Tennessee Woman Sets World Record With Mullet Taller Than Tom Cruise

A nurse from Knoxville, Tennessee, has been given the Guinness World Record for having the longest mullet of any woman, with her hair extending to a staggering 5 feet-8 inches, making it taller than 5-foot-7 inch Hollywood star Tom Cruise.

Tami Manis, who also serves in the Tennessee State Guard, claimed she hasn't cut the mullet since February 9, 1990, which she celebrates as the hairstyles' birthday, though she does get the side of her head trimmed.

In an interview published on the official Guinness World Records website, Manis claimed she was first inspired to grow her hair long in the 1980s after seeing the music video to 'Voices Carry' by the band 'Til Tuesday. She explained: "The girl had a rattail, and I really wanted one of those."

Manis agreed to let a hairdresser cut the mullet off in November 1989, but shortly afterwards regretted the decision and has since been growing her hair for more than 30 years.

In 2022, Tami won second place in the female "Femullet" competition which forms part of the U.S. Mullet Championships, the largest in the world with more than 1,000 applicants. She received $300, losing out to Alexa Lindsey of Michigan, who walked away with $500.

Shortly after, she learned Guinness World Records had introduced the longest mullet as a competitive category, and decided to apply. She explained: "I was first notified that Guinness World Records actually opened a mullet category by email."

After a lengthy process, Tami discovered she had won when she found a package, containing her Guinness World Records certificate, on her front porch, commenting: "When I opened it, I thought, 'This is amazing.'"

To keep her hair in top condition, Tami said she washes it using Hask hair products, including shampoo and conditioner, then dries it with paper towels.

Once a week, a friend comes around and braids the hair and it maintains this style until the next wash.

Tami said she is "very fortunate that my hair has grown" so long, which she attributed both to good genes and her care routine.

The style also has its social advantages, making Tami hard to forget. She said: "The weirdest thing I find is that people remember me from years ago."

She's not the only one to break a World Record in the past few years and make headlines.

In January 2022, Saturnino de la Fuente García, aged 112 years and 241 days, died four months after becoming the world's oldest man according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Speaking to the publication de la Fuente García said the secret to longevity was living "a quiet life" and not hurting anyone.

David Rush, an author and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) advocate, successfully broke 52 world records in the 2021 calendar year with his achievement being recorded for YouTube.

In China, martial artist Xie Desheng became famous by breaking 10 Guinness World Records in two years, all but one of which was achieved using his nunchaku, a weapon consisting of two short poles chained together.