The ’70s, so I am told, was a groovy era. I was just a kid, but even I remember the bell bottoms, wedge heels and episodes of “The Brady Bunch” in which Marcia was the beauty, Cindy was the baby and, well, there was Jan in the middle. The Bee Gees were on every radio station, Farrah Fawcett was the sex symbol and three iconic haircuts came onto the scene, man.
The ’60s were over and women were letting their hair down, so to speak, opting for a more casual, natural hairstyle with less product, more softness. The pageboy was adorning children, men and more traditional women with turned under edges, rounded and tapered with full bangs. The pageboy now is referred to as the bob. Today’s look is less fixed and worn in varying lengths, but still a classic when it comes to ease and sensibility.
Dorothy Hamill, Olympic figure skater who won a Gold Medal and the hearts of many Americans, made the wedge haircut a smash in the ’70s. Rumor has it the birthplace was in a Vidal Sassoon salon, and it was worn tapered to the natural lines and silhouette of the neckline, powerful on top with tons of volume. A nod to the wedge can be seen today in the more geometric shapes of haircuts, living beautifully on those with very thick hair.
Of course, my favorite throwback to the ’70s was indeed that Charlie’s Angel Farrah’s very own feathered shag haircut. In those days, it seemed almost every woman alive was not completely dressed without some version of the feathered “wings” often achieved by nothing more than hairspray and blow drying the hair while the head was held upside down. Whether it was the world’s most famous ’70s mom, Carol Brady, or that bombshell in the red bathing suit poster, Farrah Fawcett, it was the decade of the shag.
Still my favorite obsession, today’s shag has never been more amazing. Think Jane Fonda, Lisa Rinna and most recently a number of starlets in young Hollywood. The cut is chiseled into with reckless abandon, creating jagged fringes that breathe life and energy into the hair. I’m in love with the 2014 shag and all the confidence that comes with it.
As I pay homage to the 1970s, I can barely contain my excitement for the year to come, with all the inspiration that stylists are drawing from these legendary haircuts. The cliche has never been truer: Everything old is new again. When it’s something this fantastic, I, for one, am glad!
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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