An American breaks the record for the longest ponytail in the world

(CNN) — Tammy Manes is officially the woman with the longest ponytail in the world because of her short front and long back hairstyle, which is about 173 cm long.

The last time he cut his hair was on February 9, 1990, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

“A lot of people only notice it when I turn around, so most of the time they don’t realize how long my hair is until they look back,” Manes said in a video released by Guinness World Records this Thursday.

“We were in the ’80s and everyone wore a rat tail,” he said, adding that he was first inspired to grow a ponytail after watching the “Voices Carry” music video for Til Tuesday.

“The girl had a rat’s tail, and I really wanted to have one,” Manes says.

After cutting her ponytail in November 1989, the Tennessee resident immediately regretted it and decided to grow it again the following year. Since then, it has not been cut again.

Manis usually ties his hair in braids, and when he rides his motorbike he puts his tail in his pocket.

She says that one of her friends braids it once a week, and the ponytail stays that way until you wash it again and dry it with paper towels, “because otherwise it will stay wet most of the time.”

The short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back hairstyle, usually associated with the 80s, has a history that goes back centuries: even the Greek poet Homer, who wrote in the “Iliad” in the eighth century BC. c., refers to spearmen with “short bangs and long hair at the back.”

For Manise, this hairstyle has made people identify with her even for over 20 years, and has provided a talking point among her friends and family.

Last year, she placed second in the Femullet category at the 2022 USA Short Front and Long Back Championships and won the accompanying $300 prize, an experience that prompted her to apply for the Guinness World Record.

After a lengthy process, which included having her hair photographed to show how long it was, Manise received a package on her front porch telling her the official record.

“When I opened it up, I said, ‘This is amazing,'” he said.

— CNN’s Leah Dolan contributed to this report.