Waverley College has issued a new directive to students who attempt to go to school sporting a mullet, informing them that they could either follow the school’s hairstyle guidelines under its uniform policy or opt for a $20 haircut done on-the-spot.
Deputy principal Gabby Smith informed the parents prior to the start of Term 2 that their sons would be given a choice if they will get a haircut by the school’s chosen hairdresser or go home and miss classes to get their mullet sorted out. Their choices will be noted on their school file and related action taken pertinent to the policy will no longer require phone calls to their home or their parents.
In 2021, Waverley College banned mullets and other hairstyles that do not adhere to the school’s uniform policy, such as rat tails, braids for men, undercuts, layering, tinting and colouring, as well as the overuse of products. The school officials said that the rules had been clear and that the majority of the parents were supportive of the policy.
The mullet has been part of Australian culture since the 1970s and grew in popularity a decade later. Fashion expert Ailsa Weaver said that the hairstyle is a way of life for some Australians who take pride in their identity as “larrikins,” or fashion rebels.
Australian icon John Farnham had the mullet as his signature look, and heaps of sportsmen in the country also wear the same hairstyle.
Published 2-May-2023
