I could only sit and try not to stare. If I had made eye contact with the guy, he would have seen the look of utter shock and horror on my face.

I was sitting in the salon where I get my hair cut every three weeks without fail. Sure, it is white and a little thin these days, but I still want my hair to look good. So, as I wait for the woman who cuts my hair to be ready for me (I am always early), I see a guy getting a perm.

Yes, he was getting a perm. And no, Jimmy Carter was not the president.

And then I saw that the man getting a perm was almost completely bald.

Let that sink in for a minute.

The top of his head was totally bald, but he had some hair on the sides, and he had grown it out as long as he could – about three inches. It was just enough to get rollers in so he could get a perm.

I get that we all want to look our best. But getting a perm when you are almost totally bald? That doesn’t make sense. But apparently, the man perm is making a very slow comeback. Shocking, but true.

Even more shocking is the fact that the once much-hated symbol of redneck fashion, the mullet, is also coming back. And this comeback is strong. I am starting to see mullets on younger people quite a bit these days.

I have been going through all of the senior photos for our annual graduation section, and the number of mullets I saw was surprisingly high. One seems to be one too many, but there are plenty of young guys in Ogle County strutting around sporting a mullet.

And I do mean strutting around. Let’s face it, if you have the guts to rock the mullet, you aren’t worried about what other people might think of you. That is a bold look.

So, to you mullet guys out there, I salute you and the gusto at which you take on life.

It does seem that what’s old is new again. Things come around and around in fashion trends. It makes me wonder when I will start seeing a ducktail. Will those be coming back? Are young people going to start slathering Brill Cream on their hair? Is Dippity-Do going to be on the wish list of hair care products for youths soon?

Sure, laugh it up. But crew cuts could be the next trend.

Remember when only lumberjacks, criminals and the unemployed had beards? Well, look around these days – everyone has a beard. Teens? Beards. Old dudes? Beards. Toddlers? Well, not beards yet, but give them time.

The beard care industry must be a trillion-dollar earner these days. For twenty-somethings I think having a beard is a requirement, so a lot of that paycheck is going toward beard care.

I am looking forward to mutton chops coming back in fashion. How about the handlebar mustache? Sure, bring it back. I want men walking around looking like Civil War reenactors 24/7.

In the meantime, I guess we will have to get used to the mullet and its business in the front/party in the back attitude. And the mostly bald perm might become a go-to look for the over 60 crowd.

Wake me up when the mohawk is fashionable again. I’ll give that one a shot.