The Girl with Glasses

I have had glasses since I was about eleven or twelve. I don’t remember the exact age, but I do remember the first night I went to our small town church’s youth group after picking up my new pair of spectacles, feeling nervous about the change, wondering if I would get dubbed the nerd or if anyone would even care. After being there for five minutes, the boy I had a crush on said he really liked my new glasses, and it was set. I was pleased to be the girl with glasses.

Of course, as I got older and we didn’t have the money to update my frames, I started to get embarrassed about them; they were round, metal, with speckles of rainbow colors on the rims, and at 15 I was not so happy with the choice my 11 year old self had made. They were stupid, juvenile, and made me feel like a kid. So I ceased to wear my glasses unless I had to watch a movie or, after I got my license, drive.

Then, finally, at 20, we were able to update my prescription (which badly needed it) and frames, and I was happy with my choice for about two years. The new frames were these, and I wore them for a few years without feeling too embarrassed. But again, I eventually started to feel like they were very much outdated and not in line with what I wanted my style to be, and went through the cycle of being blind for beauty and only wearing the frames when I was forced. I got so used to an old prescription and not being able to see that I barely noticed how bad my eyesight was.

Until I got to work with Firmoo, update my prescription, and nab the first pair of retro-style frames I’ve ever owned. In the last few years I’ve been able to review quite a few pairs of glasses, and slowly my choices have been tweaked to frames that are much more in line with the aesthetic of my style.

These days, I love wearing glasses. Just the other night, my husband asked me when I was going to get contacts, and I was surprised to find myself responding “maybe never!” I’ve become so attached to the idea of myself as a girl with glasses that I don’t know if I want to get contacts. Of course, contacts might be nice for the occasional day when I want to go all-out glamor and still see, but most days… the glasses are a part of me. They represent the nerdy side, the writer side; they offer a sort of mask to hide behind when I’m feeling less-than cute and need something to distract from a few pimples; they are yet another accessory that I think adds greatly to my daily style, and I love them.

I will probably get contacts eventually, but I don’t think I will ever stop being the girl with glasses. It’s just who I am, and who I want to be. Especially when I can get frames as gorgeous as these!

Skirt, belt, flower, and shoes, thrifted | top, Target | glasses, c/o Firmoo

Do you wear glasses? If so, are they prescription, or just for fun? What aesthetic most appeals to you — retro, hipster, nerdy, modern…?

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!