Magazines commonly detail how weight, hair color, and clothes influence appearance, but not how impactful glasses become on someone’s general appearance, which can easily transform an entire outfit or the way the wearer feels.

“I’ve had glasses since I was nine. I wasn’t much of a fan at first because I felt like a nerd. As years have gone by, I have grown more confident in my glasses. I have gotten to the point that on days I wear contacts, I accidentally push up on my ‘glasses’ which are, of course, not on my face,” junior and longtime wearer Susana Negrete said.

Fashion recently wised up to the power of glasses and started selling fake pairs on fast fashion websites and in stores like Forever 21 and Rue 21. Modern styles of glasses frequently include the classic aviator, librarian style, and the simple, rounded Harry Potter look. The beauty industry accepting glasses has impacted public opinion, moving the perception of glasses from dorky to stylish.

“I love glasses, but I have a split opinion about the trend. If someone feels more comfortable wearing glasses he/she should go for it! Otherwise, it seems a little silly to try and fit in with everyone else using glasses,” Negrete said.

People who wear glasses know the dreaded “you look weird without your glasses” that comes along anytime someone sees them without their spectacles. Glasses portrayed in media as nerdy or even unattractive, adds personality to a face, not just that of a nerd. The phrase “geek-chic” or “nerdy-chic” litters fashion magazine headlines, reinforcing the unnecessary association between glasses and geeks.

“People who knew me before say ‘you look so smart with them on,’ but my intellectual ability hasn’t changed. I just feel like there’s a certain stigma behind wearing glasses, nothing mean though,” junior and glasses aficionado Goke-Pariola said.

Classic Hollywood movies, especially romantic comedies, subscribe to portraying the lame, nerdy, unattractive girl as a typically normal looking girl with glasses. The beloved 90’s rom-com She’s All That with the beautiful Rachael Leigh Cook holds true to this description. The plot line centers around Freddie Prinze Jr. giving her character a makeover, which comprises of shortening her hair, removing her glasses, and revamping her style.

Glasses by themselves do not make a person ugly, they add to a person’s look, and frequent wearers seem unrecognizable without their signature frames. In the end, a person’s beauty lies in their inner-confidence, something glasses supply to them.  

“Honestly, when I don’t wear my glasses I feel naked, like a whole part of me is gone even though I spent 15 years of my life without them. It is now such a big part of me that I don’t leave the house without them,” Goke-Pariola said

If the eyes act as the windows to the soul, glasses serve as the panes because they frame the face in an unrivaled way. With thousands of styles and colors, every pair is unique in its own way, just like the wearer.