The crazy, sexy, cool Mohawk
THE Mohawk is a hairstyle where both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair in the centre. It is originally associated mostly with the punk rock music sub-culture.
By Gilbert Kidimu
THE Mohawk is a hairstyle where both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair in the centre. It is originally associated mostly with the punk rock music sub-culture.
Originally popularised by Western celebrities, this daring style, initially frowned upon by many, is making footprints on Ugandan mainstream fashion, writes Gilbert Kidimu.
There was a time when the Mohawk, that unforgettably wacky hairstyle which leaves a strip of prominently long hair down the middle of the head, sent shock waves down people’s spines. It was allied more with punk rockers, drugged-up crowds, and pesky teenagers.
But that was once upon a time. Today the Mohawk becomes the unrivalled sensation amid eccentric hairstyles. It is sported by celebrities just like it is adored by teenagers and rock music lovers. We are dead-on to say glamour has permeated Kampala.
You probably have seen it sported by Ugandan celebrities such as hip-hop’s new-kid-on-the block Keko, Rachel K, Toniks, Cindy, Lillian Mbabazi and most famously Julian, the petit boy who features prominently in the video of famed song, Stamina. The Mohawk is also sported by Nigerian housemate Vina in the Big Brother Amplified reality show.
But you have most certainly seen the neighbour’s high school kid with the same hairstyle. If you have not, try Garden City this evening and you will see as many Mohawks as there are skinny jeans.
Similar to the French cut wave of the 1990s, the ridiculous back bush, and also the afro in the 1970s, this haircut is what’s up right now.
Celebrities love it because it stands out. Young people adore it because celebrities sport it, and rock music fans copy it to look like their stars, while downtown folks have come to love it because it features in the video of their much adored song, Stamina.
Some Hollywood celebrities who have lately sported it are Usher Raymond, Willow Smith (actor Will Smith’s child star singer), Chris Brown and Rihanna, but most prominently, musical series Glee’s resident bad boy, Noah Puckerman, who rocks his Mohawk with attitude.
Daniel, a barber in Kampala says the Mohawk is essentially a glamour hairstyle, largely sported by musicians, models and actors in Uganda. “Most guys who come to me asking for a Mohawk are either going for platform modeling, to appear in video shoots or something like that,†says Daniel.
This punk hair style has been monopolised by the younger fun-loving crowd who are liberal and do not need the simple, average hairstyles that most people settle for.
R&B singer Toniks, who sports a modest Mohawk, says he chose the hair cut because he wanted something different from what we already knew. “It is distinctive, foreign, daring and not everyone can pull it off,†says Toniks adding that it is the haircut for the present generation.
“Punk means defying societal conformance, being extreme and totally daring. It is a personality expression of independence and rebelliousness,†says Toniks.
But the Mohawk is not the craziest idea for a hairstyle until you see how some guys make their Mohawk crazily weird; case in point is Rachael K’s spiky Mohawk which brings to mind punk musicians from the 1980s.
The Mohawk has over the years evolved into a host of both feminine and masculine styles, one of them being the famous hairstyle women christened Rihanna. Interestingly, many salons in the suburbs do not know the haircut as a Mohawk but rather as Stamina.
Common Mohawk styles
The Razor: For this look, the hair is trimmed so that there is a gradual transition between the Mohawk and the hair on the sides of the head. This gives an appearance of having just pressed the hair into a line.
Twisted Traditional: This is the messier Mohawk. The sides of the head are shaved, leaving the hair on top four to 10 inches long. Hair is relaxed to look sharper.
The long hair is spiked up with gel and left to fall a little bit forward.
Braid Variation: For this Mohawk style, you can use both the razor cut Mohawk and the twisted traditional Mohawk. All you need to do is keep a small section of hair at the base of the neck. Braid the hair in a simple braid and secure the end.
THE Mohawk is a hairstyle where both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair in the centre. It is originally associated mostly with the punk rock music sub-culture.
Originally popularised by Western celebrities, this daring style, initially frowned upon by many, is making footprints on Ugandan mainstream fashion, writes Gilbert Kidimu.
There was a time when the Mohawk, that unforgettably wacky hairstyle which leaves a strip of prominently long hair down the middle of the head, sent shock waves down people’s spines. It was allied more with punk rockers, drugged-up crowds, and pesky teenagers.
But that was once upon a time. Today the Mohawk becomes the unrivalled sensation amid eccentric hairstyles. It is sported by celebrities just like it is adored by teenagers and rock music lovers. We are dead-on to say glamour has permeated Kampala.
You probably have seen it sported by Ugandan celebrities such as hip-hop’s new-kid-on-the block Keko, Rachel K, Toniks, Cindy, Lillian Mbabazi and most famously Julian, the petit boy who features prominently in the video of famed song, Stamina. The Mohawk is also sported by Nigerian housemate Vina in the Big Brother Amplified reality show.
But you have most certainly seen the neighbour’s high school kid with the same hairstyle. If you have not, try Garden City this evening and you will see as many Mohawks as there are skinny jeans.
Similar to the French cut wave of the 1990s, the ridiculous back bush, and also the afro in the 1970s, this haircut is what’s up right now.
Celebrities love it because it stands out. Young people adore it because celebrities sport it, and rock music fans copy it to look like their stars, while downtown folks have come to love it because it features in the video of their much adored song, Stamina.
Some Hollywood celebrities who have lately sported it are Usher Raymond, Willow Smith (actor Will Smith’s child star singer), Chris Brown and Rihanna, but most prominently, musical series Glee’s resident bad boy, Noah Puckerman, who rocks his Mohawk with attitude.
Daniel, a barber in Kampala says the Mohawk is essentially a glamour hairstyle, largely sported by musicians, models and actors in Uganda. “Most guys who come to me asking for a Mohawk are either going for platform modeling, to appear in video shoots or something like that,†says Daniel.
This punk hair style has been monopolised by the younger fun-loving crowd who are liberal and do not need the simple, average hairstyles that most people settle for.
R&B singer Toniks, who sports a modest Mohawk, says he chose the hair cut because he wanted something different from what we already knew. “It is distinctive, foreign, daring and not everyone can pull it off,†says Toniks adding that it is the haircut for the present generation.
“Punk means defying societal conformance, being extreme and totally daring. It is a personality expression of independence and rebelliousness,†says Toniks.
But the Mohawk is not the craziest idea for a hairstyle until you see how some guys make their Mohawk crazily weird; case in point is Rachael K’s spiky Mohawk which brings to mind punk musicians from the 1980s.
The Mohawk has over the years evolved into a host of both feminine and masculine styles, one of them being the famous hairstyle women christened Rihanna. Interestingly, many salons in the suburbs do not know the haircut as a Mohawk but rather as Stamina.
Common Mohawk styles
The Razor: For this look, the hair is trimmed so that there is a gradual transition between the Mohawk and the hair on the sides of the head. This gives an appearance of having just pressed the hair into a line.
Twisted Traditional: This is the messier Mohawk. The sides of the head are shaved, leaving the hair on top four to 10 inches long. Hair is relaxed to look sharper.
The long hair is spiked up with gel and left to fall a little bit forward.
Braid Variation: For this Mohawk style, you can use both the razor cut Mohawk and the twisted traditional Mohawk. All you need to do is keep a small section of hair at the base of the neck. Braid the hair in a simple braid and secure the end.