Beauty Trends Through The Decades: An Exploration Into Some Of Our Greatest Moments In Fashion.

Words by Meg Bulmer

Beauty as a social construct is an ever-changing entity; we are constantly looking back at old pictures of ourselves and cringing at an outdated outfit or an old-fashioned hairstyle, something we once considered the height of sophistication all of a sudden cause for an embarrassment-induced shudder. New beauty trends are created every day on social media, spreading like wildfire until we become desperate to own and wear something that a week ago may have even been considered bizarre. This ever-changing nature to the beauty expectations and standards of our society is a fascinating way to gain insight into our past, and speculate about our future. The cyclical nature of fashion trends is even more interesting; the way in which the beauty crazes of past decades resurface every day illustrates how beauty standards are simultaneously fleeting and enduring. The last few decades are host to some of the most creative, striking and notorious fashion trends to emerge from the western world, and despite the ever-increasing number of new trends appearing each year, the 70s and the 00s arguably produced some of the greatest and longest-lasting beauty crazes of the last 60 years, celebrating freedom of expression and paving the way for decades to come. 

Fashion through the decades

The 1970s was arguably one of the most groundbreaking decades regarding its contribution to fashion, with many of the greatest trends of the period frequently resurfacing in our society today. It was a bright and colourful decade during which style was seen as a way of expressing a connection to life, from the neutral earthy tones of nature to the bright and psychedelic patterns of disco music, there was not one but many remarkable fashion trends to emerge from this period. The 70s was also rife with legendary fashion icons, many of whom gained widespread influence thanks to the emergence of the exceptionally popular Glastonbury festival, which began in 1970 and featured many of the artists who would come to symbolise style itself: Diana Ross, Cher, The Beatles, and David Bowie, to name a few. The fashion of the 70s still echoes loudly today, with many current trends originating from the period; you only have to walk into a store like Urban Outfitters to see the styles and colours of the 1970s filling every rack. Flares, knitwear, bralettes, floral patterns…the list is endless, and confirms the prevalence with which past fashion is constantly reappearing in our every day, with trends and crazes never truly forgotten, but only retired and recycled to be celebrated anew decades later. 

Fashion catalogue 1971

Another of the most significant contributors to fashion history is the decade of the 2000s, with its often totally chaotic approach to style. Among the most infamous and memorable trends of this decade were low-rise baggy jeans, glitter hair clips, cargo pants, leopard prints, baby tees, and more, with one of the most notable aspects of the time being the suddenly popular celebrity practice of sporting multiple eye-popping trends at once. Any previous rules or constrictions on putting together an acceptable outfit evidently vanished from the period of 2000 to 2010, with trend-setting celebs opting to throw out conventionality and wear pretty much any ensemble of items that they wanted, in whatever context they deemed appropriate. To me this was wholly symbolic of the fashion freedom of the time, a break from the normal pressures imposed on society by conventional beauty standards, and a permission to wear exactly what you wanted, in whatever way you wanted. Despite the frequently considered chaotic nature of 00s style, there were some trends which survived through the following decade and continue to find a place among the more subtle and understated trends of today; our Instagram and TikTok feeds are teeming with the pretty hair claws and comfy oversized jeans that were so popular in the 2000s. This further highlights how society’s fashion standards are frequently modified and updated, and that even if the style of a decade comes to be regarded with ridicule and confusion, aspects of it will always slip through the cracks of time and remain central to the fashion of years to come. 

00s celeb fashion

It is fascinating to contemplate what in 20 years will be considered the greatest fashion trends of this decade; how will the beloved new trends of the last two years, and the ones yet to emerge over the next eight, play a role in the constantly unfolding narrative of fashion through history. Which will come to be regarded with shock and embarrassment, and which will slip through the cracks and live on forever as iconic symbols of our greatest moments…