Content Creation and Online Journeys

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We're ACast, and we give you the platform to do it all yourself. Browse thousands of popular podcasts, choose the shows that match your perfect audience, set your budget and launch And if you want a hand, our podcast specialists are there to help you launch with confidence. This is podcast advertising without barriers. Get started at aast d. com slash advertise You guys, welcome to another episode in Nostalgia. And now, as always, it's your host, Kelly Williams, and I am joined by a dear friend. Some know her as a father figure, others know her as a TikToker. M probably know her as a podcast host, but Shannon, from Fluently Forward, thank you so much for coming on Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to chat with you I am so excited to have you here, Shannon. helpeled me get through my first year of New York. If you followed me during that time, you know that I was out of my mind and Shannon was always trying to help reel me in a bit So fun anyone you say that because I'm like I didn't I thought it was like a pretty normal year, but I mean, we yeah, we definitely had some fun in New York together. Good times for Had. Definitely, definitely so. you are here to talk about the mall. You are my second guest to come on to You know Mall is what I decided to call it. And basically this is just an episode where we talk about what the mall meant to you in your teens, but also just kind of gossip because that was the thing about the mall was going with your friends, talking about what was going on in school, your life, your parents, whatever It was kind of like our safe third space It was. I really miss a third space. and I also miss mall culture in general. Like I remember have you seen how I met your mother? Um, I've seen like the first two seasons. Okay, I don't know if this came up, but like one of the characters Robyin, she had a secret alias as a Canadian pop star and one of her songs was like everybody like, let's go to the mall. And it's so funny because if somebody was watching that show now, they would be like, That's so weird, that would be like a song called Let's go Hang out at CVS or something. But when we were growing up, it really was all about going to the mall and it was about whose mom is going to drive you there and whose mom is going to pick you up. And how long you were going to stay at the mall, the food court. I remember my friend Bridget and I were hanging around the mall one day And we saw this like guy on the cross country team, his hot older brother went into sunglass hut, and we like stalked him around the entire mall. We like gave him a nickname. We built up this whole backstory about how he was so into eye health and sunglasses and like spotting him at the mall. It felt like we were on saafari or something because like going to the mall was just it was baked into our DNA back then. I know that's a really good point that I didn't talk about last time when I had Lex and Sam on is My friends and I would go to the mall to try and meet boys. Like that was our main goal It was How did you feel about those guys that would stand shirtless outside of Hollister? Did you have that at your momall? I never saw that. I guess I went to New York once when I was a little bit older, maybe like eighteen or nineteen and that was the first time I saw people shirtless outside of the store. We didn't have that, did you I think we had it a few times because Hollister was by the food court. And of course, you know, this was in the stage where I would date a guy and we wouldn't speak, but we would just be on AIM chatting to each other. So like, of course I never interacted with the Hollister guy, but the mall was so like four D back then that it wasn't just shopping. they also had activations. L there were people outside, you could get your hair straightened by one of the people at the kiosks and there would be a guy, you know, you could get perfume samples and have some tea from Tivvana. like it really was almost like a mini upcot of sorts in there. Like there were activities to do. Yeah, the free perfume that I used to get from Macy's because if you asked for a sample, they would just give you like a little Tester My friend and I used to get like ten every single time we went to the mall. It was so important to get our tester samples from Macy's. pererfume culture. I don't know where it went, but it needs to come back It's so funny. I was literally just at a perfumery like a local one here in Denver yesterday and it was so becausecause I feel like we exercise all of our senses, especially now being on social media, our eyesight. like I've gotten more sties in my life than ever before because I'm just glued to my screens and we're really not exercising that scent smell and littleittle celebrity tangent, I've heard that the two best smelling celebrities are Rihanna and Ariana Grande. Have you also heard that? No, but I could fully believe it Yeah, I've just heard. I know that Ariana is into perfumes herself. likeike she always has a bunch clanking around in her bag. She's made some. And I have heard multiple times from like all these different people walks of life. They're like, if you're ever in a room with Riianna, you smell her before you see her. And I'm like, wow, what a great reputation to have that, you know, you smell fantastic. Honestly, I love Rihanna so much. It's probably best that I'm like never in a room with her because I wouldn't be able to conf myself. Yeah, ' like not only would I be creepy, but now I'm trying to take a sniff too. So it's like super creepy. yeah. Did you have a go to scent like in high school or anything that you love Well, I do remember Brittney Spears had Curious and Taylor Swift had Wonderstruck and I had both of them. And I was definitely a Wonderstruck girl. Did you have the Taylor perfume? I didn't, but I did have Cious It was good. Curious came in like such a sexy little bottle. Also curious is such a sexy word for a perfume. likeike I love perfume names, perfume commercials because why Eth does a perfume commercial exist? You can't smell it through the TV. I understand having those little pamphlets in the magazines, but to do a commercial and it's just like Jenif Lwce or Natalie Portman in a gown in the ocean being like provocative or something like that. And that is and it makes me want to buy the perfume every single time. So I think I'm into perfumes because I into sex and like sex cells, and I just like want to see somebody exuding sexiness on a screen No, that makes total sense. And you're right, the commercials, it's like love, danger. You never know. And then it just like goes to black and Yeah, it's like this city goes to sleep and then the morning, there she is. but then she leaves on a motorcycle. She's halfway around the world. It's like, is this travel? Is this love? No, it's perfume That's so funny. So when you would go to the mall, do you remember like the first time you ever went by yourself and what that felt like Oh my go I don't know the first time I went by myself because obviously, you know, you gre up going with your mom and then you go with your girlfriends. I don't know if I did a lot of solo mall days. Or with your friends, like with without parents. Sorry. Oh. I remember Bridget