Thanks to movies like Sabrina, She's All That, and The Princess Diaries, the stereotypes that glasses alter your looks for the worse is still alive and strong today. In fact, over half of women choose to suffer poor eyesight during dates and nights out because they are so concerned with glasses making them appear ugly. However, you shouldn't be as concerned about how your glasses affect people's perceptions of you for a few of the following reasons:
Sometimes, Stereotypes Work For Your Benefit
According to one study, wearing glasses actually increases the perception of:
- intelligence. Generally, people who wear glasses appear smarter to others. Maybe this is because glasses are associated with reading or seeing the board in math class, but if you're going to a grad school interview, your specs will only help you.
- trustworthiness. Some testers thought that those who wore well-fitted frames looked more capable and trustworthy than those will no glasses or glasses that were not suited for the face.
- distinctiveness. Have you ever wanted to be more easily recognized and respected? Those with glasses are instantly regarded to have more distinctive personalities, and it is easier for people to remember their faces later.
- success. What is it about glasses that convey an element of maturity and achievement? When you go to a job interview with an impressive resume, your face will help sell that impression.
In addition, those wearing glasses tended to have more eye-contact with the people around them, and have more attention drawn to the face. This might be done unconsciously, but it will help people to hear what you are saying.
Not All Glasses Are Created Equal
Surprisingly, not all glasses tended to rank faces lower on the attractiveness scale. Although you should always choose the right frames for your face, one study showed that rimless glasses had more positive responses when it came to judging how attractive the wearers were. If you are one of those people who are afraid to don some frames because of how they'll change your face, you might want to look into some minimalist eyewear.
If you choose your glasses with care, it should send the right message: you are sophisticated, stylish, and smart.
Your Glasses Are For Your Eyes
Even though you might be worried about how glasses make you look, wearing them is more important than you might realize. Forgoing wearing them when you need them can actually increase the damage to your vision, and leave other conditions, like glaucoma or dry eye syndrome, untreated. Eventually, your vision might be damaged permanently, meaning you need more aggressive correction which might not be able to be done with contacts alone.
Some Things Change
Some celebrities and modern movies are trying to help dispel the notion that glasses make you ugly. Tina Fey wears full-rimmed glasses on a daily basis, as well as Taylor Swift and even Megan Fox. Even five years ago, vision-challenged celebrities would always wear contacts for movies and red carpet events, but that is slowly beginning to change.
Recently, the issue of glasses making you less attractive surfaced in the animated movie Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs. Sam, a brilliant weather girl, passed on wearing glasses because she felt like she wouldn't be able to keep her job with her brains alone. However, after being encouraged to embrace her true self by Flint, a zany scientist, she adopted her nerd-style glasses and ponytail-- sending a not-so-subtle message that glasses do not have any affect on someone's abilities to do a job right, and that those who wear them should not be ashamed.
So, if you're self conscious about wearing glasses, it's time to continue reading more and look at them with a new perspective. It's not worth the squinting and extra damage on your eyes, and it's not worth your confidence. You can prove to the world that glasses make no difference on a person's smarts, ability, or beauty by wearing them proudly.
