One of the most unfortunate styles to stick is the dreadful mullet. It's right up there with mom jeans, I believe. Unfortunately, this blasted hairstyle has managed to sneakily elude extinction because of its super-morphing abilities. That is the most dangerous aspect of the mullet and one of the main reasons why so many have fallen victim to it.

In the '70s, the look was popularized by David Bowie, who wore it totally glammed up as Ziggy Stardust, and in the '80s, the likes of MacGyver wore the cut big and loose. These days, it's popular with pretentious teen hipsters, who often wear the mullet straightened, spiky, and poorly bleached. They call it the "fashion mullet," but we all know that the addition of "fashion" in the term is doing nothing for it, don't we? These chameleon-like qualities of the hairstyle have allowed the mullet to coast freely through the decades, poisoning the heads of those who are too weak to resist it ... or those who have accidentally taken a little too much off the bangs.

Even worse, there are those who feel the need to get a little, uh, creative with the mullet. That's where the skullet, frullet, and ever-terrible Jheri Curl mullet come in. Click here and witness this horror, if you dare.

This week, I will be visiting a friend of mine in New York. She's kindly agreed to put me up for a few days and for this, she deserves a gift. The only trouble is that she's something of a high roller, which means the usual gift suspects -- truffles, wine, candles -- seem a little chintzy. Anything she could possibly want for her home or her closet, she probably already has. The other difficulty is that she is on some sort of strange sugar-free diet, so I couldn't go the gourmet food route to begin with. Out of desperation, I started looking for funny gag gifts.

Luckily, she has a very good sense of humor, which leads me to believe that she would be truly amused by a set of mullet magnets. The five magnet collection features Mullet classics including the Kentucky Waterfall, the Shorty Longback (Sho-Lo), the Tennessee Top Hat, the Mudflap and the Squirrel Pelt. As an ex-Southerner, I'm sure she'll find these magnets amusing for weeks to come. I'll consider it the gift that keeps on giving, for only $11.95.

With a paper clip, a piece of bubble gum, and his trusty Swiss Army knife, MacGyver saved the world 139 times over. (Yes, there were really 139 episodes of MacGyver). In doing so, Richard Dean Anderson -- his true-life name, which isn't nearly as cool -- sported a mullet.

This wasn't just any mullet -- it's now known as the "MacGyver mullet." It, frighteningly enough, resembles the mullet of Joe Dirt, an unsuccessful film from a few years ago that blatantly mocked the hairstyle. MacGyver's head of hair was dirty blond, uncombed, and uncut. He truly embodied the "business in the front, party in the back" motto of the mullet culture.

It seems like we've been talking a lot lately about mullets here on StyleDash, but hey, it's a cultural phenomenon we'd prefer to never show up again. Anne mentioned that Jennifer Aniston, Don Johnson, and Madonna all inspired people worldwide to copy their styles, so that leads me to wonder: Was anyone ever inspired to grow a "MacGyver mullet?"

I'm not sure if this fits under the category of celebrity news or if it fits better under the heading of hair style history, but regardless, U2 rocker Bono has officially apologized for popularizing the mullet. (I think Billy Ray Cyrus would protest this claim, but I digress...) But you have to admit, it's a responsible move on Bono's part, isn't it? But I suppose apologizing for an unfortunate haircut trend is the next logical conclusion when one is tackling the problems of the world such as AIDS and international debt. Now that Bono has stepped up to the plate and set an example, I hope other celebrities will start to follow suit. Here is my list of celebrities that I believe who owe us all style apologies:

• Jennifer Aniston: The famed Friends hair-cut that still seems to have outlasted the show itself.
• Don Johnson: Implicitly giving men the false impression that it was okay to wear white suits with colored t-shirts.
• Madonna: Don't think we don't know who to blame for all these fingerless-glove-sporting Hollywood starlets.

We're waiting....