And Tracy, I would go to the mall a lot with them. And Bridgett was like on the cross country team with me together. So we kind of had the same, you know, like our parents were kind of strict. We didn't really buy that many things. We would mostly go and walk around and people watch and try stuff on. But I remember Tracy had good fashion. Like I bought my first ever thong at the mall with her. Like she was a wet seal girl, A deelia's girl, et cetera Thongs People love to well when we were like thirteen, it was like time to go to Rve. Let's see what these thongs are about Do you remember your first thong? like what it looked like or the shape of it? I don't I would just remember it was red and I bought it, but like wouldn't wear it because we didn't have laundry in our house. We used to have to go to the laundry mat So I was like, my mom can't know I have a thong, but like I had it just in case I needed it, but like obviously never needed it Did I ever tell you my thong piggy bank story? No I don't know if I did Oh my God, this is crazy. This' the first ever thong that I got. I went to the mall with Tracy. and we went to Wet seal. And Wet seal would have these containers where a thong was like ninety nine cents. okay. You could get like a h a fistful of thongs and it would be like five dollars. Like take us back to those days And I think I got one that was like hot pink and it maybe had like a cherry on it And then we went shopping to some other places, I don't know, oldld Navy, Gap, whatever And when I went home, I took the thong out of the wet seal bag before we even left the mall. I stuck it in Old Navy in between some pants and I threw out the wet seal bag, the receipt, whatever come home from a mall I say hi to momom, I go upstairs to my bedroom. the thong out, the contraband, right? and up on likeike my wall ceiling, there was a shelf with a piggy bank and I stuffed the thong into the piggy bank. And I was like, this is a great place to hide it. Who the hell is gonna to look up here? Like it needs dust in. Nobody would ever look up here I go to school the next day. I come back. I go to check my piggy bank for the thong and it's gone And there's no thong in it anymore Do we know what happened to the thong? Was did your mom find Heard this? She had to have found it because I've pressed her about this. Like if we have Thanksgiving and a couple drinks happen, I'll be like, you took the thong from my piggy bank. And she's like Yeah, yeah, she admits that she found it in the piggy bank, which like, I don't even know why she was going through my piggy bank. But she says that It must have just been a coincidence that it was the day after. But as a kid, that put the fear of God into me, like maybe it was just a coincidence that the next day she found it. But the fact that within twenty four hours the thong was snatched and it got disappeared and taken away. As a child, I was like, I'll never be able to get away with anything. I'm like, there's cameras in my room. like the eye of God is on me It really made an impact on me. Did you have parents that would snoop? Oh yeah, didid yours? No, My mom was like the opposite of a helicopter parent. you. I know yeah, no, My mom was like the Air Force, you know, so yeah Right, My mom would get really weird about some things. likeike one of the big mall memories I remember in eighth grade, my friend Steph and I, my mom was dropping us off, her mom was picking us up And on the way there, she decides to have like kind of a sex talk with me and my friend. And she was like, she's like, Kelly, just so you know, blow jobs are sex And me and my friend are like Okay That was it That was my sex talk. My other sex talk was, if you're woman enough to have sex, you're woman enough to be a mother. and that was it. Oh my God. Isn't it crazy the lack of sex talks and even in health class, like they were showing all these dioramas and pointing out to different things. but I don't think I ever had for sex talk ever. This is why I'm so thankful that I had an older sister because otherwise, I would have been going into all of this blind, you know? Totally. I mean, I think my sex education, other than like what we had in school was teen mom, honestly, or sixteen pregnant Isn't that wild? And also we had the internet, but we didn't really have like free use of the internet. L our internet was at the kitchen table with the kitchen chair and everybody behind you. So like I'm not going to Google things on there. And of course, we were terrified to use the interternet on our phone because I thought it would be like a thousand dollars per minute. So you couldn't even look it up if you wanted to, really Right. We just had to guess and watch like the grainy pixelated porn station, if that's what you really wanted I know. When was the first time you watched Born Oh, I think I was like Maybe like sixth grade, I turned on that scrambled station and waited then saw like an outline of someone and like I was like, okay, time to change it. Like I watched I did it. I did it. Yeahah I'm an adult, I'm bad. I did something bad. And it really did feel so bad too. I remember the first porn I would watch was only like cartoons or like animated things because I thought if you were watching humans, it was illegal and they would come find you. Now that I'm speaking, I'm like, I was a very anxious child feel like, actually my anxiety goes way back Yeah, I was just scared somebody was going to come get me because I was being bad. But yeah, I thought if you watched it with humans, it was illegal. I thought porn in general was illegal, but that might have been like Growing up going to CCD and stuff like that, it felt illegal for sure. Definitely. I didn't like go to CCD, but grew up Catholic. so Yeahep What were your favorite stores to go to? or let's play something else. I'm going to give store names and then we'll talk about them Okay, okay. okay. The first one I'll go with is bath and body workks M Bodyworks, I lo Bath and Bodyworks and I got some candles from there the other day. But they all smell a little bit more chemically than like they either used to or maybe I just have more of a sensitive nose. but Th sprays, I was a cucumber melon girl and my friend Susanna had It was like warm amber vanilla mist and I thought that was the sexiest scnt ever. So I tried it for a bit, but it didn't work on me. Like my soul is a cucumber melon girl, but I love going in there and I feel like That was kind of the tw agers foray into perfume. Like perfume would have been too expensive and too fancy, but a little body mist, that was kind of the convergence of hygiene and beauty together for me. It was like bath and bodyworks. What about you Yeah, I mean, I worked there, but pre working there, getting that lip gloss was really important to me. Wait didid you get the menthal one? the like light g? Yes, I was obsessed with that one I loved their lip gloss and if I was like going to the mall, I needed a little shine on my lips just to like let the boys know, the boys. like let it out. Do they still have that lip gloss? so hard to date men? You were like got to pucker up for all these beefcaes outside Hollister do still have lip gloss or at least like ten years ago they did. I'm not sure if they've gotten rid of them today All I know is like that OGi formula. They had the