Dallas Star Victoria Principal Mastered Every '70s Hair Trend: Photos

If you're familiar with 1980s television, you likely recognize Victoria Principal. During the decade, Principal starred as Pamela Barnes Ewing on CBS primetime soap opera "Dallas," remaining as a mainstay of the cast from 1978 until 1987. Iconic TV star Victoria Principal looks absolutely stunning today, just as she did in her '80s heyday. However, Principal's style and look as a rising star in the '70s have been discussed far less. 

Principal got her start in 1972 in "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean," which starred Paul Newman, and continued to appear in small roles on television and film for the years to come. She quit acting around the middle of the decade but returned a few years later for the 1977 pilot of Fantasy Island. One year later, she was cast in "Dallas." Afterward, Principal began working as a producer, simultaneously taking on minor acting roles until 2001. While Principal's role in "Dallas" is her most iconic, we can't deny how much we adore her look as a '70s starlet. In her early days on the acting scene, Principal was incredibly trendy, rocking nearly every major '70s hair trend over the course of the decade. We're looking back at Principal's most under-appreciated (yet fashion-forward) hairdos throughout the 1970s.

Extra-long hair was incredibly popular in the early 1970s, and it is still among the '70s haircuts and styles that you can make work today. Victoria Principal rocked the look in a 1970 portrait, showcasing her flawless dark-brown hair. Like '70s megastar Cher, Principal wore her dark hair pin-straight and parted down the middle; the effortlessly chic look was one of the decade's defining hairstyles, as it was capable of seeming both bohemian and glamorous.

One of the major films Victoria Principal starred in was the 1974 disaster flick "Earthquake," during which she acted alongside acting icon Richard Roundtree. In the film, Principal rocked a short curly wig that was unlike any other style she would don throughout her acting career. Nevertheless, the dark curls suited Principal perfectly. While we often think of voluminous hairstyles as being associated with the 1980s, the previous decade saw people of all backgrounds opting for dramatic looks that screamed '70s glamour.

There are few styles as distinctly 1970s as the feathered shag. While its modern counterpart, the shaggy "wolf cut," is one of the hairstyles straight from the '70s that are making a comeback, Victoria Principal's late '70s shag was perfectly on-trend for the time. In a 1979 photo of Principal and then-husband Christopher Skinner, the "Dallas" star can be seen sporting a feathered brown shag. Her swooped bangs and defined layers were '70s chic, and it's a style we still see imitated today.

During her 1970s and 1980s peak, Victoria Principal was incredibly versatile. This shone through not only via her acting but her hair as well. In a paparazzi snap of the "Dallas" star from the late 1970s, Principal's cropped bob is on display. Unlike the sleek bobs in style today, Principal's voluminous chin-grazing cut and feathered fringe were '70s maximalism at its best. That decade wasn't just about ultra-long hair; short haircuts were just as trendy. 

A perfect blowout never goes out of style. In the 1975 film "I Will, I Will... for Now," Victoria Principal's character Jackie Martin can be seen with her hair in flawless shoulder-length curls. Bouncy blowouts were one of the biggest hair trends of the decade, with many women sporting voluminous layers curled away from their faces. Principal put her own spin on the iconic look by maintaining the '70s volume but curling the ends toward her face instead.

In a 1973 portrait of Victoria Principal, the rising star stunned with a head of full, teased-up dark curls. While a look like this is typically associated with the big hair movement of the '80s, Principal showed that voluminous hair actually found its roots a decade earlier. Unlike the other dramatic hair looks Principal rocked during the '70s, this style combined the bohemian trend that dominated the '70s with the vintage, Western-style vibe making its way back into mainstream entertainment at the time.