Maybe it should be “Mo Mohawks.” Regardless, today, I will take the mohawk, back-comb it, hit it with some gel and hair spray, and hit the streets with it, swaggering all the way. The previous two World Cups arguably saw more mohawks than this instalment, but I wasn’t blogging back then, was I? After examining a range of styles, I will wax on some reasons behind the silliest of male coifs.
Few doubt that the modern fascination with the mohawk style derives from Mr. T, who has made a resurgence of late thanks to an appearance in World of Warcraft (some video game, apparently – I prefer Guitar Hero) and the A-Team movie (in theaters now, unfortunately). Here’s an example of the former incarnation:
My, what pointy shoulder pads. This is technically a Frohawk, by the way, and has separate African roots from the Native American Mohawk nation. This style, in its peroxided form, has been adopted by everyone’s favorite braggart in professional sports, Chad Ochocinco:
His mouth alone outweighs the GDP of several remote Pacific Island nations. This century’s foremost mohawker has to be David “er, you know” Beckham, the fellow who sits on the England bench in his designer grey suit:
Beckham’s look has been replicated in the soccer world by the new poster child, the Portugese star Cristiano Ronaldo:
“But Jamie!” I hear you interject, “the sides of his head aren’t shorn!” Worry not, dear reader. What we have here is the fauxhawk, so named because it’s something of a cop out. It’s more of a hairstyle than a hair cut, and is probably the most popular form of mohawk, since it does not require complete commitment on he who sports it. You coud still hold down a respectable job and just fauxhawk it on the weekends, for example.
That’s the sting in the tail of the mohawk: while a great look socially, it does not crossover well into the normal work-a-day world. Thus, may of its proponents tend to be athletes, actors, and musicians. Check out, for instance, this 2009 post on the prevalence of mohawks in the NBA from The Hoop Doctors.
This year has also seen a resurgence in mohawkdom thanks to Mark Salling’s character Puck in the TV series “Glee”:
Interestingly, this character shaved his mohawk off half way through the first season of the show to signal his shift in personality. The shave symbolized, albeit in plodding terms that were spelled out for the viewer, a casting aside of the braggart persona to adopt a more mature, respectful, gleeful singing persona that could treat the black, white, asian, handicapped, straight, gay, pregnant, and Jewish characters on the show with equal amounts of dignity.
This example approaches the niche that the mohawk occupies in our culture. Gone are the days of the mohawk as an intense expression of punk counter culture, although the drummer from Blink 182 still flies the flag proudly. Ok, that photo broke. Never mind.
Instead, the popularization of the mohawk reflects a larger swelling of mainstream culture to engulf little counter-culture movements and strip them of their edge. The same has happened to tattoos, piercings, skimpy clothing, baggy clothing, used clothing, torn clothing, and many more.
We have become desensitized to such an extent that shock-value is now almost impossible to attain. Rap music, pornography, mohawks – you name it. This could pose problems as those seeking to make a bold statement, those seeking shock-value, have to move further and further away from the mainstream. Their expressions do not simply frustrate parents trying to protect their children; they begin to cause serious harm.
On the other hand, expanding our cultural norms also reflects our wider acceptance as a culture. While a pre-pubescent, nasal brat sporting a mohawk might strip a legitimate punk of his ability to express his identity, it also marks progress. Gone are the days of rampant discrimination for non-traditional fashion choices.
A final word on the mohawk: it represents confidence, more than anything else. Male fashion is rife with conformity, and a mohawk-sporter announces that he is comfortable with and proud of his mark of difference. But again, the intensity of this statement has been muted as a once-shocking hairstyle enters the mainstream.
Cultural Residue 