dark green tube and then the light green tube. and it was like that menthally type of thing. There was really a moment Speaking of nostalgia, where or like minty things All the buzz. I remember when Listerine was the go to, like you would put the tabs on your tongue, you would spray it into your mouth and you would use your menthol or whatever gloss It was kind of like a spicy clean era for a couple years there That's a good point. I forgot about like the strips and the spray and you they even had those little like toothbrushes that you could just open and use quick if you needed and throw away. Yeah, this might have been around the same time that war haammers were a thing and we were just like burning off our taste buds for the sake of either like pleasure or hygiene. Yeah And we were using cllorox on our face, like those pads burned your skin. Yep, and then like the Stain. Ives Apricot scrub, you know, really just, you know, our skin, our body, everything was going through it back then. I recently saw a TikTok that made me laugh so hard that said Millennials look so young because we've already been old We used to dress in like business casual to go out and like even the way we did our skincare was crazy, the makeup we used to wear. I saw that same thing. I had this like one blazer. It was a blazer from Forever twenty one and they would sell blazers at Forever twenty one, but it was kind of like a spandex Pepplum blazer. And every time I put that on, I was like, everybody better watch out because like here I come. And it was so freaking fgly. Like I don't know why we were wearing Business casual. I don't know if that's ever gonna to come back I think it should. I think it's okay that the youngs aren't wearing business casual because they're not going to the club. but if they were, like, don't wear place. we weren't at the club was like a big chunky necklace that like you would have thought I was like the leader of some tribe and I like just, you know, got awarded this for some sort of battle. It was like clicklong, click clong. like you would be bouncing up and down and getting bruise on your neck from the big chunky necklace that you would wear. Yeah. so funny. Okay, if you're going for a night out, were you more of a forever twenty one wet seal or Charlotte Roose girl? wish I could have been the last two, but like even going into Forever twenty one, it felt and even to this day, like if I go out I don't know, like I very don't often go to raves, but if I go to like raaves or concerts or I got to a party or a club Somet in my soul, like I said, I'm a cucumber melon girl. So like I can't also be a wet se old girl. That doesn't make any sense. So like I would get my like toe into forever twenty one. but I grew up on like children's place gap in old Navy. L I have gaps energy, which means that you know, I would venture into wet seal with Tracy, but like I knew I was an imposter. so I had The most I could do is fver twenty one. What about you That's so funny you have gap energy. I loveved Charlotte Roose. I was a Charlotte Rse down like for my twenty first birthday, I turned twenty one in Vegas because my brother lived there. And I remember I got this like Highlight yellow dress. Thatounds far too tight. look like shit, but I thought I looked so hot You know what it kind of reminds me of? I remember going into Eress and being like, this is who I'll be when I grow up. I'll be an express girl. I wasn't Jackie Paris was, but like an Exress girl was so chic because that did kind of blend I don't know, like Charlotte Rooce with Business casual, I guess, there was Express Isn't that funny? 'cause I was the same, like when I was younger, I used to love looking at like the women's pants suits. and I'd be like, can't wait to wear these every single day of my life I know, I really thought I would be wearing like a pantsuit and heels into work and probably a chunky necklace too What other stores would you frequent? Were you someone who would like go into Spencer's? You're definitely someone who would go into Spencer's and go in the back, right? Of course. Of course. I did definitely feel like a fraud in Spencers, but also I did like I remember I got these fish net hand thing, I don't know, like you would put it on your hand and it would go up your arm, but because I'm also cucumber melon to my core it was like a light baby blue pastel. So like I would dabble into the alternative things but they would be like pink and you know, blue. But yeah, I loved Spencerers and I loved What was that store that just sold rated R things or no like hot hot topic H hot topic in Spenscers? I think I got the two confused Spencers I would definitely go into every single time because that was all the raunchy stuff I think those was where I saw my first like dildo Yeah, deffinitely the first vibrator I ever saw and it was fun to be able to like get away with it, right? Like you felt like you were doing something bad at the mall and your parents aren't there. Like it was just such a fun time to be a kid. Dude, Spencers was wild because I feel like if Spencerers was still around now, there would be all of this discourse about how like, pedophia, like you can't let the kids in there because it is kind of wild that we would be walking around and like eight year olds would be hanging out by the dildos and like picking them up and giggling at them. Like that was kind of weird, right? Oh, it's still around. I did bring my niece in dispensers because I was like, o, I'm going to be the cool aunt, right? She's I got to buy her first dough, you know, from a trusted s. I basically told her like we can't go into the back. Like we can just kind of because she loves like band shirts and they have so many different banties there. And then all of a sudden I saw a shirt that saids like bitch and another one said the C word. And I was like, we have to leave I was like, you can't look at these shirts any longer, Nora. It's such an interesting concept for a store and also to put it in the mall. like what if Tvana is right next to it or something or like Yankee candle? And sometimes that would Is that where like, do you remember where you bought your first sex item U I think think it was from Spencer's. I think it was from Spencer's And it it was these vibrating rings that you could put on your finger Yo. . It wasn't at the mall. I I waited until college and I got my first vibrator on Groupon. because they sell I actually I know people think Groupon is for experiences, but like they actually sell a lot of I honestly, I should check out Groupon. You could get a lot of stuff on there very discounted and I got a vibrator, but it was like U not the buttons that you click and you feel them click. It was more of like the touchscreen buttons, which let me tell you like when you're down there using a vibrator, like you actually you really don't want advanced technology. likeike you want on off and you don't want it to be something where if your skin presses up against it, it changes or goes off. like that's probably why I got it for cheap. but Yeah, it wasn't great. Oh, that's so funny. Well From vibrators to preppy clothing, there were a lot of prep stores, right? We had Hollister, Abercombie and Fitch, you had American I said American Idol, American Eagle. out of those stores, were you shopping at them or