Recently there was a story in the news that MIT online magazine conducted a study that concluded that hipsters often look alike, which they found ironic for a group of people trying not conform, trying to stand out. The study seems to suggest that many people are trying hard not to conform by doing the same things, beard, Horn Rimmed Vintage eyeglasses, Flannel Shirt etc.
One news outlet reported that one angry Hipster claimed they were using his photo in the article and demanded that MIT remove his photo from the article. After doing some research MIT concluded that it was not the same person but rather a model posing for the photo, further proving the point of the study that hipsters can often look so much alike to the point of not being able to tell themselves apart.
What piqued my interest in this story was the vintage eyeglasses aspect of this. Part of this conforming non-conformist look is often a thick pair of horn rimmed vintage style eyeglasses. That got me thinking of another historic trend that took place over 100 years ago. It is quite interesting to see how one's perception of the way things look have a lasting effect on the way objects and people look many years later.
In the old days when vintage eyeglasses reigned, many people were embarrassed by the fact that they needed eyeglasses. There was this stereotype that eyeglasses were for old people, people with an impediment of not being able to read well. Unlike today when it is popular and fashionable to wear eyeglasses, antique eyeglasses were looked upon as a medical aid, similar to a hearing aid, not a fashion item as it is seen today.
This caused people to come up with all sorts of ways to hide their vintage eyeglasses. They would wear them on chains, looping around one’s ear, worn around one's neck, even connected to one's hair with a hairpin, all with the purpose of keeping them off of the face when not absolutely necessary to see or read. People would keep Pince Nez on the tip of their nose, Lorgnettes by definition are held in the hand. All this creativity in an attempt to keep them off the face.
Another effect this has was that eyeglasses were designed to be very small, so as to minimize as much as possible the space this "medical device" took up on ones face and the stereotype it brought on. Interestingly this is one of the reasons vintage rimless eyeglasses became so popular, as they were minimalist and did not overtake ones face, lessening the looks one would get.
There was certainly more to the way antique eyeglasses shape and style developed in the 19th and 20th century, such as the fact that lenses were made of glass which is much heavier than today's plastic and poly-carbonate. But there definitely was an element of hiding and minimizing ones eyewear for the reason explained above.
All this had a great effect on the way eyeglasses developed and evolved over many years, much as the way hipsters choice of dress and eyewear will have an effect historically on the way they are seen today and in many years from now.