The bold hairstyle fashionistas thought would never return is back on-trend.

The resurgence of one of the most ridiculed haircuts comes from celebrities adopting it as diverse as singer Miley Cyrus, footballer Dusty Martin and convicted zookeeper Joe Exotic.

Also known as the "achy breaky big mistakey" thanks to Miley's dad Billy Ray Cyrus, the mullet was all business up front and party in the back.

Mulletologists who study the look define the modern version to be a short haircut with taper faded sides, short hair in the front, and longer hair in the back.

Northern Tasmanian teenager Bailey Johnson said the country mullet and the city version do tend to differ.

In Australia the return of the mullet predated last year's pandemic revival elsewhere, due to footy stars like Richmond cult hero Dusty Martin whose signature look "the dusty" or "the skullet" is a mullet, with the top fully shaved or extra short that's been popular for a couple of years.

According to Bailey, "the skullet" was more favoured as the "city mullet".

In all its glory, he reckons he sports the country mullet, prominent at last year's high school leaver's dinners across the Tasmanian Coast.

Bailey, of Davenport, stood out with his permed mullet on top.

"I don't mind a mullet," he said.

"I got the perm for the leaver's dinner, but I've had the top cut off since."

Bailey, who works for Highland Haulage, arrived at the dinner in a big rig to go with his mullet.

"It's better than the comb-over I had before," he said.

"I get a fair few random comments from people who say it's a nice mullet and want to know how long it took to grow it."

Mullets inspired by Aussie pro surfer Mikey Wright were in keeping with the traditional mullet defined by long hair all over with a longer style in the back.

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English-born Daniel Logue owns a traditional barbershop in Devonport's Fourways called Daniel and the Lion's Den.

He said many younger people were getting mullets, but the shorter faded version of the mullet, not the longer mullet more famous in the eighties.

Quinn Turner, 17, one of his clients, wore a mullet last year and was back in the barber's chair getting his short hair styled as a mullet in the making (MIB).

"Why not?" Quinn said.

"I don't think it's ever gone out in the North-West. A lot of people here like a mullet still."