Mall Madness Circa 1989

[methodwriter85]

     There's this cool photo set, making the rounds on the net, which depict a day in the America Mall in 1989. Taken by a then-college student, years later the photos have taken on a nostalgic look at the bygone era of the late 1980's/pre-Grunge '90s, when malls were the undisputed king of American retail commerce. I thought it was cool to look at, especially given that we're about to go into the Holiday shopping season.

 

Spotted! People Find Loved Ones in Amazing 1989 Mall Photos!

 

     For me, I really like looking at them because they evoke a sense of when I was 6 years old in 1991-1992, and I'd go to the Monmouth Mall in New Jersey with my family. (The grunge era didn't really hit hard in New Jersey 'til like '93.) It's funny seeing that 1980's aesthetic in here- they really were the last decade to have a strong, defined "look" to them. An awful one to be sure, but still pretty defined. It seems like the general rule of thumb was to have short hair in the front and a party in the back if you were a guy, and to have the biggest hair with the highest bangs possible if you were a girl.

 

    Looking at the photos, I feel like New Kids on The Block is blaring on the speakers:

 

 

    *Looks at Tet's and other sub-24 year old posters' confused faces* Yeah, you had to have been there.