A Sight to See: Identity Through my Glasses

I loved reading Tabatha Rowley's essay on her hair. It's amazing how something as simple as hair can have such a deep connection to her identity. This got me thinking about my glasses. My glasses have been a part of who I am since the third grade. Since the moment my aunt realized that I couldn’t see my godfather walking towards me until he was literally in front of me, I knew a big change was coming my way. From tiny, purple, and pink square glasses to owning flower patterned, circle shaped glasses, they have all had a huge impact on who I am. My glasses have been with me through every important stage of my life and will continue to be part of my life for as long as I live. As the years passed. my glasses slowly started to shape my self-confidence and how I felt about myself.

My glasses are a part of my identity because of the different inner journeys I’ve had with them. I remember being so excited to get the new purple glasses, my parents warning me that they were not neutral color, so they wouldn’t match but I didn’t care. I was very carefree about how I looked, I just wanted them because they were from Hannah Montana. The process of buying glasses was always very stressful but exciting. Getting to choose a new frame that matched my likes at the time was always a long process, but I am grateful that I’m able to look back at those old glasses and reflect about my interests at the time.

The famous Hannah Montana glasses.

 It’s so interesting how much an artifact can have such a huge impact on your self-esteem. Changing from square framed glasses to big round glasses was a mentally challenging process that might sound stupid to some people, but it meant a lot for me. I must admit that I’ve never been the type of person to take big risks, but for some reason making the change to round glasses seemed like the biggest risk at the time. I was so scared of not looking good in them or that people might not like how they look. I ended up getting round shaped glasses with a floral pattern on the side, something out of my comfort zone but I absolutely loved them.

My new flower pattern glasses

My glasses have always been a type of mask to hide my insecurities. As I grew up, I noticed that my glasses were a part of my identity and I shouldn’t be hiding behind them. My glasses might be part of me, but I don’t need them to feel more confident. This is a development that I’ve been making through the years and my glasses have helped me become more confident to the point that I feel just as good with or without them on. I love my glasses and growing up with them will always be special.