The Lost Magic of Glamour Shots

How I found my identity in a fur stole and teased bangs in the 90s.

Since early childhood, I’ve been fixated with the idea of glamour.

For a child who never did pageants (well, not until high school anyway!) I sure ended up with a full face of makeup and teased hair more times than what I feel was normal. But at the same time, it always felt right.

Even today, If you ask me when I feel most “me,” it’s in full glam makeup, hair done to perfection, in a sequin/feather dress and heels.

I mean sure, I know most people feel better glammed up than in sweats, right? But for me, when I’m in this state, it feels like I’ve truly stepped into my final evolution. It never feels like a costume I’m “putting on.” The transformative process has always been magical and meditative to me.

I don’t vividly remember my very first Glamour Shots session, but I do have photo evidence.

The year is 1992 and I’m 3 years old. My bangs are inching their way towards heaven, and I’m draped in a cloud of light gray faux fur. My lips have the tiniest touch of toddler-appropriate lip gloss, with a soft mauve gradient backdrop.

In another shot from the same session, I’m posed with my mother with who I’m now sharing the fur stole, and who is who is absolutely giving obscene levels of FACE and HAIR.

This shoot was pure luxury and vibes. And while I don’t consciously remember much of this shoot… subconsciously I was forever altered.

From their opening in 1988 through their peak in the 90s, Glamour Shots sessions were a rite of passage for many women.

I’m sure most millennial and Gen-X women either have their own or have a family member with a Glamour Shots print hung on the walls of their family home somewhere.

Throughout my childhood in the 90s, every time our relatives would come visit from Germany, they’d get their obligatory session done. Perhaps it was just a very “American” thing to doll up with satin and furs at the local mall in the 90s.

My mom, a native German, grew up in a small rural town called Schortens. This was not a bustling hub of fashion. My mom, though she was stunningly gorgeous at all times- was not necessarily someone who was fixated on beauty, makeup, or fashion. She kept it simple.

So along with everyone else in the 90s, Glamour Shots was a moment in time to transform, get pampered, and feel like a movie star in a way you normally didn’t in ordinary life. Every woman wanted to be remembered at their most dolled up and glamorous and have that moment memorialized on the walls and mantles for years to come.

Even if sometimes those moments bordered on drag, with fantastically voluminous hair, an excess of bedazzled denim, sparkles, and cowboy hats.

Part of the appeal of Glamour Shots was that you could view prints instantly, as opposed to other photography studios of that time. The convenience factor was a big draw.

They also employed hair and makeup artists that were quite skilled for the time, turning even the most plain woman into a total glamazon. Most of the time, people were not asking for neutral, natural makeup and styling. They wanted to go BIG. It was camp! The makeup artists used extremely heavy, film-ready makeup that was basically like real-life Facetune. People felt like movie stars. It was popular for a reason.

A year after that initial session with my mom, my Aunt visited from Germany and got her obligatory Glamour Shots trip.

And thus began the trend of my yearning for my own session. Because at this point, I was able to begin to truly comprehend the experience for what it was.

There’s a photo of me at age 4 with teased bangs, red lipstick, a floral dress, beaming into the camera with my Aunt right after her Glamour Shots session was completed. Because of course, I had to make my mom doll me up too. Why was my Aunt able to have all the fun!?

Kelly Kapowski eat your heart out.

It wasn’t until I got the at-home Glamour Shots treatment that I could be satisfied. So they humored me.

For Halloween that year my costume was a bride- complete with full “wedding gown”, red lipstick and huge curled hair. Looking back, it’s a little creepy right? But to me that was peak glamour! I felt so grown-up and beautiful.

Funny enough, that’s one out of 2 times I wore a white wedding dress outfit, and neither of those times was my actual wedding… (the other time was a photoshoot for a bridal photographer. My wedding dress was full rose gold sequin!)

My third encounter with Glamour Shots is in 1996, when my chic cousin was visiting us from Germany.

It’s decided on a random afternoon (not sure if it was her idea or my mom’s) that she obviously needs a Glamour Shots session to commemorate her trip to the US. So back to the Augusta Mall we go.

As they hot rolled her hair and dressed her in bedazzled denim jackets, I remember thinking how beautiful she looked. With the heavy makeup, big hair and sparkly outfits, she looked straight out of a magazine to 7 year old me. I became even more fascinated with the concept.

