The Worst Hairstyles of the Last 6 Decades

Decades past have delivered some iconic and timeless looks. However, the same can’t be said for all hairstyles. Whether it’s a haircut that just isn’t worth the maintenance or a look that quickly lost its appeal, some hairstyles are best left hanging out in the past. Here are some of the worst men’s hairstyles of the past six decades.

2010s: The Skrillex

Imagine seeing this hairstyle when Skrillex first came onto the scene, thinking you wanted to look just like him, and spending years growing out your hair – only to then shave off a whole side. While this style was definitely distinctive and “edgy,” it quickly fell out of style before many people had time to imitate it.

2000s: The Blowout

By now we’ve all seen the memes comparing Pauly D’s infamous hair to a peanut butter cup. Not only is this style abrasive and one-dimensional, but it also requires you to constantly put high-hold products in your hair, which can cause damage over time.

1990s: The Bowl Cut

For a decade that gave us frosted tips, the rat tail, and the curtain cut, you’d think it would be harder to pick the worst haircut of the 1990s. But no, that (dis)honor goes to the bowl cut. Now synonymous with a poor sense of style, you could count on seeing at least a few bowl cuts in every suburban classroom at some point in the 1990s.

1980s: Mullet

When it comes to picking the worst hairstyle of the 1980s, anything other than the mullet would simply be incorrect. While the mullet has started to re-emerge, albeit with a chic spin, the mullets of the 1980s were the epitome of cringe. The more over the top the mullet was in the 1980s, the cooler it was.

1970s: Mutton Chops

Thankfully, there’s hardly a sideburn in sight these days. But in the 1970s, it was as if men woke up one day and decided it was time to relive the glory days of the late 1800s. Throughout this decade, the bigger the sideburns were, the better. While Hugh Jackman would somehow pull off this look as Wolverine three decades later, the mutton chops of the 1970s remain infamously silly. We’re just glad men wised up and swapped them out for mustaches in the following decade.

1960s: Caveman Hair

If men in the 1970s were recalling the style of the industrial revolution, then men in the 1960s were imitating styles from the dawn of man. While styles of the early 1960s heavily resembled looks from the 1950s, the change in styles would be just as drastic as the changes in culture. In particular, the late 1960s saw men abandoning convention and seemingly giving up on any semblance of hair maintenance. As a result, it became common to see long locks paired with completely untrimmed beards.

While we certainly aren’t free of questionable styles these days, we’re glad these styles have fallen out of popularity.