Flashback: Scenes from a mall in 1989

By Mish Whalen

Photographer and filmmaker Michael Galinsky was 20 years old in 1989 when he and a friend decided to spend six weeks driving across the country, capturing images of mall life. Seeing photos of a Tape World store, video arcades and big hair, brings me back to a time that I could totally relate to and also be embarrassed by. Galinsky would like to turn his “Malls Across America" multimedia project into a book. Click here, for the full slideshow.

Michael Galinksy / rumur.com/malls

Michael Galinksy / rumur.com/mal

Michael Galinksy / rumur.com/mal

Michael Galinksy / rumur.com/malls

rumur.com/malls

Sebastian Hamilton and Michael Galinsky outside their car while driving across the country to shoot in the malls.

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Comment author avatarKEVIN-749492

OK, you just freaked me out. I was 28 in 1989 and I forgot all about the puffy hair, pant skirts and mall rats. You forced me to dig out my old photos and bring back my memorys of driving cross country to live in Seattle now for the past 22yrs. Thanks, Brilliant forsight.

    Reply#1 - Sat Apr 16, 2011 5:41 AM EDT
    Comment author avatarCfstr1

    OMG! Those hairstyles were GHASTLY. Big hair was for Hair Metal bands, not every woman in America at that time.

    The clothes were lousy too. Esp that dumb socks outside the pants look.

    Take a slide show of a mall today to see how much better the styles are

      Reply#2 - Sat May 14, 2011 10:47 PM EDT
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