstyle has made a recent comeback. The USA Mullet Championship began in 2020 in Fenton, Michigan, where contest founder and mullet aficionado Kevin Begola has an apparel and footwear company.
The first year, Begola was only looking for the best mullet in his state as a fun marketing idea. But after drawing 130 entries and interest from ESPN8: The Ocho channel, he expanded the event to a national field.
The competition also raises money for Homes for Wounded Warriors, a nonprofit that builds and remodels housing for injured veterans. This year, donations from participants and their supporters have topped $176,700.
Winners are chosen by online voting and a panel of judges who critique hairdos based on length, style, uniqueness and showmanship. Champions receive a trophy, cash awards and prizes from sponsors such as Fritos, B Fresh Gear and Cigar City Brewing.
About 16,000 people cast votes on the 10 teen finalists, each sporting a named mullet. Begola described Will’s “Seaford Special” as “very long and majestic.”
“His natural curls are something that a lot of other contestants have to pay for,” Begola noted. “We see perms and all sorts of extra stuff being done to amplify a mullet. He doesn’t hide his ‘party in the back,’ either. It’s there and ready to show you what he is all about.”
Will, a longtime fan of the ’80s for its music, cars and big hair, spotted a notice for the mullet championship on Facebook. His family encouraged him to submit photos, including his mother Jenny Joyner, whose feelings on the mullet have fully evolved.
Joyner admits that she originally thought Will was trying to irritate her with the idea and wouldn’t care for long hair properly. Today, she considers her son’s unique mullet an important part of his identity.
“Then the more it grew, the prettier it got,” she said. “What girl would not kill for those curls? The longer it grew, the compliments got more frequent. The more this happened, the more confident he got, and the more his personality developed. So yes, I love his beautiful hair and am so proud of the young man he is becoming.”
Will gets trims and shaping from his regular barber, Colts Cut at The Wrights Cut Family Barber Shop and Salon in Gloucester Point, about every three weeks. Other than that, his styling consists of basic shampoo and conditioner.
“It’s all natural,” he said. “I get cat-called a lot for it, by people of all different ages.”
Beyond his mullet-growing talents, Will enjoys fishing, riding motorcycles and working on cars. He also plays tackle for the York High football team, letting his long hair flow out the back of his helmet (“Nobody messes with it,” he says). After graduation, he plans to join his family’s plumbing business.
As for keeping the mullet going, Will’s answer is immediate.
“Absolutely yes,” he said. “I can’t cut it off now. Also, my mom loves my hair now, so I’m glad I didn’t give up on what I know was meant for me.”
Alison Johnson, [email protected]
