NEW PORT RICHEY — There are hairstyles, and then there is the mullet. Over the years it’s become a part of pop culture and this week a kid from New Port Richey is having his mullet moment.
It’s business in the front, party in the back, for nine-year-old Kayden Manning.
“When I went to school on the first day all my friends were saying, ‘I like the haircut’ and some were saying, ‘what happened to your head,” said Kayden. “Not a lot of kids in my whole school have mullets.”
Kayden got the idea to grow the neck warmer from his own step-dad Chris, who is in a mullet chat group with some of his friends.
“We hear nice mullet, sweet mullet, whether we are at the baseball field, or out at the beach, anywhere, everybody loves the mullet,” said Chris Brotherton.
Kayden’s family never thought their son’s Tennessee top hat would make him famous, until they discovered the website, mulletchamp.com.
“And I said, ‘wow those are some pretty good mullets I want mine to be like that,’” said Kayden.
Out of 500 entries in the kids' category, Kayden, with his signature American Flag look, found himself in the top 25. Now it’s up to the public to vote for the winner. The first prize receives $2,500.
“He’s such a sweet kid he said, ‘I’ll give you some,’ and I said, ‘no that’s your haircut, your mullet, that’s going right into your bank account,’” said Brotherton.
However, maintaining a championship mane isn’t all glitz and glamour.
“Sometimes my hair gets stuck to my neck but I’m fine with it, it doesn’t bother me,” said Kayden.
So what does mom think about all this?
“They both tried to convince me to cut my hair into a mullet, I’m not that far yet, but I like it on them,” said Brittany Hundertmark.
Kayden said he plans to rock the mullet for the rest of his life.
To vote for Kayden go to mulletchamp.com and click on his picture. Voting ends October 11.
“Vote for me Tampa Bay I got the winning mullet,” said Kayden.