were you really like strictly like, I'm going to the gap Oh my God, well I grew up in a very preppy area, so I feel like Jay Crew was everybody's like bread and butter Abercrombie and Hollister was so cool, but You know, my mom like all moms did not like shopping in there and honestly, I wouldn't either. Looking back on it, I'm like What kind of hellscape is this? They make it so dark. It smells disgusting. The music is so loud, I wouldn't want to shop there either. I got a lot of Abercomb and Hllister hand me downs from my sister and then there was this one girl in our neighborhood who was on the cheerleading team. we were so excited when we would get her hand me downs because It was Abercombie and Hllister, and I remember him I'm also going to put Apostel in there because I remember the Apostal Polos Going into middle school or high school, it felt like a battle zone. I was like, in order to be safe, I need to have either an Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle or Aerra postel item on me. and there needs to be a logo. so that way I am protected. Like it really was It was that serious growing up or it felt that way. Yeah, my school it felt the exact same. Like I remember I had fake ugs and I was me too W from Costco U from Target actually. I was just like, I hope nobody knows that these are fake. Like I hope nobody looks at the back of my ankle and doesn't see a tag there. I was a big apostal girl in middle school, but to me, it was all about American Eagle. and it was about like getting the sweatshirts and getting the shirts and getting the jeans. and my mom actually ended up getting a second job there so we could get the discount. So we got like four was. Yeah. Yeah. And I was American Eagle downown. Wow. So how did you feel with their new like pivot lately with Sidney Sweeney? whereere you like, oh, I could see that coming from a mile away or did it surprise you? It shocked me but I also haven't shopped at American Eagle since I was like probably twenty two So yeah. Oh, what did you think of when they started Airy and they got into the underwear PJ lingerie type of stuff They really have some of the most comfortable underwear I think Airy has the best underwear I do. Yeah They do. they really do. And American Eagle was always fun too because it really straddled that line between like aspirational but also roable Like it wasn't as dangerous as a Hollister Abercrombie. Their jeans just like never really fit me right. so I didn't go in there. But it's interesting how every store, like I have one friend She's twenty six, twenty seven, and she almost buys exclusively American Eagle bottoms because something about them fit her body really well. And I remember I think Abercrombie Jeans did fit me really well, like they really they have all these different curvy boot cut, pi like straight leg. There really were certain stores where you would just either fit into the jeans like a glove or you didn't and that was kind of where you got your loyalty. Yeah, I guess I've always had loyalty to American Eagle Jeans. just because they fit me so well in high school. So yeah, when I saw like the rebranding, I was just like, not the jeans. the jeans so good I know. And it's funny too because Amer know, Abercrombie a couple years ago did their rebrand. and I really thought that they were going to get tanked after the whole Victoria Secret, Jeffrey Epstein connection, everything that happened, but they just rebranded and now everybody's like, all right, Abercrombie's back I know, I know And younger people listening like, it really was a war with those stores. Like the way Hollister was so important to some people and like quote unquote rich kids, I'm like, oh, you have money, you shop at Hollister. Okaykay? I. I haven't never been able to fit into Hollister clothing to begin with because I've been Five nine since freshman year And I remember one year, my mom was like, you can get one thing and I got a sweatshirt that I grew out of in like three weeks. Pothister was so crazy tiny because I remember Abercrombie was like old money new like New England type of vibes and then Hollister was like the Calie sururf girls. And I was like, you must burn a lot of calorie surfing because like the size A size two at Hollister was like a size double zero at Abercrombie. It was crazy how tiny everything was there. But I will say I don't know why something in my bones is like loyal to Abercrombie. Like the Branding was so fucking good that even though I know that they were evil and they worked with Jeffrey Epstein and all of these things, I will still think If I'm thrifting and I see something from Abercrombie or like a juicy Koutur sweatsuit, I'll still be like, this is gold. Like that's how twisted they were able to work it in my brain where I still think it's so high value The power of nostalgia, honestly. Yeah, I know. It's a drug It is. It's my favorite drug, obviously from this podcast I'm like can't drink anymore. I can only remember things from the past fondly. But you know what? It is good. And also like the worse things get out here in the real world, the more I'm like, take me back, honey, take me back. I love how everybody's starting to get like flip phones and lAam lines and really take it back even with the tech of everything of yestery Year. Like I want AIM back so bad. I want to be online and have everybody see and then I want to be offline and not be able to be connected. And I want an away message too. I know, I want in a away message that would be like a asterisk, a squiggly and asterisk, mall with the girls, text it. Asterisks Sy asterisks O hit the cell And what do you think it is that like I think with millennials, we had a really special experience where we were able to be like free from our parents, but also be able to be in contact with them when we were in high school with cell phones and everything. But what do you think it was specifically about the mall that gave us such a sense of freedom? God, you're so right. It really was a sense of freedom. Okay, before I answer, were you into strip mal culture? Did you have any of that going on I really hate outdoor malls. So our strip malls, it would be like a CVS and like a pizza place and like a McDonald's. It wouldn't be stores that you'd You would go to those stores if you needed something specifically. but I had a big mall in my town that I grew up in While every other channel is fighting for your customers' attention, podcasts are where they've already given it No one accidentally listens to a podcast for forty five minutes. They choose to be here. They trust the voice in their ears, and when that voice talks about your brand, it doesn't sound like advertising. It sounds like a recommendation from a friend. ACast gives you that trust at scale. Digital precision, host read authenticity, and performance data that proves it worked Don't fight for attention. buuy it with ACast. Learn more by visiting acast d. com slash advertise. It was funny because when you asked me that question, we had a strip mall that had man, it was really good. It had like Claire's TJ Max, Old Navy children's place and a toy store like all together. So sometimes we would go there. But when you said the amount of freedom, like going to the strip mall there, it was great. You would always leave with something, but