Glasses and Types

We’ve talked about glasses for men and women in the past couple of entries so this time let’s see the details like the shapes for each classification.

Straight-A-Student Type
A lot of the glasses that fit this type have no frames or metal frames, and they are thinner as compared to other types. One reason for this is that here glasses are more for eyesight correction rather than fashion, so functionality is stressed than fashionability. When the frame is thicker it gets more in your sight and is kind of bothering. Thus, they are thin, light and are for wearing long hours.

Intelligent Type (older and smarter bro/sis type)
This one is similar to the type above, but is more for the boss/ teacher/ researchers image rather than studious students. Intelligent and cool but always have some respect from the others and never plain. Glasses for this type too, are metal frame glasses but the top part of the frame is a little thick bringing out the metalness a bit. They have a slightly pointy shape (around the lens) and are commonly known as the FOX type glasses. Square-type glasses with pointy corners (so I guess that makes them trapezoidal?) are common too.
These ones make you look rough around the edges, but is part of self-presentation for those with higher status who don’t want to look too friendly. Also, some wear them cuz they want to be looked as someone intelligent or smart.

BTW, the pointier ones appeared a lot on TV dramas to denote education-minded moms and were called “Zamasu*-megane”.

*zamasu is a phrase you add in the end of sentences (where normally “desu” should come) and is very commonly seen in manga/anime or TV shows. It carries the images of “rich” or “finicky” (only for female characters) but I have never in my life heard of anyone actually using it in daily life.

Otaku Type
Otaku Type glasses are also similar to Straight-A-Type in the sense that glasses are not of fashion as much as they are of eyesight correction. Thus a lot of them have large lens in contrary to skinny designs in the trend. It can be said that this is because people who wear these (i.e., otaku) pour in all their energy into whatever they’re into and spare little attention to glasses. Glasses are ok as long as they improve eyesight, and are worn for years.
This is nothing more than my personal observation, but I get the feeling that there are more oval or round (I don’t mean completely round, however) glasses are preferred... or are the majority. Opposite from the above Intelligent Type, I think.


Fashionable Type
It is almost impossible to describe the shapes and preferences of glasses that belong to this type. Everybody wears whatever s/he likes so it’s basically everything. But the conspicuous point of this type is that whoever wears them, wear ones that are quite assertive. If you only observe the mainstream as being thin – thick cell-frames in bright colors with thin rectangular lens, that’s all about it, but these people wear them so that they definitely stand out as if saying out loud “I am wearing (cool) glasses.” In this respect glasses are part of self-presentation, but fashionability goes over functionality. Some even have 20/20 perfect vision but still wear fake ones.

Sooo I guess that’s about it. Sounds definitive but they’re basically my personal observation so some parts may be different from truth. If you see a Japanese around with glasses, it might be fun to guess his/her personality.