THE BODY POSITIVE EDITION
YES, I wear glasses and I have worn glasses from the tender age of six or seven till now. Glasses were never a fashion statement for me. I hated them and I still dislike them. So why am I writing about a blog post about body positivity and wearing glasses? And why does my feature picture have a caption saying frames from Beam By London?
A few months ago Beam by London reached out to me and asked me if I would be willing to do a blog collab on body positivity and glasses. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity and then thought about the angle after. But I knew that I have to be honest in writing this, so I definitely cannot write - I love wearing my glasses.
LITTLE RACHEL
I dug through the archives to produce and showcase much to my personal dismay this picture of me wearing glasses as a little girl. Given that my little sister is in the picture, I assume I would have been somewhere around seven or nine and definitely hating my glasses.
I saw the picture for the first time as a twenty seven year old and I simply wanted the earth to open up and swallow me. There is no sugarcoating it - I do not look cute in that pic. The glasses are ugly. Unfortunately for me, now the world has seen my ugly duckling photo.
Frames like these have scarred me for all of eternity and this is why regardless of how gorgeous the model looks wearing larger frames, I will always prefer smaller frames.
BEAUTIFUL ISN'T GLASSSES
How many of you saw Princess Diaries?
How many of you wore glasses while you were watching Princess Diaries?
How many of you, thanks to the gorgeous transformation of Mia Thermopolis, equated being beautiful with straight hair and no glasses?
While I love the movie, watching it as a preteen shattered the last strand of self confidence I had in myself. Forget the hair because that's another story for another time - one of the main take away points for me was, to be beautiful meant I needed perfect eyesight. I couldn't and shouldn't wear glasses if I wanted to be considered beautiful.
One or two other shows that I watched growing up as a child and teen reinforced the idea of beautiful means no glasses. This only served to further deepen my dislike for wearing glasses.
Combine children being children (because I've been called four eyes throughout primary school), ugly glasses frames (whoever designed frames back then didn't do me any favours), and the media's portrayal of what is beautiful, I just knew I didn't fit in.
So what did I do? I ate more carrots hoping my eyesight would improve only to find out at each visit that it was gradually worsening. Lo and behold eating carrots DOES NOT IMPROVE YOUR EYESIGHT! When my optometrist told me this I really wanted to cry - all those years of eating carrots did nothing for my eyesight.
I DON'T LIKE WEARING GLASSES BUT...
I don't like wearing my glasses but I know I need them. As a twenty-seven year old woman, I have spent too many of my lived years hating the way I look.
Is it possible to be body positive while wearing glasses? I am saying yes because once you work on accepting yourself and your perceived flaws you can enhance your personal perception of your body image.
Do I think I look pretty with my glasses?
Truth be told while I was rummaging through photos of me in glasses I saw the image above. It breaks my heart that it took me so long to realize this: but I was always beautiful even with my glasses on.
If you wear glasses like me, you are beautiful with them too.
Thank God for companies like Beam By London who design fashionable eye wear and no I am not being paid to write that. I am really grateful that eye wear design has improved over the decades.
Why am I grateful?
My glasses are not a fashion statement - they are part of who I am. It is the first thing people notice about me. The design of my glasses has the ability to make me feel good about myself and allows me most importantly to see.
TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT FRAME
Beam By London graciously provided three super helpful tips for choosing the right frames for your face.
Tip One: Face shape
There is a general rule as to what style of frame works best for certain face shapes. For rounder, softer faces, look for angular frames. For those with a more square face, go for rounder styles that soften your facial angles. However, as the styles of frames are becoming much more versatile, there are more choices available that can suit just as well.
From personal experience I have found that smaller rectangular frames are better suited for my face since it is round and small. So the shape of your face will be an influencing factor in what frames you choose.
Tip Two: Comfort
The fit and feel of a frame is particularly important for a comfort. Make sure the frame is well fitted on the bridge of the nose and behind the ears.
After years of wearing glasses I can tell you two things: a loose fitting glasses and an extremely tight fitting glasses are equally uncomfortable. Once you find a style that works for you, make sure the glasses fits properly and you are comfortable wearing it.
Tip Three: Style
Spectacles are now a fashion accessory to any outfit as much as it is a necessity to see clearly. Switch up your style for different outfits. Choose something colourful and fun for a casual weekend look and a contemporary pair for a more formal attire.
Like I said, we've come a long way from when I wore glasses to now. The number one thing I look for when selecting a pair of glasses (buying a pair of glasses is an expensive endeavor for me because my prescription is high) is the style of the frames. I try to make sure as much as possible that it's versatile enough to go for any occasion and it reflects my personality.
So I hope you found these tips to be helpful. And remember - you are beautiful or handsome with your glasses.
THE END
A special thank you to Beam By London for reaching out to me to do this blog collab, which is my first blog collab with a business. Definitely something to celebrate!
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