Hair Through the Decades – 1970s

(Image Credit – Getty Images)

In a stark contrast to the sharp, geometric styles of the 1960s, the 1970s saw soft, bouncy waves, big flicks and long pretty hairstyles. In the same way the 60s reflected the fashion of the time, 70s hair echoed the soft, loose fashion, from flares and cheesecloth tops to floaty dresses, the 70s were all about peace, love and harmony.

Farrah Fawcett Flicks

I think for anyone, even those who weren’t around at the time, one of the most memorable styles to come out of the 70s was Farrah Fawcett Majors’ Charlie’s Angel’s flick. This iconic style was soft, bouncy with some of the biggest flicks in town.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZWVZpqgMml/?taken-by=farrahfawcettfn

The Shag

Whether it was the dance or the hairstyle, everyone was doing it! A predecessor to the mullet some might say, this short on top, long at the back style was soft and well… shaggy! Favoured by male and female rock stars the shag could be seen on the likes of Rod Stewart and Suzi Quatro.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcYrNlTD3rg/?tagged=rodstewart

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcSzZTcDiiK/?tagged=suziquatro

The Wedge

Created by Trevor Sorbie, the wedge was a heavily layered and angled take on the bob. Designed for maximum movement the styled was heavy in the back and short in the front.

https://www.instagram.com/p/y7YZNSj2hY/?tagged=wedgehaircut

The Afro

While Afro-Caribbean women were embracing the natural shape and structure of their hair, white women were trying to emulate the look with tight perms.

The amazing talented Roberta Flack wore her afro with pride throughout the 70s

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcIMYtZHowm/?tagged=robertaflack

The Return of the Pageboy

First popular in the 1920s the pageboy style was brought to prominence in the 1970s by the one and only Joanna Lumley who sported a variation of the style in the hit show ‘The Avengers’ it promptly became a style in it’s own right and was named after Joanna’s character ‘Purdy’.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BI8bdjIg3Xf/?tagged=thepurdy

If you were around in the 1970s, what hairstyle did you sport? Were you all about the shag, or did you rock a Purdy?