How to Relive the 1970s

The 1970s is often an overlooked decade. The 1960s and the 1980s are most remembered compared to the 1970s. Actually, the 1970s were also an important decade. The 1970s was the start of modern electronic technology we use today. The 70s was the bridge between the "olden days" and the modern era. There were a multitude of political conflicts in the Middle East and Asia in the 70s. Politics became more complicated, and many pacts were signed to make peace. On the other hand, the first video games were produced in the 70s and scientists discovered that quarks (another element in atoms) exist. Bands split and formed- the Beatles split up in the early 1970s, but new bands were formed subsequently. If you want to relive the 1970s (if you are a baby boomer, Gen X, or another generation that wants to experience the 1970s), this article is for you!

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Dressing Like Someone from the 1970s

  1. 1970s celebrities wear 1970s fashion, so looking for them on the web will make your 1970s look more accurate.
    • The Rolling Stones gained popularity in the 1970s. This band still exists today after 60 years of their career!
    • Led Zeppelin was a band formed in 1968, and their career spanned all of the 1970s.
    • Clint Eastwood is an American actor, film director, and a film producer. He made many iconic 1970s movies.
    • Meryl Streep acted in many 70s film.
    • Barbra Streisand has a 60-year acting career that spans the 70s.
  2. These were sweaters with long necks on them. These were also worn during the 1970s.
    • You could also wear a sweater vest. These were popular in the 70s.
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  3. This look was the most iconic look of the 1970s. Chances are that many people think of disco when they think of the 1970s. People wore disco clothing- clothing that they would wear to a disco party.
    • Wear a crop top. Wear one with ruffles, large sleeves, or other flared designs on it. Pair these with bell bottoms.
    • Wear bell bottoms . Bell-bottoms are one of the most iconic clothing of the 70s. You can wear ones made out of any material- normal fabric or jean bell-bottoms. Wear long ones that extend to the floor. Wear these along with a blazer.
  4. Short bottoms were worn often in the 1970s. Miniskirts and very short pants that went up to the mid-thigh were popular during this decade.
    • Wear a mini skirt. These were popular in the early 1970s. Pair these with a crop top or a turtleneck sweater.
    • Wear hot pants. These were very tight, very short pants. These were often at the mid-thighs, and they were made in pastel colors. Wear these with a crop top.
  5. [1] These were exaggerated versions of bell bottoms- they were very wide at the bottom. They were even wider than normal bell-bottoms. These, along with bell-bottoms and other pants, were very fashionable in the 70s. [2]
  6. 1970s clothing differed; the early, mid, and late 1970s each had different styles and cultures.
    • Make sure that the pants are long enough so that they touch the ground and then belted in the waist and a blouse on top. [4]
    • Wear maxi flowing dresses. These were part of the hippie culture.
    • Wear a pantsuit. Pantsuits were worn by females because of the feminist movement. Females wanted to be more represented in politics and world issues, so they wore more masculine clothing.
    • Wear denim clothing. Denim was all the rage in the 70s. People matched denim blazers with denim jeans and shirts.
    • Wear tie-dye clothing. These were also part of the hippie movement.
    • Put on matching 1970s outfits with your significant other. People in the 1970s loved matching clothes with their partners. These were called "his and hers" outfits in the 70s. They wore matching denim, matching sweaters, and other matching outfits.
    • Wear a jumpsuit. These often had bell bottom-shaped pants. They also had flared sleeves and bold designs.
  7. 1970s shoes were added to 1970s clothing to make a whole outfit.
    • Put on platform heels. Platform heels were paired with jeans or maxi skirts the most.
    • Put on boots. These were popular in the 1960s as well as the 70s. Go-go boots and knee-high boots were worn during this decade.
    • Wear loafers. These were worn with dresses and bell-bottoms in the 1970s.
    • Wear sneakers. These were more popular in the very late 1970s, and continued on to the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
    • Put on clogs . Clogs are wooden shoes, but many people tend to think of clogs from the Netherlands. They are part of the Dutch traditional folk costume, but people in the 1970s wore them with bell-bottoms or hippie clothing.
  8. There were many 1970s accessories added with 1970s clothing.
    • Wear a turban. Many celebrities, including Queen Elizabeth II wore this on their heads along with other clothing. [5]
    • Add on pearl earrings.
    • Wear a cloche hat. These are small, bell-shaped hats that were worn in the 1970s and previous decades.
    • Put on a headband.
  9. There were many iconic hairstyles of the 1970s that are still remembered and worn today.
    • Grow an afro . African Americans in the 1970s wore this hairstyle with disco clothing like bell-bottoms and blazers.
    • Wear a shag hairstyle. A shag is a layered hairstyle. Each layer has been cut to a different length.
    • Feather your hair . Feathered hair was popularized by Farrah Fawcett, who was an American actress.
    • Dye your hair blonde, grow it to shoulder-length, and wear bangs. This hairstyle was also iconic in the 1970s.
    • Wear a pompadour . This was also a 50s hairstyle popularized by Elvis Presley, but it was revived in the 1970s.
    • Wear sideburns . These were also a popular male hairstyle.
    • Wear a buzzcut . This is a very short hairstyle that was popular with males in the 70s.
  10. There were many youth subcultures in the 1970s that had their own unique clothing.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Viewing Media from the 1970s

