People who lived through the 70s- why was everything ugly?

[trapdoor2]

I certainly wore some fugly stuff. Wide bell-bottom jeans, bubble-toe shoes with platform heels, shirts made of that silky nylon stuff that shredded itself on anything you brushed up against...and long, pointed collars. I have a pic from 1975 where I look like I'm in some kinda crazy clown suit: blue plaid bell-bottom knit pants, silk shirt, Tony Lama boots. Hair parted in the middle (which continued to part further throughout my 20s and by my 30s was a comb-over).

Mom's kitchen (circa 1965) was brown...but the stove and fridge were "Burnt Orange" and she painted all the shelving "Antique Red" in the 70s. The living room was beige with green accents, darker beige carpeting. I wanted electric blue shag in my room...didn't get it. Still, I had one wall covered in a 4X8 fluorescent fuzzy UV poster. Far out!

 

[maxvintage]

Yeah it was not a fashion or style highpoint

 

[BrazHog]

But at least we didn’t have to wear helmets all the time.

Some had...

...with enough hairspray to stop a bullet.

EDIT: “Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” ― Oscar Wilde

EDIT 2: Luckily, my folks were Kennedy chic till their last day. Maybe because they were too broke to buy the big lapel/ bell bottom stuff in the 70's.

 

[Happy Enchilada]

Third one in the bottom row with the bow tie - is that Pee Wee Herman?
Lead singer of Pee Wee Herman's Hermits?

 

[ruger9]

We also had these hideous things.

View attachment 1023774

Va-Va-VOOM!!!

 

[Masmus]

If you think the 70s looked bad, the smell of the 70s was even worse.
The 70s also reeked of stale tobacco.

This is so true. I was with a 25 yr old coworker getting lunch in Reno at a old style diner in a casino and he bitterly complained about the smoke coming in from the casino. I laughed and said it was part of the old diner experience. everywhere I went as a kid there was smoke. As soon as people finished their meals they would light up right next to you. No such thing as a smoking section, everywhere was the smoking section including airplanes.

As far as the style, odd color shag carpet and some shade of brown everything maybe not so good looking back but there are plenty of things today that are equivalent. If you have kids a medium and dark brown mixed shag rug hides almost any stain.

 

[Marc Morfei]

Not everything was ugly.


On the other hand, most of it was.

 

[stnmtthw]

Not everything was ugly.
View attachment 1023815On the other hand, most of it was.

One thing about beautiful women that you will never convince them of- no matter what they are wearing, they make it look good, not the other way around.

 

[Fretting out]

We also had these hideous things.

View attachment 1023774

A lot of people did find these ugly

I love a big square vehicle

Round vehicles make me furious!

 

[telleutelleme]

Didn't know Charlie Manson had a kid ...

ME? 1971 College photo.

 

[jhundt]

Five pages of replies to a stupid dumb-ass meaningless question post. The TDPRI just keeps reaching new heights!

 

[Mike Eskimo]

So I was in the hospital earlier this week, and I'm recuperating at home. I found a channel that shows nothing but old TV shows from the mid 20th century. Right now they are showing reruns of Emergency! Which was a decent show, but... why was everything so freaking ugly?

All the colors are either puke green, dehydrated pee yellow, or brown. Everything was wide- the collars, the ties, the pant legs. Every third man has a John Holmes porn stach and everyone looks like they need a shower, like they just crawled off the Manson Family compound or something.

Please tell me it wasn't like this in real life. Please tell me that my parents had some sense of taste and decency.

I was born in 1980, so I've seen my share of butt ugly trends, but man...

Two millennials just moved into a house 3 down from us.

Big wood frame clapboard farmhouse deal.

Painted it satin black.

Whole house.

All trim /siding /evuhthing.

I think we may be finally coming out of the white/black/grey /greige/oatmeal days but - it’s sure taken awhile !

Them millennials are stubborn (and chubby) …

 

[clydethecat]

It was the decade of brown cars:

Even the sports cars were brown.

 

[Skully]

View attachment 1023819

ME? 1971 College photo.

I was thinking more Che Guevara.

 

[Telecaster88]

everyone looks like they need a shower

That's because they're wearing 100% polyester everything... down to the undies.

 

[Kandinskyesque]

Despite the stink some of the 70s looked good.

I started high school in '78 and my English teacher looked like the blonde from Abba and my art teacher looked like the girl from the Cadbury's Flake advert (the gypsy caravan one).
I also owned this piece of peak sartorial coolness in '76...

 

[HaWE]

Many things were not ugly at all ... at least what I have experienced. Early 70`s with a lot of late sixties Rock-Music, girls in school wearing tight jeans ( miniskirt or hotpants ) and t-shirts ,most girls and boys (including me ) had beautiful long hair, it was a kind of "post-hippie" period.The cars and motorbikes were still looking fantastic.I had a VW Beetle in orange, a simple and cool car.
What I found ugly was the disco-look around mid 70`s.I neither liked the look of many people dressed for disco nor did I like the music that the djs played.But fortunately there were many parties were you could meet that hippie-scene

 

[KeithDavies 100]

Just sayin'...

 

[Fretting out]

View attachment 1023819

ME? 1971 College photo.

Are you also only 5 foot tall?

If so I would have gotten a haircut……

 

[HaWE]

Beautiful and without comment