The hairstyles that took over the world in the 70s

Throughout much of the 1970s, we wore our hair long, with a centre or side parting. It’s something that was carried over from the late 1960s.

We also saw the wavy “gypsy” cut, the layered shag, and the “flicked” style, popularly referred to as “wings”, in which the hair was flicked into resembling small wings at the temples.

Remember who popularised this look? That’s right – Charlie’s Angels.

There were so many hairstyles that took over the world, including the Afro hairstyle, Shaggy Hairdo and Feathered hair (then known as “Farrah Fawcett hairstyle”) however the most iconic women’s hairstyle of the 1970s is arguably the Farrah Fawcett hairstyle.

It was heavily imitated by many women and girls especially in 1976. The style had waves, curls, and layers and was mostly worn with bangs, but could also be worn with a side parting. To make it even more stylish, women and girls would frost their hair with blonde streaks.

A year after that, in 1977, blonde-streaked or “frosted” hair became so popular. Debbie Harry of Blondie dyed her hair platinum blonde and wore it with a long fringe. Remember that?

But let’s not forget the dashing hairstyles by men back then. The ducktail and Pompadour hairstyle a.k.a the “Elvis Presley hairstyle”) were popular among young men in big cities. Large quantities of grease or “Brylcreem” was normally used to keep the hair in place.

Men in the early and mid 1970s generally had longer hair and sideburns were also worn around the same time.

Some of the most popular hairstyles for men include “Long and Luscious” hairstyle, mod haircut, and the “buzzcut” hairstyle popularised by action heroes like Steve McQueen. In the late 1970s, men went for the chop, ranging from crew cuts, to buzz cuts, to a shag. This was mainly done for an athletic look, and sideburns and facial hair went out of style.

Ahh… the wonderful style of the 70s. Just amazing!

Did you wear any of these hairstyles?