I’m not quite old enough to have been a teenager in 1990, but there was plenty of steam left in ’90s mall culture for me to develop a healthy fear of Oakland Raiders jackets and girls who use bathroom walls to prop up their bangs for hairspray in junior high. A few of the images in Michael Galinsky’s collection of photos from malls in 1990 make my stomach flip-flop in recognition, plus most of the outfits are awesome. It’s worth taking a trip down memory lane or the annals of lost history, depending on your age group.

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Marjorie Skinner is the Portland Mercury's Managing Editor, author of the weekly Sold Out column chronicling the area's independent fashion and retail industry, and a frequent contributor to the film and...

8 replies on “Scenes From A Mall Circa 1990”

  4. All those pictures are fine and all, but were is the one that represents the omnipresent small stands that sold amongst many thee “10 Reasons why Beer is the best Breakfast” t-shirts and assorted items. Not that I would go for one of those, but am saying, it was part of the landscape you know….

  5. Malls were a much bigger draw in the ’80s and early ’90s. We had no fucking Internet! What else were we supposed to do?

  6. BTW, my hairstyle is the same as in 1990. I think it’s back to the length it was when you happy newly-legal drinkers were mere zygotes…

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