​Pluto in Libra...

October 6, 1971 - August 28, 1984
A Time of Beauty and Fairness for Women
Put a pencil to paper and draw a single line. Try to make it beautiful. Likely, you'll make the line long and curvy. This describes the style of the time period when Pluto was most recently in the sign of Libra. As the sign of visual beauty, Libra made lines of the time longer and curvier. Hair got longer, including side burns. Men's ties got wider, cars and houses got bigger. Soft, flowing rounded lines were chic, from flared sleeves and collars to bell-bottom pants and shag carpet. Music demonstrated the soft flowing feeling of the time with styles stretching from soft-folk rock to disco music to glam metal. There was a feeling that life was beautiful and was meant to be enjoyed.

Along with being the sign of visual beauty, Libra is the sign of fairness, and with Venus as its ruler, also femininity. Therefore, it's not surprising that during the time that Pluto was in Libra, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) passed by Congress in 1972 and was ratified by most states in America by 1977. 
It's also not surprising that divorce rates began to climb during this time period. As far as Libra is concerned, if something's not equal and fair, it simply shouldn't be. Also seen as a fairness issue was the extremely controversial supreme court case, Roe V. Wade. The decision was reached by the court in 1973. It gave women the right to have abortions, and was seen as a woman's rights issue. 
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It was a time of fighting for peace and making it stick. In 1975, the United States pulled out of Vietnam. This began a time period when there was very little US involvement in military conflict. It lasted until October 25, 1983, only twelve days before Pluto made its first transition into Scorpio making the Pluto in Libra period a time of relative peacefulness in the United States.
Libra's influence was even felt in technology. Finally the science of computing, which had previously been used for work purposes only, was offered to the public for entertainment purposes. Video games emerged as well as the first personal computer.

Libra, the sign of fairness and visual beauty, made the time between 1971 and 1984 a time that focused on looking cool and getting along. With songs like, Let it Be, from the Beatles being released in 1970, and Imagine by John Lennon in 1971 a feeling of tranquility was sought by most Americans. Peaceful, folk music became huge. Bands like Bread, the Doobie Brothers and America had sounds that soothed Americans. There is heavy metal, like Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Deep Purple, but it's still melodic. It isn't until with move into Pluto in Scorpio that we encounter the depressing genre of grunge and the hard edges of death metal. 

The 1980's begin with an up-beat mood that is typical of Libra. Styles changed, but the lines are still long, from over-sized shoulder pads in women's clothing to poofed hair styles and skirts. In 1982 Jane Fonda's workout video went onto the market. It epitomized the positive energy of the time. Aerobics was extremely popular and the leg warmers worn in dance and aerobics became fashionable.

Libra's desire for fairness drove the divorce rate and put more women in the workforce. In December of 1980, the movie "Nine to Five" was released. It painted a funny but sad picture of women in the workplace being underpaid and sexually harassed. Women's clothing changed to reflect their new drive to be equal to men at work. Over-sized shoulder pads became popular giving women a more masculine appearance. Pants suits with skinny ties and jackets with rolled-up sleeves made the statement that women were serious about working. 
​Still the 1980's had an upbeat feeling. In August of 1981, the first music video was aired on MTV. It was followed by a stream of cheerful musical acts like the Cars, Cyndi Lauper, and Whitney Houston exemplify the overly-chipper feeling of the time. It isn't until 1984, when Pluto enters Scorpio that things get dark. On September 14, 1984 Madonna performs "Like a Virgin" on MTV's first video awards show. She touches herself and grinds on the stage. It was about two weeks into Pluto in Scorpio and was a transition into what was to come.