Source: Tami Manis / Guinness World Records
What can one achieve by avoiding a haircut for 33 years? Tennessee’s Tami Manis can tell you – she can claim the world record for having the longest female mullet.
Manis, aged 58, recently shared her journey towards attaining one of the most unusual Guinness World Records. In an interview featured by the organization renowned for cataloging over 40,000 world records, she revealed her inspiration behind growing her hair remarkably long at the back, tracing it back to the 1985 music video for ‘Voices Carry’ by the rock band ‘Til Tuesday. She explained, ‘The girl had a rat tail, and I really wanted one of those.’
‘The girl had a rat tail, and I really wanted one of those.’ – Tami Manis
This fascination led her to embrace a hairstyle that was a spin-off of the iconic ‘short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back’ trend popularized in the 1980s and 1990s by figures like actor Patrick Swayze, musician Billy Ray Cyrus, and Serie A star Roberto Baggio, among others. Manis had already developed a substantial mullet by the fall of 1989 when she made the fateful decision to have it trimmed, an action she soon regretted.
In February 1990, she returned to the salon, marking the last time she would ever trim the back of her hair. She proudly declared that she has not cut it since, and it now measures an impressive 5ft 8in (172.7cm) in length. Predictably, her distinctive mullet becomes a frequent topic of conversation among friends, family, and even casual acquaintances, many of whom only realize its extraordinary length when she turns around. As recounted to Guinness, it’s not uncommon for people who encounter Manis years later to remember her solely because of her iconic mullet.
Last year, Manis decided to participate in the US Mullet Championships, an annual event that attracts over 1,000 contestants. Judges evaluate mullets based on factors such as length, style, uniqueness, and showmanship. Manis secured the competition’s runner-up prize of $300, with the top prize of $500 going to Alexa Lindsey of Holland, Michigan, who has since passed away, according to records.
Subsequently, Guinness recognized her with a unique record category for the longest competitive mullet. Feeling confident, she applied to be considered for the female record, which required submitting a video documenting the length of her hair. Eventually, she received an email confirming her achievement as the titleholder and fondly remembers the moment she received the Guinness certificate, officially recognizing her as the woman with the world’s longest mullet. She expressed her amazement, saying, ‘When I opened it, I thought, “This is amazing.”‘
Manis credits her good genetics for enabling her to grow her hair to such remarkable length and thickness. She maintains her mullet by using Hask hair products, including shampoo and conditioner infused with argan oil. Due to its extraordinary length, she usually keeps it braided, as her mullet surpasses her own height.
Check out here interview here below!
