• by Danielle Oster , August 4, 2023

Fritos wants to help you go business in the front, party in the back.

Like some other ‘80s trends (think oversized blazers, denim on denim, and roller skating), mullets are making a comeback.

The short-front, long-back hairstyle that dominated the decade has grown in prominence over the course of the past few years, alongside the related wolf cut, as anyone who has walked a Brooklyn neighborhood or seen an MLB game lately can attest.

Seeking to embrace its “Down For Everything” brand identity, Fritos wants to help make the cut the style of the summer. To that end, the brand is the official snack sponsor of this month’s USA Mullet Championship, which aims to “celebrate the boldest and most daring hairdos in the nation,” according to the contest's website. And Fritos will be giving away 1,000 free haircuts on Fridays through Aug. 25 at Floyd’s Barbershop locations across the country, while appointments are available.

In a statement, Frito-Lay Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing Tina Mahal linked the marketing initiative to the brand identity of “authenticity and comfort in being yourself,” viewing it as a way to help Fritos fans “go with the flow -- literally.”

“Mullets are back! We've been seeing an uptick in the number of customers requesting them, and we want to embrace that,"  Patrick Butler, senior director of creative and technical education at Floyd's Barbershop, said in a statement, adding that the company anticipated appointments booking quickly due to high demand.

Whether fans receive one of the Fritos Flow cuts or were already rocking a mullet to begin with, they can then enter the various USA Mullet Championship competitions this month in a number of ways for a chance to win the $10,000 Mane Event cash prize, presented by Fritos: the virtual 18+ men’s event, the 55+ men’s/women’s virtual event, and the 18+ men’s/women’s event at the Illinois State Fair on August 12.

We’re not sure what’s up with the lack of a women’s 18+ virtual event is about, or what competition nonbinary mulleted people are supposed to enter, but there you have it. Mulleted Fritos fans can also share their mullet selfies on Instagram, and tag @officialfritos with #FritosFlow and #Sweepstakes for a chance to win a year’s supply of Fritos.