I was born in 1972. Many, many things have come and gone in the amount of time I have been on this planet. There are a handful of things I truly miss, but for the most part, I don’t sit around and think about the “good ole days.” Well, that was true until this week. In a text thread with my collage besties, I realized there is one thing we need to bring back: Glamour Shots.
For those of you not in the know about Glamour Shots, I’m sorry you have missed this joy. Here is how they were described in the article from the New York Times, “Glamour Shots was once the coolest store in every mall. Boomer mothers and Gen-X teens and 20-somethings paid $29.95 for makeovers and photography sessions defined by big hair, white satin gloves, heavy eye shadow and contemplative poses, in an era when pictures were taken for special occasions and not just to commemorate every brunch.”
According to my crack investigative reporting skills (and the internet), Glamour Shots peaked in popularity in the mid-90s. This lines up with my memory. I can remember walking through the mall and seeing folks lined up for the chance to be the supermodel they knew they were at heart. Feather boas, leather jackets, faux furs, cocktail gloves and oh, so many sequins! Glamour Shots had all the props necessary to help you unleash your inner vixen.
Now, I’m sure many of you are wondering what on earth made me start reminiscing about Glamour Shots in 2023. This is why an endless text chain with your college besties exists, folks.
It started out like any other text on a Tuesday when one friend announced her grandmother’s last living sister had passed. This was sad, but not the point of the message. She was preparing to send us the obit pic. As I have stated many times, math is not my strong suit, but after some quick calculations in my head, I determined that my friend’s great aunt was pretty damn old. I then formed an idea of what I thought the obit pic was going to look like.
Boy, howdy. Was I wrong! This lady was stylin’ and had sass for days!
Let me paint you a picture. Oh, where to start? Let’s take it from the top. The top being, a glorious silver beehive hairdo. It was perfect. Next, was a zip-up, teal sequined jacket making her look like she had just skated off the roller derby track. It was flashy AF. The best part, however, was the way she had her arms folded across her chest and a look on her face that said, “Come at me, Sis.” My God! This was a classic Glamour Shot from the 90s.
I immediately ran to the table in my entryway, took a photo of a pic of my Granny’s Glamour Shot and sent it to the girls. They were delighted. I told them floating around, from this same photo shoot, was a gem of my Aunt Patti in a feather boa. My girls demanded the pic be found.
It took about 24 hours, but Patti and the boa surfaced. Come to find out, my mom and youngest sister were also a part of the same Glamour Shots session. I’m so jealous. I was never fortunate enough to have Glamour Shots made.
My other friend in the text had totally lived the dream. She had done multiple Glamour Shots. She described her various outfits. As luck would have it, I had one of those pics handy and sent it to the group. Oh, the joy. She looked gorgeous. She is crazy photogenic, but we all marveled at how they took a 20-year-old and effortlessly made her look 45. That, my friends, is talent.
This world needs Glamour Shots. It is a quality-of-life issue. I know mine would be greatly improved if I got to play dress up for an afternoon in a sequined push-up bra, feather boa and some fancy-pants gloves.
In my research, I learned five Glamour Shots locations still exist in the United States and one happens to be in Kentucky. Looks like I need to get cracking and get me a sassy obit pic!
Sidenote: for those of you wondering the last five Glamour Shots locations are in Louisville, Kentucky, El Paso, Texas, Bridgewater, New Jersey, Freehold, New Jersey and Staten Island, New York. Yep. Exactly where you would think.
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