going to the mall It felt like more of an event. It was almost like going to a concert or like a sporting event. I don't know how else to describe it. I think it was the excitement that you could see other people there, you could meet them. And there were so many activities. You could see a movie, you could go to the food court, you could just pal around, you could try on clothes, you could buy something It really, I don't know how to describe it other than Disney because I remember we had like a whole routine You would go in, you would get a perfume spray and maybe do some makeup at the counter. You would get a little sample of tea from Tivana. you would go to Wet seeal, you would try some stuff on. We would go to was it Brookstone or likeike sharper image, you would sit in one of the massage chairs where like, you know, you could play with the fidgets and then you would go to the toy section. It felt like Disney for whatever reason. It felt like it was a fully embodied activity center. It wasn't it wasn't just shopping. It was so much more than that. And then you go to a mall today and I think that's the element that's missing. I feel like I wouldn't be able to have fun at the mall today without spending money Yeah, that's such a good point because all I cared about was going to like FYE and scanning a CD and listening to thirty seconds of every song to figure out like Oh my go album I wanted to buy, that was really important. And I used to love being dropped doog with my friends and being like, where should we start? Yes. Mall is ours. Where do we go? you know what like take me back. I want it so bad and it was so fun. They would also have those headphones that you could put over your ears and it would be like different babbling brook sounds or nature sounds and you would listen to that. There would be like there would always be like a rain stick in a store. I would be turning upside down with the beads. and Yeah, I don't know, but when you talk about a third space, it really did feel like it was a whole community event. to go to the mall. and then when you got older, even if you went with your family, it would be fun because everybody would split up and say, okay, meet back here at three PM. and everybody could go to their own individual stores and now I don't know when it happened, but the mall is like the loneliest, coldest place to be in the world now. It's so depressing Yeah, and I mean Kind of you mentioned this at the beginning, like this was something you would go with your mom. Like the mall was a bonding experience. or sometimes it wouldn't be when your mom would be like, we're not getting anything. Then that would be like a whole different outay. Yeah. But it was just like companionship, even probably up until I was like twenty three, my friends and I would be like, oh, I have to go to the mall, do you want to come And it was just such a nice out because I wouldn't say I would do it every week, but it was just a nice moment to like pause with a friend It so was and I knew the mall, like the back of my hand. I knew where every store was. I knew every single new opening, and it's crazy because we weren't like spending a lot as a family when we went to the mall, but I would still go to them mall very Jen. I haven't even thought about malls like this in so long and it's really taking me back because It just was so fun. And then I remember when I had a digital camera, we would go into stores and we would get in the same dressing room and we would have like an entire Facebook album uploaded. went to the mall and it would be like one hundred fifty photos of us in the dressing rooms. I remember once my friend and I saw a movie at the mall I took photos of us on the car on the way in, all sharing the same thing of popcorn before the movie started, after the movie started in the bathrooms after the movie, then we went to Forever twenty one, all of the dresses that we tried on, et cetera, et cetera And also I think like I'd be reminisced not to say it was fun because You could buy a dress at Forever twenty one that you would wear for the next three years and that dress would be twelve dollars. And like I just don't know how and where you could do that now. No, and I miss going and trying things on, even though I'll complain about it But you know, you buy something online, you don't know how it's going to fit. and then you have to go through the whole return process. but also it's like Now I don't want to go to the mall and try it on its the whole thing Also our mall here in Denver, you have to pay for parking, which like the parking garage, No, I know. I'm like aghast at it. Like it sends me up in flames It's only like a dollar two dollars, three dollars, but I'm like, dude the whole point is that I'm coming here to spend money and When you talk about feeling free and that sense of freedom at the mall, I almost wonder if financial freedom is tied into it because now going to the mall feels like you're a prisoner because you breathe just a park costs money. Like every single thing costs money. But back then, not only could you have fun at the mall without spending any money and you could still walk away with samples and sprays and little samples of like tea or getting your hair straightined And all you had to do was listen to a sales pitage U, but you could also come away with like a whole new outfit for an entire week And it would cost at most maybe like fifty dollars fif Totally. I mean, my mom would give me like twenty bucks and I'd be able to get Maybe not a CD because they were like eighteen ninety nine pretty much But I'd be able to get McDonald's and then some little thing that I'd play with for a week, and it was great Yeah, I remember Araroostel, they had all of these buy one get ones for so many items. And I know because I would layer my polos and it would be like, buy one, get one. and'd be like, great, now I couldn't stick two polos on top of each other I dont know the last time I've seen like a buy one And that was so great shopping at the mall as a kid because then you and your friend could each get a shirt or you and your sister could each get the same dress. Maybe those deals are still around. They're just for like younger audiences and I don't see them. But let me tell you like Everlane, anthropology, there's no buy one get one Oh my go. I wish they would do that with like couches and furniture If even just one store took up the mantle of saying they call themselves like something to do with like nostalgia in the title. And then that way they could also sponsor your podcast specifically.. If they were like every single thing is buy one, get one The amount of business would skyrocket because everybody's just looking for a reasonable deal that makes you feel happy to be a customer somewhere Totally, I recently went into five Bow like back in January with my nieces and I'm like, why are there things that are eight dollars in five Bow Same, sameame with the dollar tree. Every's like one hundred and twenty five now. and sometimes they don't even have prices and you have to wait and go all the way up and then you feel like an idiot when they're like, Well, it's actually one and seventy five, and I'm like, get rid of it, you know? L It's just so hard to find a deal now Okay, Shannon. so think of this. It's Friday night. you and I were