Virginia Woolf once said, “Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses, possessing the power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.” I cannot convey to you how grateful I am that “acting as looking glasses” has lost their prestige and importance in the daily life of women, or that we have a stronghold position in the forefront of current society and do more than reflect. However, this is not a feminist piece per se. It, actually, may turn out to be quite materialistic, with a sprinkle of philosophy; bear with me.
I started wearing glasses (or spectacles, as one is likely to name them) when I was 13. Itsurprises me to remember, given the terrible choice in frame, that I was actuallyrather excited about this new accessory. While my newly
teenage self may not have come to the following conclusion, recently I’ve realized that glasses do more than focus that astigmatism, or allow one to read a brunch menu through a far-off window pane (actually, my inability to do so was the catalyst in my first becoming a wearer). If the term “rose-tinted glasses” counts for anything, I think that eyewear acts as the tangible component of what we see. There’s a reason we wear sunglasses while on vacation in Hangover City: it eliminates the harshness of clarity and observation. Given this point of view, that we choose how to see, it seems hardly surprising that glasses have become less need-based and more haute couture in defining a fashion sense. From Audrey Hepburn and Buddy Holly, to Tina Fey and Johnny Depp, glasses have become a definition of character.
However, perhaps this is being too base. Apparently, glasses in today’s world stand for a plethora of things: for wit, perhaps, or quirk. Indeed, one does not necessarily even need a prescription for a donning a pair of frames. Perhaps glasses, then, provide the synonym to personality: different frame, different day, a different outlook. The bigger and chunkier the frames, today, the more fashionable the statement. The subtleties of contact lenses and tiny glass frames are fast diminishing; people now seem to boast the glasses they wear, with high-fashion companies propelling the trend. I said that this was going to be both materialistic and philosophical. Let me get to my point.
If, through intense marketing and capitalism (Prada eyewear, anyone?), the choices we make with regards to glasses are becoming increasingly prominent, perhaps we ought to live our choices. Too often we miss things
along the way, due to lack of observance or simple oversight. We miss signs and moments, caught up in our ownmelodramatics. And too often, we realize it too late. Perhaps this is what glasses stand for in today’s ridiculously paced world. The chance to, literally, open your eyes and take a look around; the chance to be more aware of moments previously missed. If life is a spectacle (all pun intended), then perhaps we need to put on a show. Originating from the Latin word spectare, meaning “to view, or to watch,” perhaps the concept of glasses is to make us an acute observer. They have become less of a hindrance to be hidden, and more of a characteristic to be proud of: Statistically, Bill Gates is identified as much for his distinguishing glasses, as he is with regard to Microsoft. If we are to take a lesson from this, glasses today are about owning who you are, and distinguishing an aspect of yourself that is otherwise lost. The right pair of glasses has become one of the many indicators of success and confidence.
I’d like to propose that, unlike for Virginia Woolf, women do not act the part of the looking glass, as much as use one for themselves to reflect life, culture and opportunity. In a nutshell, glasses are used to symbolize control and outlook—a desire and a drive to conquer. Apparently, we live to create spectacles. So don a pair, and own them like no other.