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It’s not lost on almost anyone that your appearance says a lot about you. Whether it’s the length and style of your hair, the kind of shoes you wear, or simply the color palette of your wardrobe, you’re always making some kind of “statement” about who you and are and what you’re “about.”
Eyewear is no different. Depending on whether you wear glasses or not, and on what kind of frames you favor, you’re communicating a wealth of information that you may not even be aware of.
To start with, research suggests that eyeglass wearers are regarded as more intelligent, honest, sophisticated, dependable, and industrious than their frameless friends. Not only are eyeglasses associated with these positive personality traits, researcher Nicolas Guéguen demonstrated that people wearing eyeglasses are judged as belonging to a higher social class. (Though the jury is still out, subsequent researchers speculate that this may have something to do with the clear link between eyeglass wear and the impression of intelligence and therefore upward mobility.)
The shape, color, and size of eyewear frames also provides distinct clues about the personality and disposition of the wearer.
Colored frames
Whether they’re a bold red, a splashy pink, a vivid blue, a striking violet, a deep green, or any hue of the rainbow, colored frames suggest that the wearer is artsy, playful, unconventional, adventurous, free-spirited, and quite likely highly social. Frames that pack a punch of color get noticed, and people who favor them often have a theatrical streak or tend to be the life of the party. Colored frames evoke a youthful vibe and for this reason are popular among those in their 50’s, 60’s, and even 70’s who use this functional accessory to “ignite” an otherwise conservative aesthetic.
Oversized, chunky frames made of plastic or wood
These are the quintessential hipster (and sometimes Bohemian) frames most often found on the faces of art students, indie cinephiles, artisan coffeehouse baristas, and geeky startup entrepreneurs. Like their peers who prefer colored frames, those who don oversized, chunky, neutral-colored eyewear (especially of the “Buddy Holly” variety) tend to be openly artistic and non-conforming, but many of the similarities end there. Large, “heavy,” neutral frames suggest a more subdued or possibly even slightly aloof approach to life, and these qualities play well to the hipster who, if nothing else, is impossibly “cool.”
Minimalistic frames
For most of modern eyeglass history, frames have been relatively small compared to the oversized styles currently en vogue. Since smaller, more conservative frames harken to the past and more traditional times, those who favor minimalistic frames tend to be less interested in fads and what’s “trendy” and more interested in what’s classic, elegant, and stands the test of time. Minimalist frame wearers run the gamut from uptown sophisticates and socialites to university math professors and investigative journalists. Far from being “boring” or merely “conservative,” minimalist frames are the eyewear most likely to impart a sense of understated style and distinguishment that says the wearer has “arrived.”
Cat-eye frames
Primarily a trend among women that first skyrocketed to popularity in the 1950’s with the Marilyn Monroe film, How to Marry a Milionnaire (Monroe’s bespectacled character was self-described as “blind as a bat”), cat-eye frames are the eyewear of choice for women (and a few men) who appreciate the art of innocent seduction, who live to pay homage to All Things Retro, and who long for the days of Old Hollywood glamour. Worn today in sizes much larger than they when they first surged onto the scene over fifty years ago and often adorned with rhinestones or other eye-catching charms, the cat eye wearer is almost always somebody who can’t get enough vintage fashion and who loves to be admired for her feminine sense of style.
At OCLI we can help you pick out the perfect pair of frames to effortlessly match your style and personality. As full-service vision health providers, we can help you with any of your eyecare needs, from routine eye exams, to dry eye treatment, to LASIK vision correction, to cataract surgery, and much, much more! Give us a call today and see why we’re known as being the friendliest, most comprehensive, and most advanced eye care providers around!
