fauxhawk

Why this word is great

FAUXHAWK — Noun. An imitation of the Mohawk hairstyle in which a central tuft is created using gel without shaving the sides of the head. The word is a playful marriage of faux (from French, meaning "fake") and Mohawk (a hairstyle where the sides are shaved, leaving a defiant crest, named for the indigenous people who popularized the look). Unlike a Mohawk (which demands the commitment of sheared sides and a warrior’s boldness) or a quiff (which sweeps upward with pomade-slicked nonchalance but lacks the central declaration of a fauxhawk), the fauxhawk is rebellion on training wheels—a compromise between convention and defiance. Picture a teenager scowling in a mall mirror, fingers stiff with gel, sculpting a crest that trembles with the effort of looking tough; a businessman loosening his tie and ruffling his hair skyward, a fleeting midlife mutiny; a child giggling as his mother spikes his hair for a birthday photo, the softness of his unshaved sides betraying the illusion. It is a costume of dissent, worn lightly, knowing the sink will wash it all away by morning.