I am one of those women that consider sunglasses an essential part of my everyday wear. I get dressed for work, grab my bag, put on my sunglasses and ONLY then am I ready to start my day. If for some reason (as this has happened as much as I can count on my ten fingers) I forget my sunglasses I have almost always bought a pair (either on the street or in a store) before the end of the day. I wear them outside, on the train (yes I am one of those people who forget to take their sunglasses off), up until I am at my intended destination. One could say sunglasses are my essential piece of armor I need to face all the day will throw at me.
Why is wearing sunglasses an essential part of my day? As a little girl I can remember seeing women with sunglasses and thinking, “Wow she is important.” I was not thinking, “Wow, sunlight isn’t in her eyes!” At a young age I equated even subconsciously sunglasses = important.
Look at the entertainment references we have. In many movies, when women put on their sunglasses it is to show they are ready to take whatever is thrown at them. Why is something that is meant to shield sun equated with something else? Where did this come from?
The concept of shielding your eyes from the sun with eye wear dates back to prehistoric times in which wooden googles with slits in them were used to reduce glare and still maintain a good field of vision. In 12th century China the concept of sunglasses as we know them today came to fruition; made of slices of smoked quartz with a crude shaped frame to hold against one’s face. While they provided some relief from the bright sun; they were also used to hide emotions from others when speaking with them. This was a luxury reserved for the rich and allowed them to been seen as being emotionally detached from a conversation. This concept of sunglasses was very popular among Chinese judges.
Sunglasses even dating back to the 12th century did not just provide shielding from the sun but rather were used to “guard” oneself and not allow their emotions to show. They were also equated with status. Noticing a trend here???? Even back then sunglasses were equated with power, status, and as “armor” to shield themselves from others.
Fast forward and look at the sunglasses trends of the past:
- Cat- Eye sunglasses made popular in the 1950’s
- Jackie O’s of the 1960’s
- the Teashades of the 1970’s
- the Wayfarers and the Aviators of the 1980’s
- a resurgence of the Teashade “Lennons” in the 1990’s
- back to the Aviators and Jackie O’s in the early 2000’s with an updated twist such as colored, shiny, and or reflective lens
- Fast-forward to the Twenty-Tens in which rectangular-shaped frames as well as twists on styles on the past (such mirrored lenses on aviators and tiny sunglasses with frames other than rounded) were all the rage
Did all these trends come about only because of protection from sunlight? I think not. You can see many wearing sunglasses in airports, subways, in places where one would not need them for sunlight. Why is this? It’s because of the reason they become popular in the first place- to shield one’s emotions from the world. Where do these trends start? As they did before- by the rich (and later rich/celebrity) allowing the masses to see sunglasses=status.
So get dressed, put on your “armor”, and leave the house feeling the the boss babe that can take over the world you are!
Fashion HerStory 