Mammas, Do Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys
How to Capture the Musky Allure of the Slutty 70s Cowboy
Cowboys are currently running my algorithms. From Pedro Pascal’s queer Western to country music being one of the fastest growing genres in the UK to the fashion boys of TikTok flaunting the sluttiness of Wrangler Cowboys and Levi’s 557s – cowboys are the only thing on my mind. But there is one cowboy aesthetic that has truly captured my heart and my wardrobe, and that is, what I call, the Slutty 70s Cowboy.
The Slutty 70s Cowboy style is a marriage between 1970s Western wear, cowboy motifs, and the fashions of Yacht Rock bands. Think cowboy boots, double denim, silk shirts, flares that are tight around the bum, chest hair, feathered hair, and moustaches. The Eagles and Player, the musical stylings of Dr. Hook, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Street Survivors” album cover, the Allman Brothers Band, Burt Reynolds, Robert Redford in The Electric Horseman, cowboy Teddy Pendergrass, Sam Elliott’s hair, Leon Bridges and Midland – this is your mood-board, and soundboard. Maybe throw some Waylon Jennings, Western Dennis Hopper, and Eli Cash from The Royal Tenenbaums in there. It’s flirty, flamboyant and a little rugged, it’s neon lights in a smoky bar, it’s Southern Comfort, it smells like tobacco and amber, and its slutty menswear at its finest.
If you have been swayed by the stylings of these musk-scented men, let’s look at what you need to become a Slutty 70s Cowboy. Flared jeans or trousers are a must, but because of the era we’re looking to and it being an accessory-heavy style, it is easy to fall into Bell Bottom Boy territory (if you’re not on the Bell Bottom Boy side of TikTok, go look, but be prepared to be jealous of the hipless bastards and their wonderful collection of vintage jeans). To avoid this, we need to be looking at Western denim brands, which might sound obvious, but it’s the tailoring of Western wear that is key to the sluttiness of this style. We’re not looking at the bedhead Jim Morrison picking up the first vaguely clean leather trews brand of slut, we’re looking towards Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit.
In his red pearl snap shirt, opened slightly to tease you with his chest hair, bulge-hugging flares, and accessorised with a strong moustache, a stunning turquoise ring, and a twinkle in his eye. The flares feel unexpected for someone to wear while partaking in high-speed pursuits, but that’s the allure. Another allure, and the reason to source Western denim, particularly Wranglers, is that cowboys have peachy derrieres. Thus, a cut of denim is needed to accommodate and accentuate the area, and Wranglers are the best at holding these glorious behinds. They also offer more than just denim flares, there’s also the Wrangler Wranchers, which might feel horrible in all their polyester wonder, but they are by far the sexiest piece of 70s Western tailoring. Or if flares are not your thing, then you can never go wrong with the slutty Cowboy cut.
On top we have a few options, if you want to keep it casual then go for a 70s/early 80s tight t-shirt, or a tailored pearl snap Western shirt in a light denim. Option two, and perhaps my favourite, embrace 70s fabrics in all their glory – lurex, polyester, silk, be that with prints, dagger collars, or one shiny colour, just make sure that they’re tight and the buttons start halfway down so that you can show off your accessories and chest hair. Or the final option, fully lean into 70s Western tailoring’s sluttiest potential, be that in a Western suit, white wife-pleaser vest, and layers of chains like Teddy Pendergrass or Midland’s Mike Wystrach, or go all-out like Leon Bridges at Glastonbury 2021 in a polyester Wrangler two-piece. The Leon Bridges one is a little trickier to pull-off, but if you can, then hello cowboy…
The final part(s), the pièce de resistance, are the accessories, because what is a Slutty 70s Cowboy without a bit of pizzazz? Mix and match Western accessories such as cowboy hats, bandanas, cowboy boots, turquoise jewellery, a bit of snakeskin, with the 70s flamboyance of silk scarves and layers of gold chains. Maybe even treat us to a little gold hoop earring? Hair-wise, wear it long and/or feathered or embrace a mullet of your choosing. Also, where the 70s was the decade for body hair positivity, a Robert Redford/Burt Reynolds chest hair moustache combination is not mandatory but highly recommended.
The current kings of this aesthetic has to be Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy and Jess Carson of Texas-based band Midland. Over the past few years, they have strutted across the country music scene in their fancy boots, flared jeans, Nudie Cohn-esque suits, Harley-Davidson tees and Hawaiian shirts, accessorised with gold chains, rosaries, rings on almost every finger, hats of every description, mullets of every variation, Tom Selleck-worthy moustaches, and a mischievous glint in their eyes. Their collection of vintage Western wear is enviable and what I wouldn’t give to have a rummage through… Even their sound has a 70s/80s feel to it – its easy breezy with a touch of cheekiness and oh-so slutty. They’re put together yet effortlessly cool, and that is what the Slutty 70s Cowboy is all about.
The best part? Or second-best part, because the best part is how goddamn good it looks (and looks good on everyone, not just the boys), is that you can buy all these items second-hand. You might even already have some of these pieces in your wardrobes. You want some life already in these clothes, that’s where the effortless and romanticism comes in, plus, if you’re willing to do a bit of digging, you can find some gems on the cheap. Good for the planet as well as good to the eye? Hello, yes please. Go forth and grow that moustache, feather that hair, embrace lurex and polyester and double denim, work that neckerchief, flares and snakeskin boot combo, muster up some Burt Reynolds swagger and become a Slutty 70s Cowboy. Yeehaw, indeed.