A rattail is a hair style that is characterized by a long "tail"-like element of hair

Hair

Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....

 growing downward from the back of the head. The rattail usually curls naturally; however, it can be braid

Braid

A braid is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibres, wire, or human hair...

ed, treated as a dread, permed

Permanent wave

A permanent wave, commonly called a perm, involves the use of chemicals to break and reform the bonds of the hair. The hair is washed and wrapped on a perm rod and waving lotion is applied with a base. This solution creates a chemical reaction that softens the inner structure of the hair by...

, straightened

Hair straightening

Hair straightening is a hair styling technique which involves the flattening and straightening of hair in order to give it a smooth, streamlined, and 'sleek' appearance. It may be accomplished by using hair irons and hot combs, chemical relaxers, Japanese hair straightening, or Brazilian hair...

, or curled with an iron. In some instances, an individual might choose to grow several tails as opposed to a single very long tail.

The rattail saw a brief period of mainstream popularity during the 1980s and has rapidly fallen out of vogue. However, it has recently seen renewed popularity.

Cultural prevalence

The rattail seems to be rather commonly seen on manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 characters. For example, Dr. Tofu (a character in Ranma 1/2) and Masaharu Niou from Prince of Tennis all have small ponytails resembling rattails. Tenchi Masaki

Tenchi Masaki

is the main protagonist of the Tenchi Muyo! series. Tenchi's name means 'Heaven and Earth'. It is the same as 'Tenchi' in the Shinto Kojiki which contains some of Japan's oldest myths and legends.-Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki:...

 also is seen with a rattail. Auron from Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X

is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012...

 also sports a rattail in a concept art by Tetsuya Nomura

Tetsuya Nomura

is a Japanese video game director and character designer working for Square Enix , best known for his work on both the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series.-Time before Square:Nomura was born in Kōchi, Japan...

 (it is not visible in game because of his high-brim collar). However, this may be due to the hairstyle's similarity to the queue

Queue (hairstyle)

The queue or cue is a hairstyle in which the hair is worn long and gathered up into a ponytail. It was worn traditionally by certain Native American groups and the Manchu of Manchuria.-Manchu Queue:...

. This overtly "low-brow" hairstyle can also be seen prevalently in the movie Joe Dirt

Joe Dirt

Joe Dirt is a 2001 American comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, Adam Beach and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.-Plot:...

 starring David Spade

David Spade

David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...

, a movie which was intended to poke fun at the redneck subculture of which this hairstyle is closely connected.

Some punks

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 and rivetheads have been known to support them also, although in a much more punky style, totally shaven head, except for a tuft of hair at the back, usually dyed in various luminous colours. In Australia it is associated with the "bogan

Bogan

The term bogan is Australian slang, usually pejorative or self-deprecating, for an individual who is recognised to be from a lower class background or someone whose limited education, speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour exemplifies such a background....

" subculture.

Former junior welterweight boxing champion Kostya Tszyu sported a rather famous rattail throughout his career.

The television show Dog the Bounty Hunter

Dog the Bounty Hunter

Dog the Bounty Hunter is a reality television show on A&E which chronicles Duane "Dog" Chapman's adventures as a fugitive recovery agent, or bounty hunter...

stars Leland Chapman

Leland Chapman

Leland Blaine Chapman is an American bail bondsman and bounty hunter, boxer, kick boxer, extreme boxing and mixed martial arts fighter most noted for his role on A&E TV's Dog the Bounty Hunter, in which he, along with his father Duane "Dog" Chapman and various friends and family track down and...

 and Tim Chapman, both of whom wear a variation of this haircut.

Taylor Hanson

Taylor Hanson

Taylor Hanson is an American musician best known as a member of the pop rock band Hanson. He sings both lead and back-up vocals, and plays keyboard, percussion , guitar, harmonica, and piano...

, Lead singer and keyboardist of the band Hanson

Hanson

- Musical groups :* Hanson , an American pop rock band* Hanson , an English rock band* The Hanson Brothers, a Canadian punk band and side project of the band Nomeansno- Companies :* Hanson plc, a British building materials company...

, had a braided rattail as of the late 1990's, and it was his style trademark.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...

 had in the past a variation of this haircut.

Jet Li

Jet Li

The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...

's character from Lethal Weapon 4

Lethal Weapon 4

Lethal Weapon 4 is a 1998 American action film directed by Richard Donner, starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock and Jet Li. It is the third sequel in the Lethal Weapon series of films. -Plot:...

had a rattail hairstyle.