It’s officially business in the front and an epic party in the back for Tami Manis.
The 58-year-old from Knoxville, Tennessee has earned the title of the world's longest competitive mullet for a female.
Manis sports a flowing mane that is an impressive 172.72cm, earning her a spot in the 2024 Guinness Book of World Records.
A mullet is commonly referred to as being "business in the front and a party in the back" because of its short cut at the front, top, and sides, and length in the back.
The public health nurse has had a mullet since the 1980s, and said she was inspired by a music video from American rock band 'Til Tuesday.
"The girl had a rattail and I really wanted one of those," she told Breakfast this morning.
Manis then cut her mullet off in November 1989 and immediately regretted it. She began to grow it back the following February and hasn't trimmed it since.
"I keep my hair braided because it's longer than I am, and I step on it. When it's fully stretched out, totally relaxed, it's four inches (10cm) taller than I am," she said.
Manis said that despite the length of her hair, washing her mane isn't an arduous task.
"The washing's not that big of a deal. For the drying, I use a paper towel because regular towels leave lint. It gets braided once a week, and washed about every other day," she said.
Manis said her hair doesn't get in the way of her work as a nurse.
"I just lay it over my left leg, out of habit. So I know where my tail is at all times," she said. "It's a conversation piece. People get nervous with blood draws and it gives them something to talk about."
She said she has no plans to cut her hair anytime soon.
"No. I had it before, I'll have it after. Hopefully, everything keeps growing - this is just who I am," Manis said.
In 2022, Manis competed in the "Femullet" division of the 2022 US Mullet Championships and finished in second place.
Soon after, she applied for Guinness World Records' longest competitive mullet category and found out she was the new record holder when a certificate came in the mail.
“When I opened [the package], I thought, ‘this is amazing',” she said.
She will feature in the Guinness World Records 2024 book, alongside "Big" Rich Price of Strongsville, Ohio, who sports the world's longest male mullet at 99cm.
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