PEDESTRIAN.TV has partnered with OPSM to champion the pop culture icons whose personalities have been shaped by the spectacles they don. As we all know, humans ain’t one-dimensional – there’s more than one side of yourself, obviously – and glasses are a primo way of embracing that. To start being more yourself, head to OPSM’s website HERE for 50% off your second pair of glasses.
Both fictional and real life characters have done a damn-decent job of shifting perceptions of glasses from, “NERDDDDDDDDDD,” to, “you’re like, ridiculously good looking,” over the course of history. Because of this, you could argue that glasses are what reflect the characteristics of a man, rather than the man reflecting the characteristics of his glasses. #Philosophical #Musings.
We had a lil’ look-see at pop culture icons whose personalities have been shaped and reflected by their stunna-shades/glasses choice, as well as how most would be diddly-squat without them.
Honourable mention to Bono who’d, quite literally, be a nobody without his shades – we left him out ’cause we assumed you could’ve deduced that for yourself, being the clever bastards that you are.
HARRY POTTER
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The Boy Who Lived has certainly been shaped by his recognisable, perfectly-round and sellotape-fixed spectacles. There’s obviously a plethora of fan forums dedicated to the topic of Harry Potter‘s glasses (nerd alert), chiefly because of one nagging point: if magic can do practically anything, then why in Voldemort‘s name does Harry (or any characters in the series) need bloody glasses?!
Super-fans have offered several canonical explanations for this, but JK Rowling has thankfully confirmed (during an interview with Reader’s Digest in 2000) that the choice was intended to reflect Harry’s vulnerability.
Depending on how you look at it, it’d be easy to view Harry as a complete upstart if it weren’t for certain symbolisms depicted in the plot. Everything he has a crack at, he does well. He can’t even die, which is pretty much as #KillingIt as you can get. Without his glasses making him come across as a bit of a vulnerable dweeb, most readers would just be like, “yo, what’s with this white boy excelling at everything? He seems like a massive dick”.
We don’t think he’s a dick though, and if your opinion differs from that, then you can go jump up yourself.
ANNA WINTOUR
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain / Getty.
While her sunglasses are glued to her face every second of everyday, Anna Wintour wouldn’t be seen front row without them on.
The reasoning is more of a functional one, than anything fashion related, she told 60 Minutes‘ Morley Safer.
“Well, they’re seriously useful. I mean, I can sit in a show, and if I’m bored out of my mind, nobody will notice. And if I’m enjoying it, nobody will notice. So, I think at this point they’ve become, you know, really armour.”
If only we all were fabulous enough to employ the same technique without facing society-wide ridicule, or worse and just end up looking like this:
Photo: Fox Studios.
KANYE WEST
Photo: Stephen Lovekin / Getty.
THESE FUCKING THINGS.
They’re called Shutter Shades, if you weren’t already aware/had blocked the name from your mind so as to not cause psychological trauma.
Ever the trendsetter, Yeezy wore and instantly popularised Shutter Shades in the music video for the 2007 banger, Stronger. Alain Mikli was the monster responsible for designing them, which snowballed into a mass-production situation by Shutter Shades Inc.
Other celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Snookie did a bang-up job of ensuring that Shutter Shades were immortalised in pop culture 5eva.
ANASTACIA
FLASHBACK AHOY.
Anastacia was diagnosed with myopia (shortsightedness) at age seven, but rather than rocking plain ol’ spectacles, she opted for an array of, retrospectively-lol, colour-tinted glasses. Most notably known for the orange and yellow shades – a style decision only the ‘90s could permit and encourage – she’s also given bluish hues a good thrashing as well. Even after she had corrective surgery to remedy her vision issues, Anastacia continued to wear ’em. Surely you’ve got to agree that both Anastacia and her glasses were the ’90s, right?
If you’re feeling nostalgic, go right ahead and enjoy her biggest banger:
DAME EDNA
Photo: Eva Rinaldi / Wikimedia Commons.
Dame Edna: Equally an icon for Australia as she is for eye-wear. Her decadent, bedazzled, cat eye glasses (or “face furniture” as she’s been known to refer to it as) are everything you’d ever want in a pair of spectacles – if you’ve got the spunk to rock ’em.
We’re not sure if Dame Edna’s serving up Liberace realness or the other way around. Regardless, the good Dame always looks fahhhhhhhbulous.
As you can clearly see (geddit?), glasses have the power to entirely shape your personality. Be yourself with 50% off your second pair of glasses at OPSM by visiting their website HERE.
Photo: Stephen Lovekin / Getty.
