Walk into any high-end salon in Brooklyn or London right now. You’ll see it. That choppy, feathered mess that looks like someone just rolled out of a vintage van. It's the Shag. It’s back, and honestly, it never really left. Hairstyles in the 1970s weren't just about hair; they were a loud, messy, beautiful rebellion against the stiff, hair-sprayed rigidity of the 1960s.
People wanted to breathe.
The 70s was the decade where "natural" became a political statement. You had the Black Power movement reclaiming the Afro, feminists ditching the rollers, and rock stars blurring the lines between masculine and feminine with long, flowing manes. It was a chaotic time for fashion, but the hair? The hair was legendary.
The Shag and the Death of the Set
Before 1970, most women were slaves to the "set." You slept in rollers. You sat under a dryer. You prayed your bouffant didn't collapse in the wind. Then came Paul McGregor. He was the stylist who gave Jane Fonda that iconic, jagged cut for the movie Klute in 1971.
That was the birth of the Shag.
It changed everything because it was meant to look slightly ruined. You didn't need a can of Aquanet to keep it in place. You just shook your head and went out. The Shag was egalitarian. Men wore it—think Mick Jagger or David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust phase—and women wore it. It was about layers. Deep, aggressive layers that created volume at the crown and thinned out at the ends.
If you look at the work of hair historian Rachael Gibson, she often points out how these cuts reflected the "anti-establishment" vibe of the era. If the 50s were about control, the 70s were about letting go. The Shag allowed for movement. It was the first "wash and wear" haircut that actually looked cool.
Farrah Fawcett and the Feathered Phenomenon
We have to talk about the poster. You know the one. Farrah Fawcett in the red swimsuit, 1976. That single image did more for the hair industry than a million dollar ad campaign. Her hair wasn't just long; it was architectural.
This was the "Feathered" look.
To get it, you needed a round brush and a blow dryer, which was a relatively new piece of home technology at the time. You'd blow the hair away from the face, creating these soft, wing-like flips. It looked high-maintenance, but it felt breezy. It signaled a shift toward "Californian" beauty—sun-kissed, healthy, and athletic.
But here’s the thing people forget: it wasn't just for blonde starlets. The feathered look crossed every demographic. High schoolers were obsessed with it. It became the default setting for an entire generation. Even guys like Shaun Cassidy or the Bee Gees leaned into the feathering. It was soft. It was approachable. It was everywhere.
The Afro as a Political Powerhouse
While Hollywood was busy blow-drying, a much more significant movement was happening. The Afro.
For decades, Black Americans had been pressured by societal norms to straighten their hair using harsh chemicals or "hot combs." The 70s saw a massive, culturally seismic shift. The "Black is Beautiful" movement turned the Afro into a symbol of pride, identity, and resistance.
Angela Davis. Richard Pryor. The Jackson 5.
The Afro wasn't just a hairstyle; it was a refusal to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards. It required specific care—picks with the "fist" handle became iconic tools of the era. The bigger the Afro, the bolder the statement. It’s important to realize that for many, wearing an Afro in 1972 was a risky move in professional spaces, yet it persisted because the desire for authenticity outweighed the fear of corporate pushback.
The Wedge and the Disco Influence
Then came 1976 and Dorothy Hamill. When she won gold at the Olympics, the "Wedge" became the most requested cut in America.
Created by Trevor Sorbie (working under the legendary Vidal Sassoon), the Wedge was a masterpiece of geometry. It was a short, bowl-like cut that stayed perfectly in place even when Hamill was doing a triple toe loop. It was sleek. It was modern. It looked like the future.
As the decade moved toward the Disco era, hair started to get more... dramatic. Jerry Hall’s waist-length waves. Donna Summer’s massive curls. Everything had to work under a strobe light. If you were hitting Studio 54, your hair needed to have "swing." This led to the rise of the perm. Not the tight, frizzy perms of the 80s, but "body waves" meant to give straight hair the volume needed to survive a night of dancing to Nile Rodgers' guitar riffs.
Why the 70s Won't Go Away
Why are we still obsessed with hairstyles in the 1970s?
Maybe it’s because it was the last decade before hair got "ironic." In the 80s, hair became a costume. In the 90s, it got grungy and minimalist. But the 70s? It was the sweet spot. It was sexy without trying too hard. It was gender-fluid before that was a buzzword.
Today’s "Wolf Cut" is just a Shag with a TikTok filter. The "Curtain Bangs" you see on every influencer? That’s pure Goldie Hawn. We keep going back to this era because the techniques—internal layering, face-framing "bits," and texture—are the foundations of what we consider "effortless" beauty today.
How to Bring the 70s Into 2026
If you’re looking to channel this vibe without looking like you’re heading to a costume party, keep these tips in mind:
- Prioritize Texture Over Polish: Stop trying to make every strand perfect. 70s hair thrives on a bit of frizz and "second-day" grit. Use a sea salt spray or a dry texturizer instead of a heavy-hold hairspray.
- The "Curtain" Rule: If you're getting bangs, tell your stylist you want them "shaggy and split." They should hit the cheekbones and taper off into the rest of the hair. This is the most flattering way to frame a face.
- Don't Fear the Volume: Modern hair tends to be very flat. Use a large barrel curling iron (at least 1.5 inches) and curl away from your face. Once the curls cool, brush them out completely. Don't leave them as "sausage curls."
- Invest in a Good Shag: If you have curly or wavy hair, a 70s-style layered cut is actually easier to manage. It removes the "triangle" shape that curly hair often gets and allows your natural pattern to bounce.
- The Center Part: Almost every major 70s look (except the Wedge) relied on a strong center part. It’s symmetrical, bold, and instantly gives off that vintage rock-and-roll vibe.
The real secret to 1970s hair isn't the tools or the products. It’s the attitude. It was a decade of people finally deciding to look like themselves. Whether that meant a massive Afro, a jagged Shag, or waist-length hippie hair, the goal was freedom. That’s a trend that never actually goes out of style.
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To truly master the look, find a stylist who understands "dry cutting." Many of the best 70s-inspired shapes are created by cutting the hair while it's dry and in its natural state, rather than soaking wet and pulled straight. This ensures the layers sit exactly where they're supposed to when you're moving around in the real world.
Check your local salon for stylists who specialize in "shags and mullets"—these are usually the pros who have studied the original 70s techniques of Paul McGregor and Vidal Sassoon. Start with a long curtain bang if you’re nervous; it’s the easiest gateway into the era’s aesthetic.