9 of the worst hair fads for men of all-time
Jeff Wysaski
Since we crank out so many stories each week some really good ones get lost in the cracks. And since so many new people visit Guyism every day (thank you), we thought we’d take some time on the weekends and holidays to share a few classics that many of our newer readers may have missed.
When it comes to looking good, choosing the right haircut is incredibly important. Over the years, unfortunately, generations of men have been misled by a few horrible hair fads. Let’s take a look into the past (and present) to scope out a few hairstyles that men everywhere regret they ever had.
9 The Emo Cut
Countless kids of the early 2000s were misled into thinking the emo cut was a cool way to express their angst. Often paired with a pair of skinny girl jeans and a bold lip piercing, it’s clear that the androgyny of this cut doesn’t do much to improve the look of an average man. And why does the hairstyle have to sweep in front of the eyes? My guess is to help soak up all those emo tears.
8 Faux Hawk
Curse you, Ryan Seacrest for helping to popularize this uber bro cut. Positioned as the business-friendly Mohawk, this toned-down version was inexplicably popular for several years. Thankfully, the world’s fashion-obsessed dudes eventually got over the hairstyle and moved onto some other abomination.
7 The Shag
You’ve seen it on Kanye, but this ridiculous haircut was first popularized in the 1980s. The cut involves growing out the hair at the neck to give your head a nice “bulging tumor” effect. Thankfully, not all that many dudes took Kanye’s cue and picked up on this silly hairstyle.
6 Lines Shaved in the Side
A trademark look for Vanilla Ice, the shaved line was a popular hair accent in the 1990s. Sadly, the look was hardly nice, nice baby (a fact I know all too well -– I have the elementary school pictures to prove it). The fad eventually evolved to include patterns like lightning bolts and other things before fading away into obscurity.
5 Frosted Tips
I think it’s safe to say that the poster child for the frosty tip fad was Mark McGrath — the super cool singer for the super amazing band Sugar Ray. In the late 90s, it seemed like two out of every three frat boys was heading to the salon to get their short spikes accented with hair bleach.
4 Pencil Eraser
Also known as the extreme fade, the pencil eraser was most famously worn by one half of the rap act Kid and Play. While most “real-world” pencil erasers weren’t quite as high as Kid’s, the fad certainly took hold in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Thankfully, guys everywhere came to their senses and eventually shaved all that excessive hair off.
3 The Mullet
With so many iterations, it’s hard to pinpoint a peak time for the classically awful mullet. However, it can be said that one of the heydays of the mullet was the mid 1980s. Sported by such celebrities as John Stamos, the dry-cut feather duster was definitely more neck hair than any many ever needs.
2 The Blowout
The Jersey Shore TV show is a train wreck that has negatively affected our culture in a number of ways. One such way is the proliferation of the Blowout hairstyle. Take one part guido and two parts hair gel, and you’ve got yourself an unnatural haircut that spikes straight up. While some guys may think it looks cool, the true fact of the matter is it just proves you’re trying too hard.
1 The Perm
Why anyone would willingly want to look like they’ve got a poodle on their head is beyond me. However, such was the decision of thousands of men in the early 1980s. If you’re wondering why so many guys fell for this awful fad, the only answer can be “disco/cocaine-induced brain fog.”
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