I am left to really wonder, "WHY"

Just over two weeks ago, I encountered a family of three. There was nothing abnormal about this family, two middle-aged parents and their teen daughter (who was trying to be cool - still not sure if she was successful).
The mother was one of those run of the mill indecisive types, that I encounter all the time, over the years, I have simply learned to deal with this type of personality. The father is an entirely different story.

He wore a red sweater and gray sweatpants with salt and pepper hair. He catered to his spouse's indecisiveness, "whatever you want dear..." As if the gray sweatpants and the red sweater weren't jumping out at me (these things should never be worn together), the man turned his head and spoke to his daughter...that is when I saw it, creeping over his shoulder. A salt and pepper colored rattail. I stopped what I was doing for a moment, cocking my head to the side and looked, furrowing my brow for a closer glance, as if I needed to really confirm what I was seeing -- were my eyes deceiving me? Then I realized I was staring at this thing on the back of his head, while I was waiting for the mother to come to a decision, I started to think, wow, that is the worst rattail I've ever seen....it isn't shaped well at all...

As the family and I wrapped up our business, I was left to wonder, REALLY, WHY!?!?! Why would someone think that was something attractive to leave on their head?? I felt like I was singing the time warp or something... But yet, this isn't attractive either or this "grey tail" as wiki refers to it...