It's all in the eye of the beholder - a memoir about Glasses

I don't normally share my uni assignments on here, but this one was quite personal and I really enjoyed putting it together. It's a fashion memoir with an accompanying slideshow (also, in the brief) and sadly the only way to submit the video was to upload it to YouTube - eek!

It's possible that I'll take it down before the end of the year but I'd like to share it with you first. Let me know what you think. Here goes . . . 

Guess what I inherited from my family gene pool? Not my Dad’s killer smile, or my Mum’s good looks but thanks to the pair of them, I’m blind as a bat.

Wearing glasses can be a real hassle. I mean there are pros, don’t get me wrong. I’ve got the Ann Robinson slide and wink, down to a T and I have a guaranteed disguise for my alter ego. But they can be a real pain.

You see the elements are never in your favour. They’ll steam up, they’ll be blown off and they’ll deprive you of a glorious suntan. And people often take them just for a laugh. But even if you do look ridiculous, I can’t share in the hilarity because I can’t see!

I think I’ve always been very aware of the fact that I have these big chunky, uncomfortable frames hanging from my ears, causing me to look like a real-life Ugly Betty.

Looking through old photos of me in various styles and frames one word comes to mind: “CRINGE,” and shortly after “WHY MUM, WHY?”

I’ve had a new pair of spectacles at least once a year for the last decade, unless I was happy with the ones I had, where they’d leave me to wander aimlessly around town until they had replaced the lenses.

But on choosing new frames I was at a slight disadvantage, as I couldn’t actually see without my prescription glasses. Therefore I had to rely on friends and family to confirm they looked acceptable on my little pea-head.

I mean I’ve had some cracking styles, (and by cracking I mean gut-wrenchingly awful!) I had a thin, box-like pair from Red Or Dead. Need I say more? Let’s just say they were too wide for my head: what a nightmare that was.

The monochromatic Tommy Hilfiger pair came next with gems on the sides.  Yeah, let’s just say all of those photos were erased for a reason.

After that I decided that bigger was better and chose some giant frames that totally took over my face. Think Gretchen from Recess. With these you’re in luck as there are plenty of photos of me sporting those frames as I made the decision to keep them for a full three years because I was so fond of them (at the time!)

After the monstrous frames from hell, I tried contact lenses, and thank the Lord they hit the spot. I’ve worn them on and off for four years but full time for two, and honestly I love it when someone says: “Gosh, I didn’t know you wore glasses!”

Last year I got some snazzy Gok Wan frames that I absolutely loved but sadly they fell off the bathroom shelf and snapped. So now I have some burgundy and navy specs that I only really wear when I’m working or tired, but I’ve come to terms with wearing them.

Although I will always feel like I’m being lazy when wearing them, I will continue to, because they represent me, and my preppy personal style. Despite this, contacts are a definite confidence booster so I prefer to wear them, but to others I probably don’t look much different so really, it’s just all in my head.

~~~

I hope you don't mind this different kind of post. It's not often I's share my work on my blog, but since the video is up anyway, why shouldn't you see it? 

If you enjoyed this kinda thing then check out Fashion North, where this will be published in the near future!

Love Rosie,

xx