Iowans let their hair go loose and their braids turn wild for the Pigtail, Ponytail, Braid and Mohawk hair contest at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Sunday.
The competition celebrates hair in all of its glory, ranging from little girls sporting two-foot-long ponytails to men partying in the back with the classic mullet.
Johnny Beaty, 49, of Marshalltown won the coveted blue ribbon for his long golden locks.
"My belief in the mullet: It's not just a hairstyle. It's a lifestyle," he said.
Beaty, along with about a dozen other men, tousled their '80s rocker hair, while a group of judges from the Iowa School of Beauty determined which mullet was the best.
Along with the mullet men, a group showed off their spikiest mohawks. Asher Brooks, 9, of Des Moines typically has naturally curly hair, but he had multiple gray spikes for the competition on Sunday.
The hair gel and hairspray was plentiful for the style, said Carrie Brooks, Asher's mother.
"It was very hard to do," she said.
As for Ava Carr, 6, of Ankeny, her brown hair has never met a hairdresser or scissors, resulting in 31 inches of long brown hair and a first-place win for longest hair.
"She's really excited about it," said her aunt, Amanda Szuch, 28, of Ankeny.
