Search
Saturday, March 6, 2021
The Daily
Search
News
Multimedia
Sports
Opinion
In-Depth
Subscribe
Lifestyles
The Roost
Marketplace
Send a Tip
14°
Full Forecast
The Daily News
  • News
  • Lifestyles
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Multimedia
  • In-Depth
  • The Roost
  • Marketplace
  • Send a Tip
  • Donate
  • News
  • Lifestyles
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Multimedia
  • In-Depth
  • The Roost
  • Marketplace
  • Send a Tip
Search

Subscribe

Subscribe to The Daily News

opinion 2/18/2021, 2:56pm

This is the Shwe: Make spectacles great again

Sub: The glasses trope turns a blind eye to true beauty.

By Shwetha Sundarrajan
This is the Shwe: Make spectacles great again

Share

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Mail
  • Print

Shwetha Sundarrajan is a senior journalism major and writes “This is the Shwe” for The Daily News. Her views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.

Imagine this: You’re the shy girl sitting in the back of the classroom — silently doodling in the margins of your notebook. No one has ever noticed you, and they never will.

That is, not until those chunky glasses come off.

The teacher calls you to the front of the class to do a math problem, and you find that everything is blurry because your glasses are dirty. As you take them off to clean them, the entire class gasps. Students start murmuring, and tension spikes in your chest. You can’t see anyone’s face because your prescription is so bad.

Why are they whispering? Your mind starts racing as you try to figure out what happened. Is it a stain on your shirt? Is it that pimple that never goes away? Suddenly, a boy blurts out, “The shy girl is hot without her glasses on.”

Record scratch. Freeze frame. “Yep, that’s me.” You’re probably wondering why I’ve brought up one of the iconic scenes in most high school movies. Allow me to explain.

The overdone trope of a woman getting a grand makeover to spark a man’s interest has always been a staple in coming-of-age films, rom-coms and every other genre of film you could think of because, of course, a woman’s discovery of contact lenses or eyeliner is the saving grace for her femininity.

If you take the glasses trope specifically, one could argue it’s ableist. Only those with a lower prescription could fashionably whip off their glasses and be able to walk around without bumping into a table corner every five minutes. If anything, the whole “glasses-make-you-look-ugly” concept sounds like a marketing ploy for contact lenses & LASIK surgery.

So, why can’t glasses be attractive? I mean, if Ben Franklin could rock them, so can anyone else. However, according to the everlasting glasses stereotype, more commonly called the “nerd stereotype,” spectacled people are less attractive and more intelligent than those who don’t wear glasses. Now, you may be thinking, “Is there any reasoning to this stereotype, or are people being judgemental again?”

Eyes are an essential and informative part of the human face, which is why they are commonly called the “windows to the soul.” Because glasses change the way eyes look, it affects and impedes quick discrimination and recognition of faces. However, the type of frames also makes a difference in attractiveness. According to a 2011 study done by University of Vienna psychologist Helmut Leder and his colleagues, those wearing rimless glasses are seen as more attractive because it doesn’t obstruct the eyes as full-framed glasses do. Not to disappoint anyone that’s rocking the full frames, though — your frames make you look more distinctive, intelligent and successful.

 

Forget the science for a second. The entire trope of spectacled women removing their glasses to become desirable is shallow in itself. In movies such as “The Princess Diaries” and “Miss Congeniality,” the female characters go through a transformation to become more attractive. Prominently, they lose their glasses because who wants the nerdy girl, am I right? These transformative scenes suggest that the smart, capable girl hasn’t fulfilled her role as a woman because she isn’t attractive by conventional means, thus forcing her to go through a completely unnecessary metamorphosis to appeal to the masses in which she’s rewarded with a man finally realizing her beauty and falling in love with her.

Perhaps, it is the man who needs glasses because beauty comes from within, not from the frames. 

Contact Shwetha Sundarrajan with comments at ssundarrajan@bsu.edu or on Twitter @fengshwe.


Share



Related Stories

Senior forward Oshlynn Brown shoots a free point March 6, 2021, in John E. Worthen Arena. The Cardinals beat the Broncos 76-69. Jaden Whiteman, DN

Cardinals close unprecedented regular season with senior day victory

By Charleston Bowles

Senior guard Ishmael El-Amin preparing for a free throw Feb. 27, 2021, in John E. Worthen Arena. The Cardinals won 97-91 against the Chippewas. Grace Walton, DN

Toledo snaps Ball State's 3-game win streak in regular season finale

By Connor Smith

ceo pic.jpg

Health Profession Building to serve as vaccination site

By Tylor Brummett


The Daily News welcomes thoughtful discussion on all of our stories, but please keep comments civil and on-topic. Read our full guidelines here.



Most Popular


news 2/19/2021, 2:38pm

Muncie police investigating three deaths

By Staff Reports

news 2/25/2021, 10:00am

Queer Chocolatier owner shares future hopes for business after Village lease ends


Basketball 2/25/2021, 3:15pm

Bred into a winning culture: Sydney Freeman has brought her winning ways from Central Noble High School to Ball State


opinion 2/8/2021, 11:53am

Let your kids be kids





Tweets by bsudailynews
To Homepage
  • About
  • Guidelines
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • The Daily

All Rights Reserved

© Copyright 2021 The Daily News

Powered by Solutions by The State News.