The rattail can be traced back to China during the 17th century when the Manchu took over and established the Qing Dynasty. It was known as the Manchu
Queue. In the 1980s, Vietnamese refugees fled to Australia and the United States. The Vietnamese youths were known to have rattails and popularized them throughout Western culture. Polynesians also have a variant of the rattail called the "horsey" or the "horsetail". They are usually thicker and more popular today within Australian/New Zealand youths. The rattail is usually associated with Asian youths, while the horsetail is more associated with Polynesian youths. Some
punks and
rivetheads have been known to sport rattails, although in a much more
punk fashion, sometimes with the tail dyed a different color than the rest of the hair or by shaving the rest of the head, leaving only the tail. It is a very popular hairstyle in
Broome, Western Australia, and
New Zealand, especially among boys, and is sometimes combined with shaved sides as a soft
fauxhawk.
New Kids On The Block performer
Jordan Knight wore a long braided rattail for much of his time with the band, which helped further the style's popularity. Former junior welterweight boxing champion
Kostya Tszyu sported a rather famous rattail throughout his career. and soccer play
Rodrigo Palacio have rattail. Game developer
Richard Garriott has worn a rattail since 1984. In the
Star Wars universe,
Jedi Padawans wear a rattail called a Padawan Braid until they are given the rank of Jedi Knight. In the
HBO series
The Idol, the character Tedros, played by
the Weeknd, sports a prominent rattail. ==See also==