Why Glasses Aren’t Just for Nerds and Ugly Ducklings Anymore*

You know the film & TV trope of the ugly duckling? Usually she’s got braces or other distracting face gear, as well as a hot mess of a hair situation (easily remedied by a brush and hair products) and topping off her tragic look: hideous, over-sized glasses. She’s a nerd; an outcast. Boys ignore her. Girls make fun of her.  People pin “kick me” signs on her. One day, fed up with being a social misfit, she decides it’s time for a change.

In a breezy montage, underscored by slumber-party pop, she gets the makeover to top all makeovers: her hair transforms into a glorious mane, her makeup game is enviable, her teeth are miraculously straight and pearly white. Of course, she trades her glasses for contacts (which, at first, she finds nearly impossible to put in). Just like that: she’s a gorgeous swan. The boys flock to her like pigeons to newly washed cars. The girls who once mocked her, want to be her. She tossed her glasses and her life improved tenfold. Message received. Repeatedly.

I got my first pair of glasses in first grade and though I needed them, I tried my hardest to pretend they didn’t exist. By the time I reached high school, I was convinced that being in the glasses club was putting a real crimp in my life. My parents said contacts were too expensive. If I wanted to wear them, I had to buy them myself. Since I wanted to be able to see, I relented and reluctantly wore my unfashionable specs, feeling every bit the nerd and ugly duckling. I hoped one day to chuck my nerdgear and emerge a beautiful swan, bringing all the boys to the yard and girls to my sure-to-form clique.

These days, glasses are no longer relegated to the outcasts and the ugly ducklings. Celebrities don glasses as part of their ensembles. The cool kids wear them even when they don’t need to! That’s crazy talk! Now, companies like Warby Parker make fashionable eyewear so you can ditch the granny glasses and trade them for stylish frames. Eyewear makes a statement. At the very least, glasses make you look smarter.

I’m a fan of companies that give back to the community and with Warby Parker for every pair of glasses they sell, they donate a pair through one of their non-profit partners. You get a pair of fly eyewear and so does someone else who would love the opportunity to see better. It’s a win-win!

They’ve added nine new shapes to their collection for fall 2014, for whatever your mood or style. Here’s a sample of their collection:

 

These days, I embrace my glasses and my nerd propensities. I alternate between glasses and contacts. As my optometrist reminded me, it’s healthy to wear your glasses and let those eyes breathe. Well, if I’m going to strut around the city in glasses, you better bet they’ll be cute!

*This post is an advertorial for Warby Parker.

Related articles

• Coming Up: Celebrities That Went From Ugly Ducklings To Beautiful Swans
• 14 Lasting Side Effects Of Growing Up As The Ugly Duckling
• The trouble with “Makeover” Movies…

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