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New York, 4:13 PM
Wed Dec 2
56 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #style more →

    America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat

    The New Look: Ivy League Jerk Chic

    Tom Jones: Still In Style

    Mustaches are Back. Again!

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of oneninesevenfour oneninesevenfour
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    Thank you Gawker for helping me trace the root of white trash love (and here I thought it was those first few years in Southern Jersey). No, it was the popularity of the rattail during my hormonal preteen years in a midwestern exurb.
     Reply
    oneninesevenfour was starred oneninesevenfour was unstarred
    Image of squeakel squeakel
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    Some of the other posters here are correct. Before breakdancers and hicks adopted the rattail, it was worn primarily by vaguely new wave teenagers in the early 80's and would occasionally make an appearance on a punk's head as well.

    Hopefully it is the early group that the rattail revivers are referencing, but maybe it doesn't matter.
     Reply
    Cynical Media Bitch promoted this comment squeakel was starred squeakel was unstarred
    Image of EddieTheDane EddieTheDane
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    I'm wildly ambivalent.

    On one hand, the rattail is the most horrific, rapey, and rightly scorned coiffure choice since the merkin.

    On the other hand, the commitment required to actually grow one added to the courage to actual show it in public hints at some inner well of personal strength.
     Reply
    EddieTheDane was starred EddieTheDane was unstarred
    Image of BadUncle BadUncle
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    Ah, but micro-mullets are cute! You can wrap them up into single, miniature Princess Leia buns.
     Reply
    BadUncle was starred BadUncle was unstarred
    Image of Artie Fufkin Artie Fufkin
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    I live in Alabama, now how am I supposed to tell the hipsters from the rednecks?
     Reply
    Artie Fufkin was starred Artie Fufkin was unstarred
    Image of so5minutesago so5minutesago
    09/25/09

    @Artie Fufkin: steal their wallets?
     Reply
    so5minutesago was starred so5minutesago was unstarred
    Image of The Curse of Millhaven The Curse of Millhaven
    09/25/09

    @Artie Fufkin: The rednecks will never wear their girlfriend's clothes.
     Reply
    The Curse of Millhaven was starred The Curse of Millhaven was unstarred
    Image of Mount_Prion Mount_Prion
    09/25/09

    @The Curse of Millhaven: They wouldn't fit into them.
     Reply
    Mount_Prion was starred Mount_Prion was unstarred
    Image of Cynner Cynner
    09/25/09

    @so5minutesago: Lawd. All rednecks keep their wallets on chains connected to their belts. No money in the wallets, either.
     Reply
    Artie Fufkin promoted this comment Cynner was starred Cynner was unstarred
    Image of Artie Fufkin Artie Fufkin
    09/25/09

    I also encounter problems determining if the Billy Ray Cyrus shirts are ironic.
     Reply
    Edited by Artie Fufkin at 09/25/09 11:23 AM Artie Fufkin was starred Artie Fufkin was unstarred
    Image of so5minutesago so5minutesago
    09/25/09

    @Cynner: Exactly.
     Reply
    so5minutesago was starred so5minutesago was unstarred
    Image of Aspazija Aspazija
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    This is a little gem I caught while being touristy in London: a single back-length dreadlock rattail. It was all I could do not to vom on this kid's back. And to think, he had a girlfriend too!
     Reply
    katekate is squared approved this comment Aspazija was starred Aspazija was unstarred
    Image of TroisFilles TroisFilles
    09/25/09

    @Aspazija: Is that Steve from Blue's Clues?
     Reply
    Cunning_Linguist promoted this comment TroisFilles was starred TroisFilles was unstarred
    Image of Lizawithazee Lizawithazee
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    Andrew, if you're moving to Williamsburg you can single-handedly stop this trend with just a few well-placed snips. Go forth and perform this valuable public service, my friend. Cut and run.
     Reply
    Lizawithazee was starred Lizawithazee was unstarred
    Image of moodyonceamonth moodyonceamonth
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    Back in the day, I had a looooooong rattail, a la Aimee Mann in her 'Til Tuesday period. I thought I was the bomb. Turns out, not so much.
     Reply
    Miss Anita Manbadly promoted this comment moodyonceamonth was starred moodyonceamonth was unstarred
    Image of Miss Anita Manbadly Miss Anita Manbadly
    09/25/09

    @moodyonceamonth: We're assuming that back in the day was over a quarter century ago, yes?
     Reply
    Miss Anita Manbadly was starred Miss Anita Manbadly was unstarred
    Image of mossdale mossdale
    09/25/09

