You may have noticed the recent trend to wear clear sunglasses, which can also be referred to as “hipster glasses” because of the idea that they serve no purpose other than to look “cool”. If you are not familiar of what these look like, we have provided a link below.
They are usually found worn by college kids and became popular alongside the “I LOVE NERDS” campaign which started as a flip of the common belief that nerds were un-cool. All of sudden it became cool to be smart and look like a dork, and that’s how clear lens (non-prescription) glasses were born. For those that were unfortunate to be born with good eyes this product was designed to give the appearance that you needed glasses without actually having to have poor vision.
Starting as a small trend, this idea was soon picked up by many athletes such as a Lebron James or Russell Westbrook who have been well known for wearing these glasses during post game interviews. They were soon attacked nationally by the fashion police (also known as “haters”) whom like everyone else, finds these accessories to be pointless and downright silly. Despite many critics first reactions to this new look, this trend has now been picked up nationally and is becoming popular for people trying to stand out from a crowd and the more obvious become center of attention.
So, despite the sentimental value of these glasses, we wanted to take a look at the other reasons these glasses can be worn, just in case someone who isn’t trying to look like a 1980’s baller wanted to wear them. Also, because we wanted to crush the myth, and silence the critics that these glasses DO serve a purpose, so we met up the nerds and dove down into the facts.
What we found was that these glasses do serve a purpose and that is to protect your eyes. Did you know that these glasses are actually 100% UV protected, so they will protect your eyes from the harmful sun? Also, did you know that on the contrary dark sunglasses reduce the visible light entering your eyes, so your iris opens to admit more light, letting even more of the harmful UV to enter your eye? I think it’s safe to say that clear lens glasses just won that battle.
They are also convenient because they are clear, so you can wear them inside and still see! This saves the hassle of having to take them off every time you enter a building. Plus, who likes to mess up their hair or wear them around their neck? Not only is that not trendy, but it looks horrible. I think we are also forgetting the fact these glasses can protect your eyes from flying debris, finger pokes and splashing champagne when you are out celebrating like a champion.
So, next time you are rocking out with your glasses out and people starting hating, just let them know you are “wearing protection, bro”.