Specs
Sunday, July 10, 2022 at 02:54AM I knew I was starting to be seriously old when I realised I looked better with my glasses on than without.
Those first few years of wearing glasses (and thank goodness we live in an era where spectacles are a fashion accessory, not an embarrassment, as they were when I was youthful and there was a ditty that is appalling in so many ways I don’t know where to start, about men not making passes at girls who wear glasses) I remember whipping them off whenever a camera appeared.
I no longer do this. About two years ago, I was looking affectionately at pictures of me with my three besties, all of whom I have known intimately since we were at school. We had one photo taken with our eyewear on, one not. And we all, me particularly, looked better with. (I recall not liking the way my beloved parents looked when they took their specs off – naked, unfamiliar, vulnerable.)
I worked out the reason quickly enough. Spectacle frames cover a significant proportion of my numerous wrinkles, also the bags under my eyes; an effective non-surgical, non-invasive age-concealer, praise be.
This was confirmed when I flirted briefly with that shape of frame that everyone seemed to be sporting a while back – bigger, more circular. They looked cool, sophisticated and arty on most people; on my face, they simply revealed more signs of ageing. The smaller, squarer designs hid the weary under-eye portion of my visage far more effectively, so back to them I went.
I remember the suave young man who accosted me in a city arcade one pre-lockdown lunchtime with the seductive line, ‘You have such beautiful skin,’ only to deliver the sucker punch, once he had lured me into his little cosmetics boutique, with his next sally, ‘And I could really help you with those wrinkles’.
The thing is, up to a point, I am genuinely fond of my wrinkles. I have no wish to erase them by scalpel, needle or fancy, eye-wateringly expensive lotions. They tell my story. They make me who I am.
But. Specs are just the anti-ageing aid I need. Absolutely essential for basic sight these days, they can be cool, they change every couple of years, and, best of all, they cover a multitude of sins, or, at least, bags and lines.
Back in the day, I hoped wearing glasses would give me a few more IQ points. Now I hope they make me look a little less ancient and weary.
Reader Comments (3)
I love your thoughts about specs. For me it's hearing aids, not that they are a fashion accessory but mine are blue tooth and I can talk on my phone, listen to podcasts or watch YouTube using them. They are so convenient, not to mention that I don't have to ask people to repeat things quite so often. As I grow older I'll take all the perks I can get.
We make spectacles of ourselves. So to speak. Cheers!
I know the feeling Clare. I feel a bit the same about my beard. (I wouldn't recommend one for you). Does it make me look older or younger? Friends opinions are divided. But I'd feel a bit naked without it and I've had it for 30 years or more. One day maybe...