  1. Disco and soul music were popular in the early 1970s. Jazz was also listened to. If you were young in the 70s (Baby Boomer or older Gen X), you might've heard of some of these songs. [6]
    • Let It Be (The Beatles) - March 1970
    • I'll Be There (Jackson 5) - August 1970
    • Brown Sugar (The Rolling Stones) - April 1971
    • Imagine (John Lennon) - October 1971
    • Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) - November 1971
    • Rocket Man (Elton John) - April 1972
    • Superstition (Stevie Wonder) - October 1972
    • Could It Be I’m Falling In Love (The Spinners) - November 1972
    • Let's Get It On (Marvin Gaye) - June 1973
    • Candle In The Wind (Elton John) - February 1974, written as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe who died 11 years earlier; rewritten in 1997 as a tribute to Princess Diana who died that year
  2. In the late 1970s, punk rock thrived in the mid to late 1970s. Heavy metal was also listened to. [7]
    • Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) - October 1975
    • Dancing Queen (ABBA) - August 1976
    • Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac) - December 1976
    • Hotel California (Eagles) - February 1977
    • We Will Rock You (Queen) - October 1977
    • Stayin' Alive (Bee Gees) - December 1977 [8]
    • Shadow Dancing (Andy Gibb) - April 1978
    • Y.M.C.A. (Village People) - October 1978
    • Heart Of Glass (Blondie) - January 1979
    • We Are Family (Sister Sledge) - April 1979
  3. Animated movies had color, but they were still 2D in the 70s. There weren't as many animated movies, and most animated movies were still made by Disney . Some of the movies listed below have been put in the U.S. National Registry for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant! If you are a person from the Baby Boomer generation (1948-1964), you may have seen some of these movies. If you are an older Gen X'er (1970-1975) you might've seen the mid-late 1970s movies. [9] [10]
    • The Aristocats (1970)
    • A Clockwork Orange (1971)
    • The Godfather (1972)
    • Robin Hood (1973)
    • Chinatown (1974)
    • The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
    • Rocky (1976)
    • Star Wars (1977) - The very first Star Wars series movie!
    • Grease (1978)
    • The Muppet Movie (1979)
  4. 4
    Watch some TV shows from the 70s. Like the 1960s, the 1970s has many iconic TV shows that are still being produced today.
    • The Partridge Family (1970-1974)
    • All in the Family (1971-1979)
    • M*A*S*H (1972-1983)
    • The Six Million Dollar Man (1973-1978)
    • Happy Days (1974-1984)
    • Wheel of Fortune (1975-)
    • Charlie's Angels (1976-1981)
  5. The 1970s were the very beginning of modern video games. Video games didn't exist in the 1960s and other previous decades prior to the 1970s. Many kids played these games in arcades instead of home consoles. These days, arcades have claw machines, air hockey tables, and cool 3D graphics on the arcade machine screens. In the 1970s, arcades were just full of arcade machines. Atari and Midway were popular console manufacturing companies. Even Nintendo was in its infancy in the 1970s. Midway and the original Atari company don't exist anymore, but they still made games that would kickstart the video game industry. You may have played some of these 1970s games. [11]
    • Computer Space (released 1971)
    • The Oregon Trail (released 1971)
    • Pong (released 1972)
    • Tank (released 1974)
    • Breakout (released 1976)
    • Sea Wolf (released 1976)
    • F-1 (released 1977)
    • Space Invaders (released 1978)
  6. Modern video game console developers like Microsoft didn't exist yet. Nintendo was in its infancy, and brands like Atari, Coleco, and Midway produced the first video game consoles. Not many people keep technology for 40-50 years, so it's ok if you don't have any of these consoles left. You could buy one at a store that sells vintage things, or you could just play the modern versions of the video games. [12]
    • Magnavox Odyssey - the first commercially available video game console (released in 1972 in the U.S., released in 1973 overseas)
    • Fairchild Channel F (released 1976)
    • Atari 2600 (released 1977)
    • Color TV-Game - the first Nintendo game console (released 1977)
    • Magnavox Odyssey² (released 1978)
    • Microvision - the first handheld video game console (released 1979)
  7. [13] 1970s technology is considered old by people in the 21st century. Floppy desks and huge, brick-like devices were still used by people in the 1970s. The 1970s was the bridge to modern discoveries and science. Before the 1970s, even older technology was used, and many things (like video games and widespread color television) did not exist. Not many people keep old technology, but if you have some 1970s technology, you can take them out.
    • See if you have a floppy disk . These were first introduced in 1971, although people started creating a floppy disk prototype in the late 1960s. Floppy disks used to store information. They are the predecessors to USB drives, memory cards, and later cloud storage. Many web processors like Microsoft Word still have the floppy disk as their "Save" icon!
    • Find an Apple II (stylized apple ][ ) computer. These were made in 1977. The Apple logo in the 1970s was multicolored like a rainbow because the Apple II computer had color graphics.
    • See if you have a Commodore PET computer. These debuted in 1977. They got the "PET" name from pet rocks, which were a big fad in the 1970s.
    • Find a Sony Walkman . These were portable audio players that were released in 1977.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Acting Like Someone from the 1970s

