My mullet story is roundabout.

As a 7th grade English teacher, I seize most any opportunity to connect more deeply with students. Thankfully, as our cultural zeitgeist waxes retro, common ground with 90s-curious Gen Z has been easier to recognize and cultivate than ever before for an elder millennial like me. Shared interest in the music, film, TV and world events of the Bush-Clinton era fuels thought-provoking and community building discussion in my classroom.

As enjoyable as all this is, I suppose it’s not unexpected. I readily recall my generation’s interest in the 60s, spawning – among other things – a bell bottom fad, which culminated in the popularity of elephant-sized pant legs. Remember these? JNCO jeans? Further, we grilled our teachers about JFK, the draft, and whether they were old enough to go to Woodstock. Indeed, history is a cyclical institution.

I had no idea just how cyclical until one fateful afternoon at the gym.

I noticed a young man approaching the free weights. “You’ve got to be kidding me,“ I said incredulously, and much louder than I would call polite. I recoiled at my bench, switching to internal dialogue, saying, “Why does this teenager have the same hairdo as Ben Savage‘s dad in Season 1 of Boy Meets World?” Instantaneously, I realized OUR world was different.

The mullet, titan of 90s fare, was back. And in this moment, I knew I needed one.

“What better way is there, exactly, to earn the respect of 12-year-old boys,” I reckoned, “ than to have the haircut their moms won’t let them get.”