Every decade has its cringe-worthy fads, but the 70s took things to another level. Teens from this era embraced trends now considered baffling or embarrassing. From wacky fashion statements to strange accessories, young Americans eagerly adopted styles they’d later laugh at. These trends might have seemed cutting-edge back then, but today’s teens can’t help shaking their heads at the absurdity. Let’s travel back in time and explore twelve embarrassing trends every 70s teen mistakenly thought were incredibly cool.
1. Bell-Bottom Pants
Bell-bottoms defined 70s teen fashion. Teens wore pants tight at the waist and thighs that flared out dramatically at the ankles, often obscuring shoes completely. The wider the flare, the more fashionable the wearer. Jeans and polyester varieties were everywhere, coming in vivid patterns and colors like orange, avocado green, and purple. Nowadays, teenagers can’t comprehend why adding excess fabric at the ankles was ever considered trendy. These pants seem hilariously impractical, turning simple walking into a daily tripping hazard.
2. Platform Shoes
Platform shoes elevated teenagers several inches off the ground, quite literally taking fashion to new heights. The enormous soles were clunky, uncomfortable, and made walking an awkward balancing act. Yet, 70s teens proudly wore them to school dances, parties, and concerts. They came in wild styles from disco glitter to brightly-colored plastic, often paired with bell-bottoms for maximum effect. Today’s teens find these towering shoes amusingly bizarre, questioning why teens ever risked ankle injuries just to appear taller.
3. Pet Rocks
Believe it or not, pet rocks were actual stones sold in boxes complete with air holes, care instructions, and birth certificates. Teenagers willingly spent money on something they could pick up outdoors for free, proudly showing off their “pets” to friends. Owners genuinely treated them as living companions, naming them, and talking to them daily. Modern teens are puzzled at how anyone believed rocks were legitimate pets, viewing this craze as one of history’s strangest marketing gimmicks.
4. Leisure Suits
Leisure suits were matching polyester jacket-and-pants sets worn primarily by teen boys seeking style points. They came in garish colors like powder blue, mustard yellow, and burnt orange, often paired with silky shirts featuring enormous collars. Despite being itchy, uncomfortable, and notoriously sweat-inducing, teens wore them everywhere from school events to disco nights. Today’s teens laugh at the awkward stiffness and tacky sheen of these outfits, amazed such cringe-worthy fashion was ever cool.
5. Mood Rings
Mood rings promised to reveal the wearer’s emotional state by changing colors throughout the day. Teens eagerly monitored the shifts from blue (happy) to black (stressed), trusting these inexpensive novelty items implicitly. In reality, mood rings responded solely to temperature fluctuations rather than actual feelings. Nowadays, teenagers are amused that anyone relied on a cheap ring for emotional insights, wondering how such an obviously inaccurate gadget ever gained widespread popularity.
6. Disco Fashion
Disco fashion involved shiny, sequined clothing paired with platform shoes and oversized sunglasses, creating outfits visible from space. Girls wore glittery dresses and skirts, while guys donned shiny shirts with enormous open collars. Teens dressed to impress at discos, showing off outrageous dance moves under bright club lights. Today’s teens view this style as hilariously over-the-top, amazed at how anyone willingly wore head-to-toe glitter without embarrassment.
7. Shag Carpeting
Shag carpeting covered teen bedrooms in the 70s with thick, fluffy piles of fabric dyed in vibrant colors like lime green, burnt orange, and mustard yellow. Teens lost countless items, from keys to coins, in their deep fibers, making it frustratingly impractical. Vacuuming shag carpet was nearly impossible, ensuring it stayed filled with dirt, dust, and crumbs. Modern teens are baffled at the popularity of carpets resembling overgrown grass, grateful that today’s décor choices prioritize practicality over fluff.
8. Tube Socks with Stripes
Tube socks reached up to the knees and featured bright stripes around the top, often worn pulled high with short shorts. Teens considered them a must-have accessory, frequently matching sock stripes with outfits. They wore them everywhere—from gym class to social events—thinking the higher the socks, the cooler they appeared. Now, teenagers see knee-high striped socks as embarrassing relics of questionable style, laughing at how seriously past generations took their sock game.
9. Waterbeds
Waterbeds became hugely popular with teens convinced they offered ultimate comfort and luxury. These mattresses contained large vinyl bags filled with water, sloshing with each slight movement and often leaking disastrously. Despite causing motion sickness, back pain, and flooding bedroom floors, teens insisted waterbeds represented sophistication. Today’s teenagers find the idea of sleeping on unstable, watery surfaces absurd, appreciating solid beds that don’t require maintenance or cause seasickness.
10. Feathered Hair
Inspired by celebrities like Farrah Fawcett, feathered hairstyles dominated 70s teen culture. Hair was carefully layered and sprayed heavily, achieving a fluffy, wind-swept look requiring hours of styling. Both teen boys and girls enthusiastically sported feathered hair, often paired with wide collars and platform shoes. Nowadays, teens see feathered styles as overly dramatic and labor-intensive, preferring simpler hair routines and amused by the lengths teens went to achieve “perfect” hair.
11. Lava Lamps
Lava lamps consisted of liquid-filled glass tubes containing colored wax blobs that gently rose and fell when heated. Teens spent hours mesmerized by their hypnotic motions, believing these lamps added sophistication to their rooms. Despite providing minimal light and having no practical purpose, lava lamps were status symbols. Modern teens see lava lamps as amusingly outdated decorative pieces, puzzled at their predecessors’ fascination with slowly moving colored wax.
12. Polyester Everything
Polyester fabric dominated 70s wardrobes, featured prominently in pants, shirts, suits, dresses, and jackets. Teens endured polyester’s itchy, sweaty discomfort, static cling, and tendency to hold unpleasant odors, convinced it made them stylish. Clothing made entirely of synthetic fabric trapped body heat, resulting in endless discomfort. Teens today marvel at how 70s teenagers willingly wore such uncomfortable clothes, grateful breathable fabrics are now the norm.
