In the 1970s fashion, the masculine appearance was influenced by the uprising trends of musicians, actors, and sportsmen. The Beetles, Elvis Presley, Desmond Decker, Punk, John Travolta, Clint Eastwood, David Cassidy, Paul Newman, Mark Spitz, George Best, among others were all pioneers of male hair and fashion. The society also played a role in the hair choices of men, with the circumstances prevailing in the 70s like political movements, the hair products available, and the overall individual creativity and choice of a man.
The hippie culture of the 1960s fashion-led a lot of men to grow out their hairs, this culture was then marked as a bad boy choice, so in the 70s, it had its downsides.
Short hairstyles worn by men were:
Short-haired wigs
Short-haired wigs for men became a need in the 70s. After a lot of men grew out their hairs in the 60s, some institutions like banks and courts considered long hairs to be indecent, so they enforced short hair rules. In order to keep their jobs, men with long hairs who were not willing to cut them resulted in using wigs.
Man Perm
Mike Brandy from the Brandy Bunch TV series in the 70s made the perm a sought after hairstyle for men. It became so popular that stars like Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman had to give it a go.
Classic short hair
With the need for decency in the workplace, most wall street businessmen still sported classical short hairs. Although variations like the shaggy cut and geometrical cut still existed, stars like Rudeboy and Skinheads kept the short hair in trend.
Greaser haircut
This was a tidy brushed back professional short hairstyle. It had an oily appearance and was smooth and clean cut. Water-based products were used alternatively when oil products were not a preference.
Popular Male Hairstyles
Other popular male hairstyles of the 1970s were:
The Mullet
Like David Bowie’s in the 70s, the classic mullet was short and shaggy in front and long at the back.
Dreadlocks
Letting nature do its thing with the natural dreads brought in through the reggae culture from Bob Marley in the 70s. It is a long process to attain but in its completed form, it has a lot of benefits and ease.
Classic Long Hair
Ditching the pomade and gels, and letting your hair grow as nature intended, whether it grew straight or curly, it had its own natural style.
Medium Shoulder Length Hair
The Beatles were at the forefront of the 70s shoulder-length hair trend which began in the 60s but continued making waves in the 70s.
The full afro
This was more of a political statement. The Afro is prominent with men of African descent and letting it grow out in full with the right hair products symbolized black pride.
Shag haircuts
Men often left their hairs free and shaggy. This style was effortless and was perfect on medium length hair as it fell around and even below the ears.