Much to my dismay, it wasn’t in the cards (or budget- it was pricy!) for me to get my own session at that time, but again- I just had to recapture the magic at home.

So with my cousin and mom’s help, we rearranged the kitchen, artfully placed some artificial flowers and props around for ambience- and armed with a disposable camera, we took our own version of Glamour Shots together. My mom let me wear a little lipstick and I swept my brunette bob back to go alongside my floral dress.

You could say I was always a ham in front of the camera. Posing and feeling comfortable was no issue for me, and this would be the first of many “photoshoots” I would stage near my house with friends and family.

I honestly do think part of this was an escape from the oppressive church environment I was in at the time. At church, we were taught women should be modest, should not attract attention. Getting glammed up (especially as a child where it was especially frowned upon,) seemed like an act of rebellion in a way.

As a kid, I religiously pored over all my mom’s magazines and taught myself how to do my makeup by absorbing every little tip like it was gospel. By the age of 12 I remember doing a full face with my mom’s Amway Artistry palette. My dad got very upset about that one. I don’t think he liked to see me looking “grown up” in any way.

Later that year my grandmother from Germany visited and of course- a Glamour Shots Session was had. But this time…I got to join!

I remember feeling absolutely ecstatic. It was such a thrill. Even though by this point in 2001 the appeal of the photo service was dwindling, it was still going strong at my local mall. Though this would be the last time I’d be in front of a Glamour Shots camera.

Recently I have been thinking- in a world that became more and more obsessed with getting photos of themselves and sharing for the world, how did Glamour Shots fall so out of fashion?

I’m sure part of it was their placement in malls and attachment to mall culture which as we know is sadly a relic of times gone by. While malls still exist of course, the magic just isn’t there. And as more and more malls close due to the prevalence of online shopping and fast fashion, it’s something that’s not coming back anytime soon. I still love to go to a mall when I have the opportunity. I always find it a relaxing and serene place to be!

I’m sure the recession in the late 2000s didn’t do much to help the demise of Glamour Shots, and if they weren’t already dying out by the mid 2000s, the end of it surely would have been the nail in the coffin.

When I was in my young 20s and in college for theatre, I still continued to chase the Glamour Shots high by pursuing a casual modeling “career.” Applying to castings on Model Mayhem, I did trade shoots with local photographers and had a blast!

At 5’2” in height- my modeling “career” never really took off nor made it past the Facebook photo albums I initially posted them in. But funny enough, later in life my husband got into photography, and during COVID we basically created our own at home photo studio. These are a few of the shots we accomplished during those times:

I also around this time began posting video content online which continued my trend of performing for the camera, often recreating my favorite 90s/2000s looks I loved growing up.

Today, there are only 2 Glamour Shots locations that exist.

In looking at the examples on their website, it appears they’ve tried to evolve with the times, but I’m not sure if they’ve really achieved that. The styles seem stuck in the late 2000s and not in a fun way.

Now to be fair, it does seem like an impossible task to recreate that original Glamour Shots spirit of times gone by without it turning into a campy nostalgia experience. Also, today they have to compete with so many more photographers who specialize in their specific styles. With so many varied aesthetics to choose from, it’s hard to meet everyone’s needs in a one-stop-shop situation.

Here are some examples from their website so you can see what I mean:

They give me strange vibes. Just a lot of over-editing and outdated aesthetics.

As I revisit so much of the 90s in my Tiktok/Instagram content, I’ve often thought - would people ever be interested in a concept like this again?

Even if just for the nostalgic, kitschy aspect of it? Personally, I would love to sort of recreate those pure early 90s glam vibes. It’s just so FUN. With my husband being a photographer, we could rent a studio, partner with a vintage store, and I could do the styling. Is it a crazy idea?? You tell me.

While many people poke fun at their experience and look back with horror on their old photoshoots, I find it a fond memory that I truly feel shaped me as a woman, as cheesy as that sounds.

And if I ever decide to recreate the Glamour Shots experience- you’ll be the first to know.

-Janine

[I just want to note that I initially had every intention of posting on Substack weekly. After a death in the family, unexpected travel, and over-extending myself in all other areas in my life and realizing that hey- I should probably slow down before I have a literal mental breakdown… I really had to take a pause. So thank you for your patience. I’m not sure if I can commit to a set schedule at the moment, but I’m excited to write and share when I can! Appreciate you!]