just both dropped at a mall. Okaykay? And we have to go to the food court Where are you going to get your dinner for the night going straight to Panda Express, I'm getting the orange chicken, I'm getting the low main and I'm asking for a fortune cookie and I'm making you and me swap fortune cookies so that way we give a fortune cookie to the other person, so the destiny and the fortune is true one hundred percent, I'm going to Panda. Where are you going I'm probably we had a place called Fuji Chen, which was truly like the nastiest Chinese food in the world, but One thing about me is I love nasty Chinese food. L no matter what it will do to me on the inside, I will eat it And I would get They had like sesame chicken with low maine and that was would they have samples like a guy with a plate and the little toothpicks, that would also be another thing. You could go around the food court. It was like going to Costco, you know, you could just sample, sample, sample, sample and then head straight out of there and go somewhere else There was also a fancy dessert place at our mall, but I can't It wasn't like its own dessert place. It was at the end of the food court. And I don't know if it was Froyo or if it was something else. It wasn't dip and dots that would have gotten me really excited. But Do you remember any of the dessert places at yours say we had Dairy quQeen. I think Dairy Qeen or Julius. they were like together in one spot. Oh you know what? I have to give a special contender to this day, I will ape shit, like C on my chest like a monkey, okay for Anti Ans, They're lemonade. and if you can get like half regular pretzels, but then the half sina sticks. And then if your other friend gets a big thing of water and then you go half lemonade, half water because the sugar This isn't even for health purposes. likeike it actually will give you hanker sores. like you need to dilute it Auntie Ants is so good. and it's like Disney. they like pump that smell throughout the mall and it reaches your nostrils and you go crazy And speaking of scense, like the smells in the mall feel so nostalgic to me. Like at Bath and Bodyworks, one of my job or all of our jobs was to spray like room spray into the mall so it would make people come inside. But even like o Hollister, Abercrombie, Auntie Anne's, my God Wait, what was your bath and bodywork spray? What scent were you? I really liked it was called Beautiful Day. I was gonna guess that you might have been a sweet pee girl No, I think I liked sweet pea until I worked there. The beautiful day was like it smelled like DKMY green apple, which is my favorite scent of all time. And it was like half the cost. so that would Yeah. Yeah. it also lasts half the length, but like who cares you're a kid, you know? yeah Right. Exactly. I had my it was me and twenty dollars against the world. Oh, you know what else I loved at Bath and Podyworks? Those little hand sanitizer key chains with the beads in them, the like antibacterial beads. Oh my God, I love those things So when I worked at Bath and Bodyworks, we had someone come in and they had to speak to us and we weren't allowed to like sell those hand sanitizers to younger people, we had to like almost ask for ID's at one point becausecause kids were mixing them with salt And it was like one hundred and eighty proof once you mix the hand sanitizer with salt. kids were buying it to mix it with salt and get drunk Qion, When was the last time a display ad changed your mind Now think about the last time a friend told you about something they loved. Different feeling, right? That's how podcast advertising works A host who's built real trust with their audience talks about your brand in their own words and their own voice. It doesn't interrupt the experience. It's part of it. With ACast, you can access the world's largest podcast marketplace. Choose the right shows, the right audiences, the right format. thenen watch the data tell you it worked. You're not buying impressions You're buying influence. Learn more by visiting acast dot com slash advertise Now, if I did that for a TikTok, would that go like crazy viral or would I die? What do you think? I kind of want to try it I don't know if that's worth it Shannon, but I will give you a like if you do it That is wow, that's crazy. I mean, talk about something that I'm not nostalgic for is like the drinks of the past other than F Loco, which like bring it back. Like so many of those drinks were just like So like in college, they were just like so nasty. like it tasted like probably what the bacterial hand soap tasted like at Bath and Bodyworks. What was your go to gross drink when you were underage Oh my Godd, it was the first time I ever blacked out and it was college, we actually I went to Rice and they threw a party called Nod every Halloween, and it stands for a Night of deceadence And was it's basically a lingerie party. and Playboy would cover it And because it's down in Texas, it wouldn't be that cold at the time of Halloween You go dressed up in lingerie for a theme. Like I remember once it was Harry Nod or Sither to my Chamber of seecrets or Nod teendo sixty nine. You know, it would be like a play on words And the rule was that each year you get older and older, you have to wear less clothing. So You'll be in like a baby doll lingerie when you're a freshman, and then the seniors would be like a thong and nipple tassels. like that would be it. Yeah, it was I don't know if it still happens, but like it was this crazy party and my brother flew in to go to this party because it was like so renowned for like being like the number one party you have to go to But it was like a laay party. So like my brother's like in his underwear. We have people pre gaming in my room. like I'm a freshman, so I was in like a baby doll thing, which wasn't that crazy. But my brother and my friends started hitting it off and I was so mortified that I was like cannot be around this. I started drinking something called hypnotic and it's like this light blue teal, that an X factor, which was like a red drink It was the first time I ever blacked out in my life. And because I blacked out, I was like compleompletely falling down. everyverybody had to carry me places. I'm in lingerie, like my entire vagina' out. You know, it was actually worse that I got drunk because then my brother had to help me and it was just like so uncomfortable. To this day, like even looking at something the shade of hypnotic, it makes me want to vomit is so awful. That with like ever clear and a little bit of crystal light packets, like what were we doing to ourselves back then? It's crazy that we even have a microbiome l I know. You're so right. So I used to love UV Blue And I would make it spright, so fucking disgusting, but my go to, which is I should have known I had a drinking problem at like twenty when I used to love this. I would get, do you remember when they had like Bigger snapple bottles. It wasn't the glass but it was like Yeah. Yeah I would drink it down and then put six Nips, the airplane bottles, six Raspberry Smarnovff, shake it up and like let's go You want to know what though That sounds like it probably tasted pretty good. Like was it like a raspberry snapp or too Oh snapples. Also, snnapple was so, I think one of the joys of nostalgia was that every single