How to Relive the 1970s

Co-authored by Jordan Stolch

Last Updated: January 11, 2023 References

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
Look for 1970s celebrities. 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
Wear a turtleneck sweater. 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
Get the disco look of the 1970s. 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
Wear short clothing. 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
Wear palazzo pants. 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. ^{[1]
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- Wear these with a crop top or sweater.
- Wear these types of pants with colorful patterns and designs.
6
Wear other 1970s clothing. 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.
- 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
Wear 1970s shoes. 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
Wear 1970s accessories. 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. ^{[2]
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- 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
Wear 1970s hairstyles. 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
Wear clothing inspired by youth subcultures in the 1970s. There were many youth subcultures in the 1970s that had their own unique clothing.
- Be inspired by the hippie subculture. Wear Mexican blouses with jeans, bell-bottoms, or long skirts. You could also wear a maxi dress.
- Be inspired by the rock and roll subculture.
- Be inspired by the punk subculture.
- Be inspired by the mod subculture.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Viewing Media from the 1970s

1
Listen to songs from the early 1970s. 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. ^{[3]
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- 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
Listen to songs from the late 1970s. In the late 1970s, punk rock thrived in the mid to late 1970s. Heavy metal was also listened to. ^{[4]
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- 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 ^{[5]
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- 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
Watch some nostalgic 1970s kid's cartoons. If you are a member of the Baby Boomer or Gen X generation, you probably watched these 1970s cartoons. Specifically, younger baby boomer members (1960-1964) or older Gen X'ers (1965-1972) are more likely to have watched many of these cartoons. Hanna-Barbera cranked out many cartoons in the 1970s. The animation company debuted in 1957, and produced most cartoons in the 60s and 70s. You can watch these childhood cartoons to experience your 1970s childhood again. Younger Gen X members have likely watched 1980s cartoons more than 1970s cartoons (unless they were rebooted). ^{[6]
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- Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969-1978)
- The Pink Panther Show (1969-1978)
- Josie and the Pussycats (1970-1971)
- The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan (September 1972-December 1972)
- The Flintstone Comedy Hour (1972-1974)
- Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972-1984)
- Butch Cassidy (September 1973-December 1973)
- Yogi's Gang (September 1973-December 1973)
- Schoolhouse Rock (1973-2009)
- Partridge Family 2200 A.D. (September 1974-December 1974)
- The Tom and Jerry Show (September 1975- December 1975)
- Jabberjaw (September 1976-December 1976)
- 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother (January 1976-December 1976)
- Dynomutt, Dog Wonder (1976-1977)
- Fred Flintstone and Friends (1977-1978)
- A kockásfülű nyúl/The Checker-Eared Rabbit (1977-1979)
- Treasure Island (1978-1979)
- The All-New Popeye Hour (1978-1983)
- Doraemon (1979-present)
  - NOTE: The old 1973 version of Doraemon has since been lost. The animation studio that made the original Doraemon, Nippon TeleMovie Productions, went bankrupt in 1981, so they sold some cels of the 1973 series. They also destroyed most cels that they used to create the TV series in a fire. No episodes of this exist online, and the few episodes that have been found are very low quality. So, you can only view the more famous 1979 Doraemon series.
4
View some 1970s kids' movies. 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. 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. ^{[7]
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- The Aristocats (1970)
- The Railway Children (1970)
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
- Snoopy, Come Home (1972)
- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
- Charlotte's Web (1973)
- Robin Hood (1973)
- Benji (1974)
- Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)
- Star Wars (1977) - The very first Star Wars series movie!
- The Hobbit (1977)
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
- Superman (1978)
- The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (1979)
- The Muppet Movie (1979)
5
Take out your 1970s toys. There were many iconic toys that symbolized the 70s decade. These classic toys looked quite different than their successors. For example, 1980s and 1990s Barbie dolls look quite different than the early 1960s and 1970s dolls. Some of these toys might be unrecognizable to younger generations that were born in the 1990s-2010s. Some of these include: ^{[8]
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- 1970s Lego playsets (first released in 1932)
- View Master (released 1939)
- 1970s Barbie dolls, which had unrealistic bodies like a large bust, slightly curved arms, and a tiny waist (first released 1959)
- Lite Brite (released 1967)
- Big Wheel (released 1969)
- Nerf balls (released 1969)
- Weebles (released 1971)
- The original Baby Alive dolls (first released in 1973)
- Shrinky Dinks (1973)
- Rubik's Cube (released 1974)
- Pet rocks (brand made in 1975)
- The Six Million Dollar Man action figure (released 1975)
- Stretch Armstrong (released 1976)
- Hungry Hungry Hippos (released 1978)
- Simon (released 1978)
- Star Wars action figures (released 1978)
6
Play video games from the 1970s. 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. ^{[10]
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- 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)
7
See if you have any 1970s video game consoles. 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. ^{[11]
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- 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)
8
Get your hands on 1970s technology. ^{[12]
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- 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.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Acting Like Someone from the 1970s

1
Use 1970s slang. 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: ^{[13]
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- 10-4/10-4, good buddy - radio code for "Message received"; later added "good buddy" to the term to mean "Ok" ^{[14]
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- Boogie - to dance ^{[15]
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- Brick house - an attractive, strong woman ^{[16]
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- 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
Do 1970s trends. 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. ^{[17]
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- 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.

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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