I Can See Clearly Now That My Glasses Are Broken
How dime-store readers and cheaters are changing this aging author's branding.
To know me is to know I love my glasses. Vintage, Vuarnet, Bolle, Dollar Store—it doesn’t matter. Like a Titleist cap on a Boomer golfer or a tattoo on a Millennial, glasses are not just necessity… for me they are branding.
My first Vuarnets at age 15 were so big for my face I looked like Elton John, and not in a good way. “Mate,” a gorgeous blond Aussie boy at Blackcomb once asked, “is there even a face behind those sunnies?”
In the ‘80s my mirrored i-Ski shades gave me a Wayne-Wong vibe, especially when I painted my nose with bright white zinc oxide. I pinned way too many vintage shots on Pinterest of women wearing 1950’s horned-rims (see top) as inspiration for my lead character in my upcoming novel, Summers with Miss Elizabeth. And what person, young or old, can erase the image of Stevie Nicks in ‘70s aviators? Not me. I love it so much, in Summers I based a character called Josie on the snapshot.
That I’m Not Nearly So-Cool-As-Stevie Makes Zero Difference
Unlike Stevie or Wayne or Elton, my glasses these days are often dirty, broken or entirely dismembered. I recently strolled movie-star-style through a swank private club with one lens popped out of my Stevie-style aviators.
Yes, I looked like a dork. Yes, my vision was wonky. But at the time I thought I was awesome. Plus, I was completely oblivious.
And This Is Relevant Because…?
It’s true, none of this has much to do with anything beyond the idea that now, at 50-something, my branding might be taking on a slightly different context. I’m middle-aged, hard-of seeing, and I can no longer safely imitate Stevie or Wayne, or even Elton.
But I think I see more, and that’s worth something, isn’t it?
These days I’m closer to that hapless woman trending on Reels & Tik Tok. Have you seen her? The one with the busted dime-store cheaters whose daughter posts in secret:
“OMIGOD MOM,” says my own Tik Tok daughter as she shoves her screen in front of me. “THAT’S YOU!”
But of course I can’t see the screen.
So I replace my cool Vallons with a set of dollar-store readers—the 2+ pair my artist friend Wendie Donabie literally found in the gutter on Manitoba St.. That their right arm is missing and the left has been re-affixed with Shoo Goo makes no difference. If I hold my head oh-so-still, I can see clearly…
…And yep, that Tik Tok chick looks just like me. Like I said, my branding as an aging editor and 50-something debut author has taken on a slightly different context.
But I think I see more, and that’s worth something, isn’t it?
I Hope…
I hope you read my new book, Summers with Miss Elizabeth, and I hope you love the story as much as I do. It’s coming soon, May 2024 if stars align. Stay tuned to LORI’S STORIES for details, I’ll save you a copy.
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT, I’d love to hear from you.
Lori Knowles is a writer, author, journalist, co-editor of Ski Canada magazine, and editor of MuskokaStyle.com. Her first novel, Summers with Miss Elizabeth, is coming soon, stay tuned to LORI’S STORIES.
P.S. No money was received for product links or endorsements! Also, top photo is by Florida Memory on Unsplash
OMG - I loved this post!
Spectacles have a resounding impact on both image and functionality. Having one pair is like deciding that every day you wake up, you will be in the same mood. They can depict a note of hesitancy, as if you are sending a message of caution. The hesitancy creates in the audience either a desire to pause and await this representation, or to walk away in disinterest. Personally I conclude that my current tortoise-shell frames are an important step away from commonality, but still lack the explicitness that I should be portraying. I am currently scanning the market for a pair that depicts an aura of sophisticated panic.