April 24, 2022 / Posted by: Vanessa
Remember a time when boy bands ruled the world, teenagers obsessively frosted their tops, and Abercrombie & Fitch dominated the fashion landscape? Then you might remember shopping malls! And if you remember shopping malls, then you are categorically an OLD! In fact, you’re so old that a recent Netflix documentary had to take a moment to explain to kids what exactly a “mall” (pronounced MAW-LL) is. It’s time to grab your Metamucil and cry for your long-lost youth!
Malls used to be a place where teenagers would gather to hang out, talk shit about Kimberly and buy overpriced polo shirts. Documentary from Netflix White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch took us back to those idyllic days to explain why America’s teens were obsessed with buying inferior moose logo shirts. Part of that reason was the mall. While some of us remember the importance of a mall, some of today’s youth have no idea what the hell a mall is. Enter Netflix’s attempt to explain it. According to Newsweek:
Netflix’s new documentary White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch has captivated viewers with its true story of scandal and nostalgia, but one contributor really gets people talking.
The documentary examines the many controversies surrounding the iconic fashion brand of the 1990s and early 2000s and was a hot topic on Twitter this week.
An unnamed man in the film has stunned viewers with his bizarre description of a shopping mall.
White Hot is, in part, an ode to the mall culture of the ’90s and early 2000s and the unique experience they provided for consumers, particularly teenagers, of the time.
“Imagine a search engine you could go through,” says the man in the mall documentary. “Or an online catalog that’s a real place.”
I’m Dying of This Guy in the Abercrombie & Fitch Netflix documentary that explains the concept of a shopping mall pic.twitter.com/B3mCLiCFml
— bela (@elon_degeneres) April 19, 2022
It’s like the Metaverse, but like real life! If that comment has you turning to irrelevant dust, you can take solace in the fact that there are legions of Millennials and Gen Xers who think the same way.
There’s a new doc on Netflix about Abercrombie & Fitch and they explain what a mall is, which made me realize there are people who are young adults who don’t know what a mall is pic.twitter.com/mHF1QAqoXa
– EXCESSIVELY BLACK BLANCOFEMOPHOBIC (@oddbri_xo) April 19, 2022
Not that Abercrombie and Fitch is now being talked about like a history book 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/seXri2h0Ba
— Jasmeen (@JasmeenD) April 22, 2022
Time flies I think. And fortunately, we’re no longer in the grip of a company that often prioritized “models” with no retail experience and put the other folks on the back burner. While I personally don’t miss Abercrombie (I was more of a fake JNCO guy), I do miss the mall. Where else would I be showing off my new butterfly clips and exposing others to the aromatic stench of Bath & Body Works’ legendary cucumber melon?! It’s just not the same in the office!
picture: Twitter