A Short History of the Mall Glamour Shot

Glamour for everyone

In the late 1980s, portrait studios opened in shopping malls across North America with a simple promise: a Hollywood-style makeover and photo shoot for regular people. You walked in, got hair and makeup done, chose from racks of jackets, jewelry and boas, and walked out with a set of dreamy prints.

The signature ingredients

Almost every glamour shot combined at least three of these.

• A heavy soft-focus or diffusion filter that made skin glow.
• Big, teased hair and dramatic eye makeup.
• Denim or sequin jackets with shoulder pads, feather boas and oversized earrings.
• Poses with a hand under the chin, a look over the shoulder, or a hat brim tilted just so.
• Soft pastel or smoky backdrops.

Why they came back

Glamour shots were once teased as over the top. Today they are loved for exactly that reason. They are joyful, bold and unapologetically dramatic, and they make a brilliant birthday gift or profile picture.

Our Mall Glamour Shot style recreates the full experience, from the makeover to the diffusion filter, using just a selfie.