Welcome to Retro English, the place that's all about yesterday's phrases and crazes. Today, we'll be taking a look at the some of the language and fashion of the 1970's. We'll be talking to our language expert, Tony Thorne, and playing some music that should have you reaching for your dancing shoes!
   
Tony Thorne 1970's
The 70's: fashion
 

What an excellent, or 'groovy', song! It's Gloria Gaynor with the disco anthem 'I Will Survive.'
70's fashion   Fashion!
In the UK, 'disco' was certainly a word that you would have heard a lot of in the 70's, referring to a style of dancing and music. But it was only one example of the different trends that shaped the look of the decade. There were many other words that described clothing and music trends.
  
    Listen to Tony summing up the 70's, in terms of style and fashion:
    Check the transcript - note the words in bold
Boys? Girls?   Unisex
The fag-end of hippydom. Well, a 'fag' is slang for a cigarette. Another word that started to be used a great deal in the Western world of the 70's, was 'unisex'.		  
    Listen to Tony explaining where the word 'unisex' came from:
    Check the transcript - note the words in bold
pollution   Social themes
Umm - glam, glitter, glitz, shoddy-showiness and 'unisex'... That seems to sum up 70's styles and fashions. But what were the wider social or political themes, particularly in the UK, that they grew out of?		  
    Listen to Tony's thoughts on the UK politics and social issues of the time:
    Check the transcript - note the words in bold
  Exercise  
See how much of a 70's language expert you are - check out today's Retro English exercise!