- There are even a couple Glamour Shots locations left!
Have you read These Glamour Shots Fun Facts May Surprise You: Part One ? Because this is part two.
Strong Foundation
When it came to foundation, the more the better. Literally. Foundation was caked onto faces, from the hairline to the shoulders. According to a makeup artist back in ’93, “Everybody says, ‘Gosh, where can I buy some of that?’ ” But everyday use was not the best idea, she added: “This stuff just doesn’t let your skin breathe, and you would crack. If you have any kind of heat, you will melt.”
Real Estate Agents Were Fans
Although the idea of glamourized photo shoots were new in the 1990s, there were some people that really got behind the idea of them right away. And those people were real estate agents. According to a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article from 1993, “the biggest believers seem to be real estate agents, whose highly polished faces are popping up on lawn signs and house listings.” The article went on to share that there was a time when three Century 21 agents tan into five employees from a rival realestate4 company in the same mall, on the same day, all ready for their photo op. This is one of the most interesting Glamour Shots fun facts on the list.
Contouring Back In The Day
There were many things that Glamour Shots was ahead of their time on and makeup was one of them. Makeup artists were asked to “contour” in the way of highlighting their clients cheekbones, chins, noses and brow bones to bring them out. They also darkened the lower line of the jaw to create the illusion of an oval face.
Napoleon Dynamite
If you haven’t seen Napoleon Dynamite then you should know it’s an off-beat, cult classic of sorts. Deb, one of the main characters, Deb has a door-to-door business she calls Glamour Shots by Deb. Beyond that, there was an even more obvious shout out to the company when Napoleon handed his friend Pedro a picture of his long-distance girlfriend saying, “You know, my old girlfriend from Oklahoma was gonna fly out here for the dance, but she couldn’t cuz she’s doing some modeling right now,” and even, “Yeah I took her to the mall to get some Glamour Shots for her birthday one year.” Did you remember these Glamour Shots fun facts from the movie?
1996 Baywatch Competition
Glamour Shots held a competition back in 1996 and the contest copy said that, “One lucky winner… will appear in a Baywatch episode or montage.” It turns out that wasn’t exactly the truth though and in total, 25 finalists were flown out to LA to not only meet the cast and crew of Baywatch but also to appear in an episode.
Still Alive!?
Considering the company barely made it out of the ‘90s, you may be shocked to know that it’s still around. It’s nothing compared to what it was at the height of its popularity but there are two stores left in the states, one in Texas and the other in New Jersey. As of 1994, the chain hit a staggering $100 million in sales and remained that way for the next two years. In 1996, the chain lost three of its studios, in the same day, in Buffalo, New York. After that in 2001, the number of stores dropped to 93 and as of 2019, there were only five stores left. Marketing Director Alison Counts (related to the founder) said that in 2016 Glamour Shots did big business and that, “Any part of Texas is huge. All of the Texas stores do very well. The stores in New Jersey do very, very well.”
Did you ever go to Glamour Shots in the ’90s, or sooner? Let me know in the comments!