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This article is about the hairstyle. For other uses of "flattop" (or "Flat Top"), see Flat Top (disambiguation).

H.R. Haldeman wearing a short flattop (this is closer to a high and tight)

A flattop is a type of very short hairstyle similar to the crew cut, with the exception that the hair on the top of the head is deliberately styled to stand up (typically no more than an inch) and is cut to be flat, resulting in a haircut that is square in shape. It is most often worn by men and boys, particularly those in the military and law enforcement in the United States.

The haircut is usually done with electric clippers to cut the side and back hair to or near the scalp, and then more intricate cutting is done on the top hair to achieve a level plane. When cutting a new flattop, the top hair is usually cut to about an inch long, then blow-dried to stand up straight, and then finally cut with clippers and scissors to achieve the final look. Typically, "butch wax" is used to stiffen the front of the flattop.

Because the shape of a flattop is, by definition, not compatible with the round shape of a human head, there is often a spot on the very center of the top that is buzzed shorter to achieve a flat surface, almost to the point of being shaved. This area is called the "landing strip," because this area of the head with shorter hair resembles a grassless aviation landing area.

Because the haircut is so short and quickly grows out of its precisely-cut shape, maintenance haircuts are required at least every few weeks, and many flattop wearers get haircuts as often as once a week.

[edit] Famous flattop wearers

• Ivan Drago from Rocky IV
• Character actor Joel McKinnon Miller of the HBO comedy Big Love
• Christopher Reid a.k.a. "Kid" from the hip hop and comedy duo Kid 'n Play.
• Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
• NBA Basketballer Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks)
• One of the most famous flattops was the one worn by Johnny Unitas, the popular NFL football quarterback of the 1950s and 1960s, and the Super Bowl III matchup between Unitas and long-haired New York Jets QB Joe Namath is seen as one of the most pivotal games in NFL history.
• Fellow Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long was also noted for his flattop in the 1980s, and still maintains the hairstyle today.
• National Basketball Association players Chris Mullin, Detlef Schrempf, Eric Montross, and Greg Ostertag were known for their trademark horseshoe flattops.
• Model/actress/singer, Grace Jones.
• Major League Baseball player Roger Maris, who broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record in 1961 while playing outfield for the New York Yankees
• Steve Timmons, a men's Olympic volleyball player from the 1980s and 1990s sported a stylized flattop, which subsequently became the trademark logo for his clothing and sportswear line Redsand.
• Professional wrestler Sting wore a bleached blonde flattop for around a decade in the NWA/WCW promotion.
• Famed Apollo Flight Director Gene Kranz wore a flattop (in addition to his trademark white vests) that, despite his years in the U.S. Air Force, caused him to be mistaken for a U.S. Marine.
• Dennis Danell , guitarist for Social Distortion briefly had a flat top in the 1980s
• Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) has worn a flattop since the early 1990s and used his haircut as a theme in his 2006 campaign as a symbolic appeal to the "everyman" voter.
• Thaddeus Koolhoeven The Noisettes/Perspex has kept a flattop since 1994.
• Phranc, Lesbian folk singer.
• Jim Carrey has the kind of flattop in 2000 movie Me, Myself & Irene.
• The video game character Guile from the Street Fighter series wears an "over the top" flattop.
• Video game character Duke Nukem.
• Jermaine Jackson (of The Jackson 5) sported a flattop during the controversial UK Celebrity Big Brother that aired in January 2007.
• Indonesian comedian Tukul Arwana, who became famous after he presented his 4 Mata talkshow.
• Boxing Referee/Legend Tony Weeks.
• Flattop Jones, a character in the Dick Tracy comic strip.
• Saturday Night Live star Terry Sweeney.
• J. Jonah Jameson comic book character in the Spiderman serial.
• Tenmei Kanoh, photographer and frequent judge on Iron Chef.
• Dominic Santiago; one of the protagonist of the Gears of War series.
• Baroness Amos
• Joe Girardi, Manager, New York Yankees
• Jeopardy champion Jerry Frankel.
• Mike Clouthier
• Guitarist Dan Badia of the frock group "The DunGallies"