I have never had 20-20 vision, and neither have my parents. It’s just a gene that runs in our family (somehow skipping my older brother).
I got my first pair of glasses in second grade. The day I got them is actually my BeReal profile picture! They were a thicker, black pair with pink butterflies on the inside. A couple of my friends had glasses too, so it was not really something I noticed “different” about myself. The only time they seemed like a inconvenience was in theater when people could not see my makeup as well (woe is me).
As I got older, it became something I “wrestled” with. Consider those quotation marks in bold. In no way do I feel like a victim or that wearing glasses isn’t normalized. However, “nerds” had glasses. The only time glasses really benefited my personal style was the Tumblr “emo” era in 2014. Then I felt cool. But eventually, it felt like it was time to give contacts a try as more and more of my high school friends starting buying them.
At first, I resisted this. I loved only wearing glasses and I loved the ease of simply taking them on and off. For me, I thought it was “caving” into societal standards of beauty. I, of course, grew up with the “ugly girl until she is discovered beautiful by taking off her glasses” trope. I stood firm in my confidence that I wanted to stick with glasses. So much so that I was actually someone’s on-campus celebrity, who warmly nicknamed me “Glasses”.
Then, talking to my roommate who already wore contacts, she praised having the choice between glasses and contacts and how contacts were not complicated as people thought. The part that stuck with me was the emphasis on ‘choice’. I had seen this “dilemma” as an either-or scenario, when that could not be further from the truth.
I am someone who probably still prefers glasses on a busy day of tasks. However, I enjoy the occasional “fancier” look with contacts! I love having the flexibility to choose what works best with my outfit or mood.
Now, this topic speaks to a larger issue of standards of beauty and the feminine upbringing that is always “either-or” based. Girls are always forced into boxes of “categories”. Wearing makeup, or not. Feminine clothing or masculine clothing. Girly girl or tomboy. I try not to blame myself for falling into the line of thinking. Additionally, what would be so wrong with wanting to fit into the “standard” of beauty. As long as I know I don’t NEED to, if it makes me feel more confident, why should I shy away from “trends”? I digress.
My message to girls is to pick whatever works for you. If you love only wearing glasses, never let anyone make you feel silly for that, you look wonderful! If you love contacts, you also look wonderful! If you’re like me and love having both, revel in your choice every time.