    @moodyonceamonth: I was a teenager in southern California in the early 80's, and that image (hipster new-wavish type rattail) matches more closely with my memories than "rednecks and unwashed losers." At one point a large percentage of the surf punk types had them. Maybe they were unwashed, I can't really say for certain.
     Reply
    Cynical Media Bitch promoted this comment mossdale was starred mossdale was unstarred
    Image of moodyonceamonth moodyonceamonth
    09/25/09

    @Miss Anita Manbadly: This would have been like '85 or '86. And rather than grow it out, I took the cheater's way out. I had long hair and got it butched, save for the magnificent rattail, which was kept braided at all times. The rattail/spiky do combo was only enhanced further by the blonde streak dyed above my right ear. So cool....I thought. Ah, memories.
     Reply
    moodyonceamonth was starred moodyonceamonth was unstarred
    Image of hagdirt hagdirt
    09/25/09

    @moodyonceamonth: Sounds about right. I got mine in 1987 - behind the trend, I know - mainly to keep up with the Wavers and the proto-Goths. But I refuse to admit what year I finally got rid of it.

    Most fun was repeatedly explaining to a boomer neighbor that it had no symbolic significance whatsoever. I have no idea what he thought it was "code" for. Um - pissing off my mom?
     Reply
    City_Dater promoted this comment hagdirt was starred hagdirt was unstarred
    Image of City_Dater City_Dater
    09/25/09

    New Wave boys (and some girls) in the late '80s had rattails. And they were gross and worthy of mockery back then too.

    That photo gave me a horrifying flashback to braiding my semi-boyfriend's rattail and stringing it with colored beads at his request, bitching all the while about how badly I wished he would just cut it off.
    I was wearing ripped fishnets with Doc Martens and a spandex minidress. *Shudder*
     Reply
    City_Dater was starred City_Dater was unstarred
    Image of FattyCatty FattyCatty
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    In the 80s, my redneck cousin had a rattail. My sister and I, visiting for 3 days, mocked him mercilessly the entire trip, and he finally cut it off the day after we left.

    For the right price, we can go to Williamsburg.
     Reply
    katekate is squared promoted this comment Edited by FattyCatty at 09/25/09 8:21 AM FattyCatty was starred FattyCatty was unstarred
    Image of son of spam son of spam
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    Let's combat the trend by retiring "rattail" and reverting to the older "bugger grip."
     Reply
    scroll_lock promoted this comment son of spam was starred son of spam was unstarred
    Image of Oy Veh (Informality Reigns) Oy Veh (Informality Reigns)
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    Better rat-tail than rat-genitals.
     Reply
    Oy Veh (Informality Reigns) was starred Oy Veh (Informality Reigns) was unstarred
    Image of Mount_Prion Mount_Prion
    09/25/09

    @Oy Veh (Informality Reigns): They're so disproportionate and creepy! *shudder*
     Reply
    Mount_Prion was starred Mount_Prion was unstarred
    Image of Trai_Dep Trai_Dep
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    You're too bashful to discover the horrifying truth, Andrew.
    The trend is actually rattail pubes: braids dandily tied and cunningly twisted in a fashion unseen since Blackbeard's facial hair ruled the seven seas. Hidden from an unsuspecting public until, like the Jolly Roger was hoisted high in days of yore, you're successful in bedding one of them.
    Their look is completed by adding burning incense sticks thrust through their urethra, but no matter how nicely they ask, do not offer to re-light them for him/her. It'll be too dark and you'll both be too drunk, so only calamity can result.
     Reply
    Trai_Dep was starred Trai_Dep was unstarred
    Image of Cunning_Linguist Cunning_Linguist
    09/25/09

    In reply to America's New Public Enemy: Tail of the Rat
    A rattail is just a pompous, lazy mullet.
     Reply
    Cunning_Linguist was starred Cunning_Linguist was unstarred
    Image of Shelwood Shelwood
    09/12/09

    In reply to The New Look: Ivy League Jerk Chic
    This makes perfect sense. Since the Billyburg types have been aping '70s style, it was inevitable that one would dig out The Preppy Handbook from 1980. Call it what you will, it's still a rerun.
     Reply
    Shelwood was starred Shelwood was unstarred
    Image of valet_of_the_dolls valet_of_the_dolls
    09/09/09

    In reply to The New Look: Ivy League Jerk Chic
    This makes an interesting companion to the Anna Wintour piece of earlier today. Someone who seems to have shed her previous self (or selves) as definitively as possible, and someone who so lovingly curates his past that it seems he'd go back there permanently, if he could.
     Reply
    valet_of_the_dolls was starred valet_of_the_dolls was unstarred
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