  1. Each decade has its special phrases and slang. The 1970s were no different. There were many phrases that people across the internet used. Some of these include: [14]
    • 10-4/10-4, good buddy - radio code for "Message received"; later added "good buddy" to the term to mean "Ok" [15]
    • Boogie - to dance [16]
    • Brick house - an attractive, strong woman [17]
    • Cool beans - that's cool/great
    • Dork - nerd
    • Far out - radical or cool
    • Groovy - excellent or cool
    • Shaggin’ wagon - a 1970s party van
    • Skinny - the whole truth
    • Space cadet - someone who uses drugs and detached from reality
    • The Man - a boring authority figure (e.g., a teacher, a parent, a relative)
    • You jivin' yet? - asking someone "Are you enjoying it yet?"
  2. Each modern decade has its many trends. Some of these are interesting, whereas some of these are weird or even dangerous. Try to attempt some safe 1970s trends. [18]
    • Wear clogs . Clogs are wooden shoes, but many people tend to think of clogs from the Netherlands. They are part of the Dutch traditional folk costume, but people in the 1970s wore them with bell-bottoms or hippie clothing.
    • Sleep on a waterbed. These were beds with water-filled mattresses. This was popular because of the sexual revolution, which was an idea that started in the 1960s. During the sexual revolution, ideas about sex and sexuality became non-taboo subjects, and there were many differing ideas about sexuality.
    • Jog . Jogging was a trend in the 1970s when people started to exercise for health and wellness. Before WWII, jogging was seen as weird. But following the years after WWII, jogging became widespread. Many celebrities and famous people started jogging. Even then- U.S. president Jimmy Carter started running.
    • Buy a shag rug. Shag rugs are textured rugs with messy strands in them. They can be difficult to clean though, so see this to know how to clean shag rugs.
    • Use Aqua Net hairspray. People in the 70s sprayed this hairspray all over their feathered hair, pompadours, and shag hairstyles to keep them from messing up.
    • Become a fan of heavy metal . Heavy metal music was appreciated in the 1970s. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, Queen, and AC/DC produced many iconic heavy metal albums and songs.
    • Become a fan of rock and roll . Rock-and-roll was also a popular music genre in the 1970s. Bands like Kiss, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Eagles, ABBA, and Europe made many iconic rock-and-roll albums and songs.
    • Roller skate . Roller skating was a fad in the 1970s. The disco trend influenced roller skating because disco was a rink-friendly dance that you could dance to in roller skates. Go to skating rinks and learn how to roller skate if you don't know how to yet.
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      Warnings

      • Do not attempt dangerous trends or fads. Don't overdose on club drugs. These were more popular in the 1980s, but people in the 1970s also used them. Even though these were popular during parties in the 1980s-2000s, people have overdosed on them and died because of them.
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      • Be careful while roller skating! Wear the correct gear to prevent injuries.
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      • Platform shoes can damage your feet over time, so wear them less often. Wear different outfits and shoes for the 1970s.
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      References

      1. ↑ Jordan Stolch. Image Consultant & Style Advisor. Expert Interview
      2. ↑ https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/g6495/70s-fashion-in-photos/
      3. ↑ Jordan Stolch. Image Consultant & Style Advisor. Expert Interview
      4. ↑ Jordan Stolch. Image Consultant & Style Advisor. Expert Interview
      5. ↑ https://thevou.com/fashion/70s-fashion/
      6. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-songs-that-defined-the-early-seventies-251802/lynn-anderson-rose-garden-1970-251872/
      7. ↑ https://www.musicgrotto.com/best-70s-songs/
      8. ↑ https://www.magic.co.nz/home/music/2020/04/Magic-100-Essential-Songs-of-the-70s-Countdown.html
      9. ↑ https://www.ranker.com/list/best-70s-kids-movies/ranker-film
      1. ↑ https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/favorite-1970s-movies/3/
      2. ↑ https://www.retrowaste.com/1970s/1970s-toys/1970s-video-games/
      3. ↑ https://www.gamesradar.com/consoles-of-the-70s/
      4. ↑ https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-gadgets-from-the-1970s-2014-8
      5. ↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/slang/1970-s-slang.html
      6. ↑ https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/1970s-slang-terms
      7. ↑ https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/1970s-slang
      8. ↑ https://www.yahoo.com/video/best-slang-terms-1970s-arent-220539885.html
      9. ↑ https://blog.cheapism.com/fads-of-the-70s/#slide=20

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