How the Concept of 'Self-Care' Evolved in the 1970s

For many, ideas about wellness and personal growth took precedence over country and obligations.

The economic crisis. The Cold War. The Vietnam War. Watergate. Revelations about COINTELPRO. An increase in crime. All of this was new and anxiety-inducing for Americans, many of whom were undergoing an infusion of individualism that trumped societal expectations. The end of the Vietnam War in April of 1975 amplified the national feeling of defeat. It damaged a deeply held American sentiment that we were a unique and divinely special nation. On television sets, Iranian-American relations crumbled, foreshadowing a new type of televised terrorism we’d see in decades to come.

The sense of hopelessness that culminated from all of these domestic and international events created a national movement of turning inward, finding alternative things to place faith in, and Americans healing themselves. Numerous polls at the time revealed that civic engagement— voting, joining political organizations, volunteering, etc— declined. For instance, the “percentage of voting-age Americans [who participated in] presidential elections dropped from 61 percent in 1968 to 53% in 1980, and dipped to just 38% in the 1974 congressional elections and 46% in 1978.” 

A 1978 article in New York magazine summed it up as

“Having lost faith in much of society, government, business, marriage, the church and so on—we seem to have turned to ourselves, putting what faith we can muster in our own minds and bodies.”

Self-improvement and self-help became larger literary genres in the 70s. Astrology, which bounded into mainstream popularity in the late 60s through the seventies, made asking someone their sign a common question for potential mates. Linda Goodman's 1968 book, Sun Signs, was the first astrology book to hit the New York Times Bestseller List. The 1978 Love Signs provided a basis for modern ideas about astrological sign compatibility. Ideas and beliefs based on Eastern philosophy and religions like Buddhism and Hinduism were being presented to those looking for alternative paths. The varying ideologies came to be known as New Age movements and were especially relevant among aging baby boomers who wanted to repackage values of the 60s counterculture. Wrote Madeleine Thomas, “Broadly speaking, something could be called ‘New Age’ if it encompassed some kind of non-Western spiritual practice, or called into question all forms of materialism, consumerism, or industrial technologies.”

Something commonly associated with the New Age movement was communes, though they weren’t all New Age. Between 1966 and 1970, 2000 communes popped up, and analysis found eight types. There were Christian communes, alternative family communes, political communes, and countercultural communes, in addition to ones based in Eastern religion. Commune members were most represented by Jews, singles, and the college-educated. The Jews, in particular, disillusioned with their own faith, were more likely to adopt eastern religions, which reaffirms why some Jewish leaders advocated for more cultural nationalism as we discussed earlier.

Other New Age trends that were popular in the 70s are again popular now — like tarot card readings, healing crystals, and astrology. Yoga, a 5000-year-old practice, became popular and westernized. In 1971, New York only had three such studios. One of the owners said later, “people confused yoga and yogurt. They were both brand new and nobody knew what either of them were.” By the mid-70s, there were residential yoga programs and The Yoga Journal was published. Yoga, as of 2019 when this essay was written, is now a 27 billion dollar industry. Physical activity itself was a new nationwide hobby. Before the 70s, few adults exercised regularly, with one 1960 study saying only 24% of Americans did. Most of these Americans were wealthy male members of the small number of health clubs, where light exercise and steam baths were encouraged.

By 1978, there were over 3000 private fitness clubs across the country, attract a mostly white middle-class clientele. Newsweek reported that gyms and jogging trails were the new places for singles to meet, instead of bars. Also in 1978, Americans spent $65 million on workout equipment, demonstrating the growth of home gyms. That same year, the New York Times reported that Americans loved yoga, ballet, Slimnastics, figure conditioning, and fencing. For Americans who lived near the newly abundant national parks made possible by Nixon, rock climbing, backpacking, kayaking, canoeing, and mountaineering grew in popularity. The oil crisis also saw a rise in Americans riding bikes. Bodybuilding became a competitive and popular hobby after 1975, with Austrian immigrant Arnold Schwarzenegger as a key figure.

Recreational running also became huge. Nike was founded to produce running shoes in 1972. The first New York City marathon had 126 entrants in 1970, but by 1978 it had 10,000. The previous year, James Fixx's Complete Book of Running had sold over a million copies. Running’s profile was also boosted by Jimmy Carter, who ran an average of 40-50 miles per week. He was an athletic man in general. Reported Time Magazine in 1979,

"Though Carter admitted last year that he had “never been a really good athlete,” he has proved to be a very conscientious exerciser and one of the most versatile sportsmen ever to serve as Chief Executive. He enjoys activities ranging from bowling and swimming (he can execute an impressive one-and-a-half flip off the diving board at the Camp David pool) to fly-fishing and quail hunting. During his first 20 months in the White House, Carter tended to get most of his exercise through tennis, playing at least five times a week and teaching Rosalynn to play. He took up jogging a year ago, when he held the Middle East summit at Camp David and discovered he had no time for tennis."

Living an active lifestyle even wiggled its way into the business world. In 1975, Forbes estimated that the sedentary lifestyles of office executives caused ailments that cost companies $700 million annually. Major companies took note and began building in-house gyms or offering their employees discounted or free memberships to local gyms.

People were also paying attention more to what went into their bodies.

In 1971, United became the first commercial airline to segregate smokers from non-smokers.  A critic remarked that “a smoking section on an airplane is like having a peeing section in a swimming pool.” Cigarette use and acceptance further declined, and in 1972 the Surgeon General reported on 2nd hand smoke. Throughout the decade, over thirty states targeted smoking by restricting it in public areas, beginning with Arizona in 1973. In 1978, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare announced proposals to curb smoking, including a higher cigarette tax and a move to ban smoking on planes. Big Tobacco began focusing its marketing overseas. Wrote Thomas Borstelmann in retrospect, “Cigarette sales may have dropped by more than 20% in the US from 1975 to 1994, but U.S. cigarette exports more than tripled in the same years.” 

The original Whole Foods in 1980

Living in the Me Decade meant being faced with more choices meant to attract targeted demographics. There were new specialty shops like Starbucks, which launched in Seattle in 1971. There was a rise in micro-breweries and locally crafted goods, though mass-produced foods were at never before seen levels. While there was a rise in the consumption of restaurant and fast food, there were also new markets for healthy and organic food and products, exhibited by the launch of SaferWay in 1978, which would become Whole Foods two years later. In 1977 it was reported that the most lucrative sector of the 6 billion dollar brewing industry was in light beer. Natural personal care products came onto the scene through Tom’s of Maine in 1975. Supermarkets provided more choice than ever, and their open doors gestured in people shopping for crazy fad diets, like the cookie diet.

After all, Americans were becoming more obsessed with looking good. The Master Cleanse diet-- consisting of lemon, water, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper, debuted in 1976 and was just one of several fad diets that put people's health at risk for a coveted aesthetic. That same year, the California Milk Advisory board advocated for a 7 Day Milk Diet for people to lose weight. This was just fractionally better than a 1973 tip from The Beautiful People’s Diet Book that read, “For heightened perception without drugs plus rapid weight loss, nothing beats the oldest known treatment for obesity: total starvation.” But looking good didn’t stop at weight or body tone. It was during this decade that plastic surgery visits for facelifts and nose jobs grew. Newspapers declared that cosmetic surgery was no longer just for the rich.

Did you enjoy this 1970s history? Check out the full series, Lexual Does The 70s!