‘Do you enjoy wearing glasses?’ And other ridiculous questions I’ve been asked
Wearing glasses is wearing a weakness and a limitation on your face; it is announcing to everyone what your handicap is.
What you need to know:
- In my medical sociology class, we explored an interesting concept: desirable and undesirable diseases.
- Undesirable diseases, like kwashiorkor or marasmus, are linked to poverty and often carry social stigma, making them uncomfortable to mention.
- Desirable diseases, however, are associated with “good problems” and can, in some contexts, be seen as a sign of privilege.
Do you just enjoy wearing glasses or is it recommended?” My friend Helen asked me recently. I almost choked on the water I was drinking.
Enjoy?
In our conversation, I had told her that I found it easier to read a book to relax than to watch a movie. If you do not wear glasses, remember to give an extra offering of thanksgiving this Sunday because you live an extremely convenient life. I can read without my glasses on, but I cannot watch TV without them.
This means my head has to be in an upright position to watch TV. And seriously, who wants their head fully in an upright position when all they are trying to do is relax on the sofa and watch a movie? It was in the middle of this conversation that Helen asked me that question that suggested I willingly put myself through the trouble of wearing glasses.
“My glasses are medicated items, so no, I don’t enjoy taking medicine,” I replied to Helen with tonnes of emojis. I hoped that would clear the idea that I wear glasses as a fashion statement. But no, this conversation was just starting.
“Why is it that only bookish people wear eye glasses?” she asked me, in Nigerian Pidgin, which made the question both hilarious and sarcastic.
“I don’t know about other bookish people,” I said. “I have myopia, which I think comes from reading a lot as a child. The unintended consequence was that my eyes did not become accustomed to seeing objects that are far from me. In that sense, I agree that reading could have a hand in my wearing glasses.”
In my medical sociology class, we explored an interesting concept: desirable and undesirable diseases. Undesirable diseases, like kwashiorkor or marasmus, are linked to poverty and often carry social stigma, making them uncomfortable to mention. Desirable diseases, however, are associated with “good problems” and can, in some contexts, be seen as a sign of privilege. For instance, dental issues are often linked to indulging in sweets, so it’s not particularly embarrassing to tell your boss, “I’ll be late for work today because I have to see the dentist.”
At the top of the food chain of “desirable” diseases are those of us who wear spectacles. Eye problems get this weirdly glamorous status because people link them to ‘posh’ habits—like binge-watching too much TV!
“Growing up, we all believed that only students from wealthy families suffer from eye issues. I still believe it,” Helen said, in a tone that told me even if I did a scan of my lens prescription and sent it to her, she would still not believe that I genuinely need spectacles to see properly.
Well, take it from me, I am a bespectacled person: Wearing glasses is wearing a weakness and a limitation on your face; it is announcing to everyone what your handicap is. That doesn’t sound like so much fun, does it?
“When I was in secondary school, only the smart students wore glasses. No matter how academically dull a person was, we always thought their performance would turn around if they started wearing glasses,” Helen said.
Her argument reminded me of chapter two of Rolf Dobelli’s The Art of Thinking Clearly. The chapter poses the question: Does Harvard make you smarter? and delves into the swimmer’s body illusion. It explains that people often assume attending an Ivy League university makes someone smarter, but in reality, the individuals were already intelligent, regardless of the school.
Similarly, wearing glasses doesn’t make someone smart. If a person is intelligent, their glasses have nothing to do with it. And if someone wearing glasses seems serious, confident, or focused, it’s not the glasses creating those traits—they’d display them with or without spectacles.
When I got to the office the next day, I shared the conversation with a colleague, amused that stereotypes about wearing glasses persist. To my surprise, he made it worse by agreeing with my friend. He said that growing up, only doctors wore glasses. As if that wasn’t enough, he added, “And your eyes don’t even look sick!” At this rate, I might have to start carrying my optometrist’s report around with me!
Do you wear glasses? What are the funniest stereotypes you’ve heard about your condition?
The writer is the Research & Impact Editor, NMG ([email protected]).
