“How many fingers am I holding up?”
To listen to this episode on YouTube, click here!
“What if Bella wore glasses?” That’s the idea that sparked this topic. How would her wearing glasses change her character? It does, right? Why do we have a different perception of people who wear glasses?
I brought up this topic with Jodi and she didn’t get it, and it’s because she’s had perfect vision all her life. I have had needed glasses since I was in Kindergarten. Did it mean I wore my glasses? Not really. Because I was super self-conscious. They made my nose look big and people DID call me “Four eyes”. That’s a real insult. (Though, it’s not super insulting cause is it really an insult? You couldn’t come up with anything better 1950s?)
But ever since Zooey Deschanel wore glasses for her character Jessica Day in New Girl, glasses have been a cute standard for “dorky smart.” She kinda made it cute, even adorable. This is part of the character, and without glasses would she be as cute? (Well, let’s be honest, Zooey is cute in about anything.) Our funny brains make a different judgment of who that character is with and without glasses.
Zooey Deschanel as “Jessica Day” in New Girl. Image imdb.com
Personal Experience
So, I didn’t have a good discipline when it came to wearing glasses. My eye were only -1.75 in one eye and -1.25 in the other, that means that my eyes weren’t the worst, but they weren’t the best either. I could see things close up just fine, but not stuff far away. Many people growing up with me had no idea I needed glasses. It wasn’t until the trauma of pregnancy where my dependency started to show, and now I can’t do much without them.
I didn’t like wearing them. I didn’t like the person I was in glasses. I felt that people would view me different. Or, heavens, call me four eyes! But the idea is there that the people view you a certain way. And when you start wearing glasses, it becomes the first thing they notice. “Oh, you look so different in glasses.” Why do our brains do that?
As an author, glasses have become part of my character and who I am in the writing world. I’m extremely particular about what I wear. There are SEVERAL styles I just can’t pull off. I’m not one that accessorizes with glasses. I can’t wear kooky frames. But my glasses always look smart, and often have a small, cute personality too, just like me.
So, look at your favorite characters, throw some glasses on them and see what happens. Try some specks on the characters you are creating and see how it changes them? Do people who wear glasses always need to be nerdy, smart, wise, dorky, scholarly? Does it make them more vulnerable or less? Just see what happens?
And if you’re still not excited about this episode, check out this Jonathon Coulton song. And I just like this song and like sharing music.
To listen to this episode on YouTube, click here!