product and brand was so three D. notot only were you getting a snapple drink, there was you were also getting knowledge because there was the snapple cap fact and then you could play around with them and those were also gllass bottles. Now that I'm thinking about it, like we had we are starved now, okay? L they won't give us fucking anything. L every single thing is in plastic and we used to get snapple glass jars with They were amazing Strawberry kiwi, so good. Yeah, everything's so boring now That's what I feel like. I feel like we've really lost our whimsy as a society and we used to be able to have fun. And now everything just feels so serious. And I understand there is a lot going on in this world and it is sometimes hard to find positivity. But even in like the marketing of things, it's no longer fun. We don't have gushers When someone eats a gush it explodes. We don't have we don't have a truth commercial where someone's falling into their couch because they smoked a joint. Yeah, you know what else I think might contribute to this? I wonder if mill this is like a theory that I have mine. I remember as millennials and I'm curious if you had this too. we would have all of these auditorium sessions where like a speaker would come in and speak to all of us. and they were always talking about how to get outside of your comfort zone. I remember like a circle would be drawn and they would say, this is your comfort zone And all of these amazing opportunities and growth, it all lives outside of your comfort zone. And we are really taught that You should Do something cringe, like embarrass yourself, put yourself out there. That's what growth is, that's what success is, I just remember really being taught that as millennials. So I think because of that, we were everywhere. We were on Zanga and MySpace and Tumblr and Facebook being like, here's my life and my Harry Potter house and it's messy, but like whatever, now check this finger mustache, right? Like we were so there with it. And obviously people say Jen Alpha and Gen Z aren't like that. I think social media just did so much with people feeling surveyed and they don't want to feel awkward and cringe Because of that, you express less personality. Like I remember growing up There were so many different Logan T shirts and T shirts with like random phrases on them, or I even had one of those Velcro shirts where you could put the letters on and make your own words or phrases on there. Every single person that I know, I can think of a graphic te that they had growing up that either expressed something like I love to laugh or like monkeys rule. So even walking around, there were these micro moments of self expression that I don't really see in the younger generation. L obviously we were all trying to fit in with Pollister and Abercrombie, and there's a moment where you just want to blend in then there was also a moment for us where we really wanted to stand out and be ourselves and I don't know if I really see a lot of that happening for the younger generation and I feel bad about it I agree and obviously like we I grew up in a very clicky school. like there were a lot of different cliques. ich one were you? I think I was just normal. I wasn't popular. I wasn't a bandy But you know what? everybody says that? Like if you had to pick which one you are kind of most Even though I was't in band, probably the band. I was I hung out with a lot of like band kids. Yeah. It was definitely the group that like wasn't invited to parties Okay, yeah Yeah yeah But yeah, that is a good point. like being individual. Even though like you mentioned, we all wanted to fit in somehow, individuality was still really important Yeah, it really was and I remember too, u Individuality almost to the point of like personal branding, I remember getting really focused on my handwriting and be like My handwriting is me. So like I gott to nail this thing. so people know when they see a word that like it was written by Shannon Yeah. That's so sweet. And like even my space, you know, to me, like your Myspace page said a lot about you. And I remember my Mypace. I used to have like icons everywhere and there was a crazy layout. and then like Freshman year or sophomore year I was like, I actually want it to be plain and I want to be a simple girl. So I like removed everything and just had an about me and like a record spinning in a circle She sounds mysterious. I want to know more about her. yeah. You're in my reputation Eic.ill Well you know what, that's a good point about how the customization with social media and technology. I have one of those flip phones where you could change the cover of it to like three different colors and have it be whichever one you wanted So everybody had a different type of cell phone. everyverybody had different covers for that cell phone Everybody's MySpace page had a different layout, a different song, a different theme that went along with it. Now everybody has the same iPhone, the same Instagram page. You can't really customize it. So I almost wonder if it was like what came first in moving the culture and like the trickle down effect. Maybe it was the fact that our social media being so customizable Yeah, I think that's a really good point And also kids weren't taking photos at the mall and uploading two hundred pictures from your panera dinner And also do you remember the photo editing apps as well? L you would The most you could do, I would go into picnic and I would add some like text and a little sparkle. and I was like, okay, like look out world, here she comes I never learned like how to use picnic, but when my friends would make picnics of us, I'd be like, oh my God, this is the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life. The photo boooth app on MacBooks where like you would upload it would just be like everybody with distorted faces or where it's split into four screens and it's like four different colors, yeah. So as we like wrap this up This has nothing to do with the mall. This is just something I'm curious about with you How did you decide to become like a content creator How did you decide that you know what? Maybe I don't want to wear a pants suit and heels to work every day and I want to be able to express my interest on the internet for everyone Wow, I'm trying to thing, do you mean like How did I start doing it full time? or like just start putting thoughts online. B becausecause I think it takes a lot of courage but also delusion to create a page It really does. Well I remember so like everyone back in college, my page was just like me And then I remember out of college I was watching a lot of vegan YouTubers and I loved their vlogs. It was like all these like hot Australian people who happen to be vegan. and I was so drawn to it almost in the ways that if I watch enough like Mormon content and they're all beautiful and their houses are big. Sometimes I'm like, should I look into this like Mormonism thing? L, wow, like if they have it going on And it was the same with veganism. So I ended up going vegan from that because I was like They're also so hot, they love life and they happen to be vegan. I was like, let me try this thing on for size And they were all content creators. So I think then I started making similar videos, I started off on YouTube and I would put my vegan