Sexy Specs: the Evolution of Glasses from Scholarly to Seductive in the Contemporary Consciousness

By Avery Cannan

In early 2000-2010s media, wearing glasses was a personality indicator— with it came the notion that you must be nerdy, dorky, or on the fringes of society. Specs were seen as a hurdle to overcome on the road to beauty, symbolizing everything that a person would need to grow out of to achieve it. The Princess Diaries, for example, portrayed the beautiful Anne Hathaway as an unattractive loser-type character until she removed her glasses and with that became an entirely new person.

In the past 10 years, however, there has been a cultural shift. Mainstream attractive celebrities have begun popularizing the look from a new lens. Famous women such as Bella Hadid and Julia Fox post selfies and do photoshoots in their readers but are still seen as attractive. With the rise in these public glasses-wearers, the media and cultural zeitgeist have begun to shift their opinion as well. Now celebrated for being chic, glasses are continuously on the rise.

There has become something attractive, even sexy, about wearing looking “professional” in one’s day to day life, only enhanced by the addition of glasses. A plethora of trends have surfaced in the past five years that promote a “corporate” look. These fads opt for traditionally professional attire with a stylish, and even sensual twist. To place the look, think: form fitting blouses, pencil skirts, neutral colors, and thin glasses. The purpose of this microtrend is to look professional yet stylish and sexy.

While critics write off the “office siren” and similar fashion trends as an HR nightmare, the existence of a women’s style based on a professional environment speaks to the current business climate. Trends can arise from a shift in cultural attitude or a desire to address a new need or requirement. In this instance, the trend of women's-corporatewear would suggest that a new necessity has arisen in this area.

Since 2015, there has been a 12% increase of women in C-suite (CEO, COO, CFO, etc) positions, almost doubling what it was ten years ago. With the increase of women in high-status and professional spheres also comes the need for more women to dress accordingly. This growth coincides with the expansion of Aritzia-esque stores that highlight sophisticated minimalism while remaining trendy. 

The numerous women's fashion trends in the business realm coincide with the growth of the industry as well as the wider cultural acceptance of and allure with glasses. The culmination of these shifts suggests that people are beginning to realize that women can be viewed as smart and competent while maintaining her femininity and attractiveness. 

While there is no explicit link between wearing Aritzia and glasses, the simultaneous rise and collaboration of both indicates a shift towards women’s reclamation of professionalism, intellectualism, and finding confidence in possessing both of those things. 

With that being said, the media finds glasses more attractive in recent years not only because of attractive celebrities, but also because women don’t mind being the “nerd” or the “smart one” anymore. Women want to be taken seriously in the jobs that they are increasingly advancing in.