Remember being an ugly teenager with acne, braces, and glasses? Yeah, me too. Now think of the day when you finally got contacts. Best. Day. Ever.
So, we’ve collectively decided that glasses are the bane of our existence. But, now glasses are making a comeback. A serious comeback. Any time you press on that little black icon on your phone (TikTok), you will see influencers such as Mary Kate Swanson, Callahan Rahm, and many more wearing blue light glasses in their daily Fit Checks or OOTDs.
Keeping up with microtrends can be incredibly difficult in the era of social media marketing and influencers. In the past few years we have seen the hot girl, the clean girl, the mob wife, the pinterest girl, and countless others. It seems the latest “it girl” statement piece is a big, chunky, potentially colored pair of glasses.
So, why are all of these girls wearing prescriptionless glasses now?
Many women have struggled to feel beautiful when wearing glasses for years. We have been doing anything and everything so that we don’t have to wear glasses. This ranges from simply not wearing your glasses and walking around blind to getting contact lenses to getting LASIK eye surgery. LASIK is one of the most popular surgeries for vision correction, specifically curated for those who are nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism.
For decades women have been taking drastic measures and undergoing major surgeries in order to not have to wear glasses. But, today numerous girls are purchasing blue light glasses or glasses with no prescription lens simply for the fashion statement.
Why is that?
Practical Reasons For Blue Light Glasses (maybe?)
There are actually practical reasons blue light glasses came to the market. According to Texas Eye and Cataract, Blue light glasses prevent eye strain, reduce risk for eye disease, provide better sleep, and protect the eyes from dryness.
Our lives are constantly moving and changing, and so is our screen time. During the pandemic, screen time skyrocketed, and as a result came blue light glasses. These glasses seemed to be a good solution to the eye strain resulting from work from home, zoom school, and essentially everything moving online.
However they might actually be useless. USA Today interviewed Dr. Craig See, a Cleveland Clinic ophthalmologist, who says blue light glasses “mostly don’t work for the things they’re advertised for.” There is essentially not enough science to back up the claims that are being made in support of blue light glasses. The only thing that blue light glasses are really helpful for is to minimize blue light exposure at night time, which may lead to better sleep.
The Real Reason for the Blue Light Glasses Trend
None of this really explains why so many girls on TikTok are wearing these glasses. The only plausible explanation is that they are making a fashion statement.
Sunglasses have always been a way to accessorize, add a bit of flair to an outfit, and even add a pop of color. Why haven’t we been using our eyeglasses to the same effect? There is really not a reason. And now that people are doing it, it seems obvious that we should have been doing it all along.
Because many girls on social media are buying into the big, fun glasses trend as a statement piece, those of us who are actually blind are also joining in on the fun. Influencers like Sophie Cohen (aka SoCo) and Charlie Wenz Scott have been styling their prescription glasses with fun outfits, exuding confidence.
The thing is, you really have no way to know if the glasses someone is wearing are blue light or prescription unless they tell you. So, anyone and everyone can accessorize with glasses!
In the era of self-love and acceptance, this trend is a win for the girls. There was never any reason to feel awkward or embarrassed when wearing glasses, but now they are considered so fashionable that people who do not need help in the eyesight department are wearing prescriptionless glasses!
Glasses are the new it girl piece, and we are here for it.
