You’ve seen it. That specific, gravity-defying flick of hair on TikTok that everyone calls "the wolf cut" or "the butterfly." Honestly, it’s just a 1975 rerun. If you look at 70's hairstyles womens seventies hairstyles today, you aren't just looking at vintage photos; you are looking at the blueprint for modern hair. The decade was a chaotic, beautiful mess of political rebellion and disco-floor vanity. It moved from the stiff, hairsprayed helmets of the 60s into something much more... alive.
People think the 70s was just Farrah Fawcett. It wasn't.
It was about texture. It was about the transition from the Civil Rights movement into the mainstreaming of natural hair. It was about the weird, gritty punk scene in London clashing with the high-glitz glamour of Studio 54. Hair became a manifesto. If you wore it long and straight, you were a "flower child." If you wore a massive Afro, you were making a statement about Black power and identity. If you chopped it into a Shag, you were probably listening to Patti Smith and hanging out in lower Manhattan.
The Shag and the Death of "Perfect" Hair
Before the seventies, hair was supposed to stay put. If a gust of wind hit you, you were in trouble. Then came the Shag.
Paul McGregor is the name you need to know here. He’s the guy who gave Jane Fonda her iconic "Klute" haircut. It was revolutionary because it was messy on purpose. He basically took a pair of shears and hacked into the hair to create uneven, choppy layers. It was jagged. It was short on top and long on the bottom. It looked like you’d just rolled out of bed, but in a way that made people want to talk to you.
This style was the ultimate middle finger to the "set and spray" culture of the 1950s and 60s. It was gender-neutral before that was a buzzword. Mick Jagger had a shag. David Bowie had a shag (the mullet-adjacent version). For women, it meant freedom. You didn't need a roller set. You just needed some grit.
Today, we see this everywhere. The "Modern Shag" or the "Wolf Cut" is literally just McGregor’s 1971 vision with better shampoo. It works because it’s forgiving. It hugs the face. It hides a large forehead or accentuates a sharp jawline. It’s the haircut for people who hate doing their hair.
Farrah, the Feathered Look, and the "Feathered" Mania
We have to talk about the Red Swimsuit Poster. In 1976, Farrah Fawcett-Majors became the face of the decade. Her hair wasn't just hair; it was an architectural feat.
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The "Farrah Flip" or feathered hair was achieved by brushing the hair back and away from the face. It required a round brush, a hairdryer, and a lot of patience. This wasn't the flat, pin-straight look of the early 70s. This was volume. This was "more is more."
- The Technique: You’d take sections of hair, blow-dry them away from the eyes, and let them fall into soft, wing-like layers.
- The Vibe: It was sporty but glamorous. It looked like you’d just stepped off a tennis court in Malibu.
- The Evolution: By 1978, every teenage girl in America was carrying a plastic comb in her back pocket to "refresh" her feathers between classes.
The 70's hairstyles womens seventies hairstyles obsession often starts and ends here for many, but the feathered look actually had a darker, cooler cousin: the disco wave. Think Jerry Hall. Long, luxurious, and brushed out into soft, shimmering clouds of hair. It was less "girl next door" and more "I haven't slept in three days because I'm at a club."
The Afro and the Natural Hair Revolution
The 1970s was the era where the Afro reached its peak cultural significance. It wasn't just a trend; it was a rejection of European beauty standards that had dominated for centuries.
Cicely Tyson appeared on the cover of Jet and Ebony with natural styles. Pam Grier, the queen of Blaxploitation films like Foxy Brown, rocked an Afro that was perfectly symmetrical and massive. It was a crown. It signaled strength.
The upkeep was serious business. It wasn't just "letting it grow." It required specialized picks—often with the "Black Power" fist on the handle—and specific oils to maintain the shape and moisture. It was a technical skill. For many women, transitioning from chemically straightened hair to a natural Afro was a political act of self-love.
This era also saw the rise of intricate braiding and cornrows. When Cicely Tyson wore cornrows on national television, it was a seismic shift. It brought traditional African aesthetics into the American living room. This wasn't "hippie" hair; this was heritage hair.
The Long and the Straight: The Cher Effect
While some were going for volume, others were going for length. Cher was the blueprint here.
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Long, middle-parted, waist-length hair. It was sleek. It was dark. It was often achieved with the help of extensions or just incredible genetics. This look was synonymous with the "Boho" style. It went with bell-bottoms, crochet tops, and oversized sunglasses.
The trick back then? Some women actually used clothes irons to get their hair that flat. Not recommended today, obviously. We have ceramic plates now, but the 70s was the Wild West of heat styling. If you didn't have a flat iron, you used the same thing you used for your denim jeans. It's a miracle anyone had hair left by 1980.
The Surprising Rise of the Wedge
Dorothy Hamill won gold at the 1976 Olympics, and suddenly, everyone wanted a "Wedge."
Created by Trevor Sorbie (who was working for Vidal Sassoon at the time), the Wedge was a masterpiece of geometry. It was a short, stacked bob that moved when she skated and fell perfectly back into place. It was the peak of "precision cutting."
"The Wedge was the first time I realized hair could be a three-dimensional sculpture that moved with the body," says hair historian and stylist Rachael Gibson.
It was practical. It was chic. It was also incredibly difficult to cut correctly. If the stylist messed up the graduation at the nape of the neck, the whole thing collapsed. It represents the "cleaner" side of 70's hairstyles womens seventies hairstyles—the side that valued structure over the shaggy chaos of the early years.
Punk and the End of the Dream
By 1977, the hippie dream was dead. The economy was a mess. In London and New York, a new subculture was literally tearing clothes and hair apart.
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Punk hair was the antithesis of the Farrah flip. It was DIY. It was bleached with household chemicals. It was spiked with unflavored gelatin or even glue. This is where we see the first mainstream iterations of the mohawk and the safety-pin aesthetic.
Women like Debbie Harry (Blondie) bridged the gap. She had the bleached, messy, "roots-showing" hair that felt dangerous but still looked incredible on a stage. It wasn't about being pretty anymore; it was about being seen. This punk influence is why we still love bleached-out bobs and edgy, asymmetrical cuts today. It broke the rules of what "womens" hair was supposed to look like.
Why You Should Care Now (Actionable Insights)
If you are looking to adopt a 70s-inspired look today, don't just copy a photo. The 70s was about tailoring the hair to the person.
1. Choose your "era" within the decade. Do you want the 1971 Shag (edgy, low maintenance) or the 1978 Disco Glam (high maintenance, high volume)? Knowing the difference helps your stylist understand the vibe.
2. Focus on the fringe. The "curtain bang" is the easiest way to nod to the 70s without a full commitment. They should be cut shorter in the middle and longer toward the temples, blending into the rest of your hair. They frame the eyes perfectly.
3. Texture is your best friend. Most 70's hairstyles womens seventies hairstyles rely on "grit." Use a sea salt spray or a dry texture spray. The 70s didn't do "sleek and shiny" as much as they did "touchable and voluminous."
4. Invest in a round brush. If you want the feathered look, you can't skip the blowout. Use a medium-sized round brush and always blow the hair away from your face.
5. Respect the natural. If you have curls, let them be big. The 70s was the decade of the "big hair" revolution. Use a diffuser and embrace the frizz—it gives the hair soul.
The 70s weren't just about a specific cut. They were about the feeling of breaking free from the rigid structures of the past. Whether it's a choppy shag or a massive Afro, the goal is always the same: hair that looks like it’s actually lived a little. Stop aiming for perfection. Start aiming for movement. That is the real secret to the 70s.