Hair Styles in the 1970's

Was there ever a more mixed selection of hairstyles in any other decade? Ask five different people to describe a typical 1970's Barnet, and you almost guarantee at least five different answers! Personally, I cringe to remember the shaggy perm I had around 1978 - well, after about three months it started looking shaggy; before then, it looked as if I'd thrust my fingers into the nearest electrical socket. Definitely NOT a good look .

In the early '70s, if Marc Bolan, with his black, curly locks, didn't get your Dad tutting behind his 'News of the World', David Bowie certainly did with his androgynous, bright orange spiky hairdo. Glam rock was putting the frighteners on traditionalists everywhere. It was a high-profile look for nightclubs, with performers like Alice Cooper, T Rex and the New York Dolls all challenging accepted ideas of what defined male and female appearance.

A couple of years later, with the sudden boom in fitness crazes, the American-led healthy, wholesome and 'natural' appearance was big news, as seen with models like Lauren Hutton and Farrah Fawcett. Who can forget that iconic poster of Mrs Lee Majors? Her hair may have LOOKED naturally tousled, sun kissed and so effortless, as though she'd just stepped in from the beach, but it would have taken hours with the tongs to achieve those flicks. We know, 'cos we tried it at home!

Afro hairstyles were a strong symbol of black culture, as Black Pride was a growing force throughout the decade. Richard Roundtree's legendary black private eye, 'Shaft', was a supercool embodiment of black style. And a glitzed-up Afro look was also perfect with the craze for Disco music which swept through the '70s - hair was dusted with glitter to create maximum 'Wow!' factor under laser lights and mirror balls.

Once 1975 arrived, disillusionment and economic recession in the UK found a voice in the anger of punk - and in hairstyles deliberately setting out to shock, whether dyed in fluorescent colours, shaved heads, or with Mohicans stiffened into place by any means available (this was in the days before hair product manufacturers thought we were 'worth it'!). I had friends who used a sugar and water solution, painstakingly applied, and others who even resorted to glue to combat the flop factor!

From 1978 onwards, 70's style was further evolved by the new romantics. The over-the-top costumes (as worn by Adam Ant and Steve Strange), striking make up, and theatrical style meant that hair just had to fit in with the dramatic new look.

Videos were being used to promote pop music and image was of paramount importance.

Also hats made a comeback - berets, pillboxes, or the more flamboyant cavalier or piratical - the emphasis was on posing.

I haven't even space to mention 'mullets', or feather cuts, but it's amazing to realise just how much changed in such a short space of time. And thank the hair industry, finally, for the advent of mousse. For those of us with fine hair it was an absolute godsend for which we remain profoundly grateful!

© Anne Lawrence 2008