meals and like my vegan life on there. L like I will die if anybody sees it. Like they're all privated, but I really wanted to be a YouTuber And then I got into blogging. And that was where I came up with flluentlyfward. com, which was like the name of an old tumblr I used to have because Back in high school, I was on Tumblr. and let me tell you like, my tumbler was popular because I just used it as a diary, like the first time I got fingered, like it was straight to Tumbler, you know, like everything was on there. So I would get all these like Q and A's and everyone in like the school would read my tumbler. so I was like I was just always online and then I made the flluently forward blog. and at first it was kind of satire writing. Like I remember I did a blog post on food items that remind me of Joe Biden and it was like Zoodles. They're not noodles. you want you wish you could have noodles, but it's better than no noodles. So like you have zoodles, you know? and it would be stuff like that or Who is the better winged man, Sebastian from the littleittle Mermaid or Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast And I'd write all this Yeah, I think one, I think Sebastian one I don't know, but like I would write all of these blog posts about random things just because I don't know I just like I have all these thoughts coming out of my mind. And like I need somewhere to put them. As a kid, I was putting on performances for my parents and then the interternet existed. so I was like, I gotta put it here somewhere. And then I remember I got on TikTok during COVID And it was God, the app was so good back then. I would be on TikTok until four AM with like tears streaming down my face in the comment section, Dan like Belly aching laughing it was so good And I started talking about random things like playing the Sims or dating or what's going on with Jeffrey Epstein because I was like very into it before everybody else was. but you know, like anythingy random that piqued my interest. And then I remember I started talking about blind items because I had always read them And my very first TikTok on this was like, hey, did you guys see that Addison Ray is in a blind item saying that like Joe Rogan is into her? Isn't that crazy that TikTokers are now in blind items? And blew up and everybody was like, What and the fuck is a blind item. So then I started making blind item content Then people asked for a podcast. I did like a few short episodes to like throw it at the wall and see if it would stick And people listened, and now here I am doing the podcast was my job, like five years later. Yeah That's awesome. I'm so happy about you followed your like because when we first met Shannon wasasn't full time content creator, and I'm just so glad that you leaned into it. And I always tell people, I'm like, lean into the thing that makes you weird. Like the thing that people were like, what the fuck are you talking about? Lean into that because it works. and like It works if you work it It's so what about you? You said you were on MySpace, Is that where you started getting online I would say Tumbler. I would say Tumbler for me and then when I any girl who is on Tumbler, like they have to be a content creator now. How could you not be? like Tumbler was it Yeahah. Right. So I loved that. and it was a lot of pop culture stuff, but also like It's when I started liking women and not knowing what to do with it. So I would just like post pictures on Tumblr being like, isn't she beautiful? like You that way U And then I started a worordPress, a celebrity What type of tumbler did you have? L you were It was about celebrities, like you were relogging other photos, but okay. Yeah Yeah, it was a lot of celebrity stuff, a lot of like vampire Diaries one Tree Hill CW stuff too Yes. But then I created a celebrity blog, which I don't It was called Celebrities or traragic. And I really wanted to be like Pz Hilton, which is sick to say in twenty twenty six This is like twenty fourteen, I think I started it. Everybody was on Pz Hilton's. Like that was how I found out what Cum was because he was like drawing it on people's faces. Okaykay? Like we were too young to know. So I did that for a couple years and then I started L Gun Beachch in twenty seventeen And I started to get more popular with that When you had your celebrities are tragic, were you posting like paparazzi photos or like your thoughts on them? Like what was it? I was writing articles. I was writing my own articles. and I deleted it. I kind of wish I didn't, but I also know I wasn't very nice So I had to like Get it out of here U But yeah, I would write like five articles a day F for fun. It fun. That was like my favorite thing You've always been a really good writer. Like if you ever in the future like, I don't know have like a side passion project or like somebody gives you like a year to do something at like you do really, really good writing. So I wish I could see that back in the day. Yeah. I appreciate that. And then yeah, Lagun Beachch started to take off in twenty seventeen. and I was like, I have to do one or the other. And I chose Lagun Beachch instead of celebrities are tragic and I'm glad I did, obviously. And then yeah, I think it was twenty twenty One or twenty twenty two. I think it was twenty twenty two when I became full time with the podcast Yeah. and but before the blind or before before the blinds What was your other podcast title It was this. It was nostalgia and now Before we start in now Yeah, so I basically put this on this podcast on a break because I couldn't handle it both you know, I was in the middle of like a weird thing where like I really like someone who did not like me back. So mentally I was a mess. I was dealing with like a lot of negative feedback from beyond the blinds or it felt like a lot of negative feedback. I don't know if that's true. just like in my mind it was and I I just yeah, I got too overwhelmed so I was like, Nalan now has to stop. So I could focus my all my time and to beond the blinds, but yeah now, I'm excited to be back here. I'm excited to be like, I love Troy to death. I don't want anyone to trying to say what I'm about to say is like a slight at Troy, but it's nice to like just talk again, talk about stuff that has nothing to do with blind items, have you on, have other creator friends on. L it's been really refreshing to bring this back Yeah, it's also just so funny to see. I kind of want to have an episode with you and Troy where we talk about like a state of the union about blind items because back in twenty twenty one and twenty twenty two. it was such a different world. Like of course Dumois had entered the scene. so that made blinds a little bit more zeitgeisty. but people still didn't really know what they were and now I saw some sort of um talk where it was like Ariana Grande singing at her concert or something like that and the caption was like text on the screen was like, this is why you idiots shouldn't read blind items and it had like a million likes. And I'm like, o, like four years ago, you guys didn't even know what a blind item was. thenen nobody could get enough of blind items. They wanted them injected into their veins. Now people are like, they're not even real anymore. I'm like give it three years, they'll be real again. you know, It's