What 15 celebrities look like with mullets and shag haircuts

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  • Celebrities can't get enough of mullets and shag haircuts these days.

  • Stars like Jane Fonda and Rob Lowe rocked mullets in the '70s and '80s.

  • Now, celebrities including Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, and Zendaya are bringing back the trends.

  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Jane Fonda alternated between mullets and shag haircuts in the '70s.

jane fonda mullet
Jane Fonda in May 2015 (left), and the actress in January 1971 (right). Yves Herman/Reuters and Bill Ray/ The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images

Though mullets have a deep history that goes back to prehistoric people, Ancient Rome, and indigenous people, according to Dazed, the hairstyle became most popular amongst celebrities in the '70s and '80s.

Surprisingly, one of the most popular images of a celebrity's hair from that time is Fonda's mugshot from 1970, when she was arrested for carrying vitamins that airport security thought were drugs, as she wrote in an essay on her website.

Vogue previously said Fonda's mugshot "started a beauty revolution," as her dark hair was "part-mullet, part-shag." The style created a punk look, according to the publication, that was "a little unhinged, and entirely untamable."

Rob Lowe also embraced the trendy look in the '80s.

rob lowe mullet
Rob Lowe in March 2017 (left), and the actor in October 1985 (right). Danny Moloshok/Reuters and Ron Galella/Getty Images

Lowe's mullet was on the shorter side, with small bangs that barely crossed his forehead and longer strands along the back of his neck.

After mullets disappeared in the '90s, Scarlett Johansson brought the style back in 2003.

scarlett johansson mullet
Scarlett Johansson in October 2019 (left) and the actress in March 2003 (right). Mario Anzuoni/Reuters and Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

After spending nearly two decades in the spotlight, mullets "quickly became taboo" in the '90s, according to Dazed. At the time, people began to see the haircut as a representation of being dirty and having a low income, the publication reported.

Despite divided opinions on the look, Johansson brought the hairstyle back in 2003 with a modern twist. Her blonde hair showed dark roots, which was extremely popular in the early aughts.

A few years later, Taylor Momsen debuted a choppy shag on the red carpet.

taylor momsen
Taylor Momsen in September 2010 (left) and the musician in September 2008 (right). Michael Loccisano/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

In a previous interview with Insider, hairstylist Ocean McDaeth described mullets as being a "cousin to the shag" haircut, which is meant to have "a lot of texture and layers" on the top of the head.

In 2008, Momsen debuted that exact style at a Condé Nast event in New York City. She wore straightened bangs that led to layered strands around her ears — giving the effect of a mullet without requiring any major chopping.

Kanye West experimented with a unique mullet in 2009.

kanye west mullet
Kanye West in March 2015 (left) and the musician in January 2009 (right). Charles Platiau/Reuters and Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Though the rapper usually sticks to buzz cuts, he briefly wore a short, curly mullet at the start of 2009 for a variety of performances.

Taraji P. Henson put her own twist on the look in 2009.

taraji p henson mullet
Taraji P. Henson in March 2018 (left), and the actress in June 2009 (right). Mario Anzuoni/Reuters and Maury Phillips/Getty Images

At the 2009 BET Awards, Henson walked the red carpet with sleek, straight hair that was shorter in the front and longer in the back. She made the shag hairstyle her own by wearing her bangs swooped to one side, and her long strands flared outwards.

Rihanna, on the other hand, went for a more drastic look with her dark mullet in 2013.

rihanna mullet
Rihanna in October 2019 (left), and the musician in September 2013 (right). Andrew Kelly/Reuters and Alo Ceballos/Getty Images

While walking around New York in September 2013, Rihanna was photographed with a mullet that included wispy bangs, and much longer strands of hair that extended beyond her shoulders.

The musician and Fenty founder recently wore a mullet again, as seen in a promotional video for her 2020 Savage X Fenty fashion show.

Zendaya opted for a traditional mullet at the 2016 Grammy Awards.

zendaya mullet
Zendaya in September 2019 (left) and the actress in February 2016 (right). Caitlin Ochs/Reuters and Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Her bold hairstyle was blonde up top and a medium-brown shade on the bottom. Zendaya paired the look with a black tuxedo and peep-toe heels.

Halsey can rock just about any hairstyle, but the mullet-inspired shag really suits her.

halsey mullet
Halsey in September 2019 (left), and the musician in May 2019 (right). Shannon Stapleton/Reuters and Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

She wore eyebrow-length bangs and layered, textured waves while visiting SiriusXM Studios on May 22, 2019. The shag haircut she had at the time was a lot different than the bobs and buzz cuts Halsey is usually seen wearing.

Billie Eilish debuted a neon mullet in 2019 - by accident.

billie eilish mullet
Billie Eilish in March 2019 (left) and the musician in November 2019 (right). Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images and Gregg DeGuire/Stringer/Getty Images

On November 2, 2019, Eilish attended the LACMA Art + Film Gala with a brown mullet that was dyed neon green at the roots. As Insider's Anneta Konstantinides previously reported, the young musician "was quickly praised for making the daring cut 'look so cool.'"

When approached by a TMZ reporter after the event, however, Eilish said she never intended on having a mullet.

"All your fans are loving the mullet, are you gonna start a trend now?" the TMZ reporter asked.

"Mullet? What you mean, mullet?" Eilish replied.

She went on to say that people were "mean" to say her hairstyle resembled a mullet, and added: "No, listen. You know what happened? Somebody dyed my hair and they burned half of it. So now it looks like a mullet. That s--- is not on purpose though."

Miley Cyrus has been rocking a mullet for months after getting a shag haircut from her mom.

miley cyrus mullet
Miley Cyrus in September 2019 (left) and the musician in February 2020 (right). Kevin Mazur/Steve Granitz/Getty Images

In November 2019, Miley Cyrus got a choppy haircut from her mom, and later had celebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger touch up the look. The end result was a mullet that Cyrus has been rocking ever since. By April 2020, some even compared Cyrus' hair to that of "Tiger King" star Joe Exotic.

Barbie Ferreira showed off her mullet with an Instagram selfie at the start of 2020.

barbie ferreira

Mullets and shag haircuts have become a staple of the "Euphoria" star's look. She usually wears her hair with choppy bangs, mid-length sideburns, and long waves in the back of her head.

Debby Ryan embraced the shag hairstyle trend before the end of 2020.

debby ryan mullet

"Also cut a bunch of hair off my head last month or whenever 🦁🧝‍♀️," she wrote on Instagram at the end of November.

Her new hairstyle was created by celebrity stylist Kristin Ess, who wrote underneath the photo: "Girl, after all those projects and all those 180° hair changes, that hair probably could have cut itself 😂 thank you for trusting me 🖤"

Doja Cat wore the modern mullet trend at the Grammy Awards in 2021.

doja cat mullet
Doja Cat in November 2020 (left) and the musician in March 2021 (right). Emma McIntyre/AMA2020/Getty Images and Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Hairstylist Jared Henderson created the look, giving Doja Cat shag-like layers, short bangs, and longer strands that extended beyond her shoulders.

Demi Lovato debuted a black mullet with baby bangs at the iHeart Radio Music Awards.

demi lovato
Doja Cat in November 2017 (left) and the musician in May 2021 (right). Danny Moloshok/Reuters and Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Though Lovato has experimented with short hairstyles in the past, they haven't worn a mullet before. Hairstylist César DeLeön Ramîrez cut Lovato's hair, and described the look as a "glam rock mullet."

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