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From Groucho Marx to Bono, eyewear has long been used by men to help establish a personal effigy and signature style. In the initial half of the 20th century, that effigy and style was primarily related with men who were shy, awkward, bookish or clownish. Yet even then, celebrities were inspiring fashion with their kooky frames. Comedian Harold Lloyd’s portrayal of a handsome, normal youth who just happened to wear round, horn-rimmed glasses sparked the introductory eyewear fashion trend for men. In the 1950s, early rockers like Buddy Holly gave wearing glasses a cool factor, a sensibility that expanded for the duration of the 1960s, when it became hip to be “real” when it comes to one’s eyesight. John Lennon squinted through much of his time with the Beatles, until he in the long run donned a pair of wire-rimmed Windsor glasses. Wire-rimmed glasses became fashion de rigueur for optically-challenged hipsters in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During the same era, Elton John became intrinsically linked with his over-the-top eyewear. In the mainstream media of the 1950s and 1960s, glasses were still being portrayed as decidedly un-cool, something worn by out-of-fashion intellectuals and nerds. All that Superman necessitated to do to hide his superhero identity was to throw on a pair of glasses, without any delay transforming into “mild mannered” Clark Kent. That association of glasses with intellect and manners, however, helped businessman and politicians hug the look as portion of a professional persona. In the United States, the effigy of Senator Barry Goldwater became so connected with his heavy, horn-rimmed glasses that he felt compelled to proceed wearing the frames even after he started out to wear contact lenses. Goldwater’s black-rimmed glasses may have been iconic, but they surely were never considered sexy. For the most part, glasses continued to be viewed as something that only those unmindful to fashion would wear. Comedian Drew Carey continued to wear heavy glasses even after he had corrective surgery, so closely-associated were the glasses to his quirky, comedic image. Yet in late-20th century youth sub-cultures, the geeky look was getting chic. Many emo, punk and indie culture icons sported glasses, the nerdier the better. Nerdy was getting not only hip, but sexy. It was not until the television show, Mad Men, however, that eyewear for men as a fashion statement reached full acceptance. The popularity of Mad Men has not only made wearing specs fashionable, it has transformed eyewear into a sexy fashion accessory. |
