People watching

I was at Memorial city mall the other day picking up some new running gear and stopped off at the food court for a smoothie.  I sat in the main lounge and watched people come and go.  I normally avoid malls so I had not done this in some time.

Watched people come and go.  Some shopping, some just browsing, some just taking a break from their everyday routine, but mostly trying to stay away from the Houston heat and humidity.

You could tell from the way they walked and dressed what they were up to.  The mom purposefully striding and shooing her kids along had just arrived and was on her way to Macy’s.  The 5 kids ambling along and giggling were dodging responsibility and enjoying their Summer.  The severely overdressed woman not carrying a purse and walking quickly was a sales girl for one of the boutiques in the mall possibly getting something to eat on her lunch break.  On the other hand the severely overdressed woman carrying a purse and sedately walking along was probably an exec who had come out after work to shop.

Body postures give away so much too.  People that know what they want or where they’re going to seem to have a “closed” body.  Their arms are pulled in, they lean forward a bit, they walk faster.  People out for a stroll have a more open posture, they look around more, their arms spread out, they walk upright and more sedately.

Similarly people thinking about problems sit hunched forward, their heads down, their hands clenched or their arms folded.  People just relaxing sit back, their arms spread out, they take in their environment.

Sometimes I marvel at what some people think is appropriate to wear out in public or in some cases not wear.  What is even more amazing is that many people around them don’t even notice or at least pretend not to.  Such an acceptance would not have been possible just a generation ago.

i started avoiding the mall because it didn’t really offer anything that i wanted to buy but I forgot that it did have something that I liked and that was the chance to observe people.  One day I should really take a laptop with me and describe what I see as it happens.