Tami Manis is the woman with the longest mullet in the world − and she just happens to live in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Her official title, held with Guinness World Records, is for "longest competitive mullet (female)." Coming in these days at around 5'7 stretched and wet, her flowing mane, which she refers to as her tail, is even taller than she is. That's why most days she keeps it braided.
Since coming into her mullet fame, Manis has traveled to Bulgaria to model and been featured in national news outlets. Some people judge, but Manis pays them no mind. And she said there's no way she's cutting the tail, especially now. Manis has been growing it since Feb. 9, 1990. "It's just me," she said. "It's just part of who I am."
Business in the front, party in the back
The first time Manis got
a mullet was around the time the song "Voices Carry" by the band 'Til Tuesday came out in 1985. She was inspired by lead singer Aimee Mann's rat tail and headed to the barber shop for her own. She ultimately cut that 'do, but then started growing the mullet she has now soon after.
Guinness found her when she competed in a national mullet contest in 2022 and placed second.
The hairstyle requires some pretty regimented maintenance. Once a week, she has a friend who helps her take the braid out, comb it and wash it. Manis said she shampoos and conditions, plus uses a deep conditioner by Shea Moisture. Then it's combed and rebraided; the whole process takes around an hour and 15 minutes.
Some people recognize her in public for her record. She's even been asked for an autograph. But others have lots of questions, so much so that she's considered making cards to hand out with the answers: "Yes, it's real. Been growing it for this long. Takes about an hour and 15 minutes to rebraid it once a week. No, I don't do it."
Believe it or not, the mullet isn't Manis' only claim to fame. She's also known for being the owner of the Flame Duckmobile, a 2002 Chevy Tracker covered in two kinds of tape, one yellow and one black with flames. The car is adorned with duck accessories too, which decorate places like the valve caps and the hood ornament.
She works for the Knox County Health Department, and she serves with the Tennessee State Guard. In her free time, Manis enjoys riding her motorcycle, although it turns out one has to be careful when combining motorcycling and mullet-having. She once got the end of it caught while taking her bike for a spin − and almost was pulled off. "So now before we go ride," she said, "We tuck the tail."
Hayden Dunbar Evans is the storyteller reporter. Email: hayden.dunbar@knoxnews.com. Instagram: @knoxstoryteller.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville woman has world's longest mullet. It's taller than she is
