The Glasses Ceiling

By Bethan Gormley

There is a distinct lack of famous women in the music industry who openly and actively wear glasses, which is an issue that I have been noticing for a few years now. The music industry is one of the few sectors in which female presence almost equals its male counterpart; the glass-ceiling has been smashed, it would seem. But the glasses-ceiling? Not so smashed.

This is not to say that there are NO women in the music industry who wear glasses; there clearly are (think Annie Hart of Au Revoir Simone fame, and Nona Invie from Dark Dark Dark, for example). However, these females are relatively ‘underground’, and their hipster ‘it’s-cool-to-be-clever’ vibes override any stigma associated with their (oversized) glasses. It is clear that there is a distinct lack of famous female musicians who choose to wear glasses.

I have worn glasses all my life, and have never been insecure about this fact. I wear glasses, just like you wear clothes; it is not a big deal. There are, however, certain activities in which wearing glasses can be a real hindrance. Quotidian things such as running, swimming and even cooking can be awkward when bespectacled (I’m sure you’ve all witnessed a friend or relative being rendered momentarily blind when opening a hot oven – damn you, steam). Basically anything that involves heat or lots of movement can be awkward in glasses; you run the risk of them falling off, or simply sliding down the bridge of your nose and obscuring your view. It is for this reason, and this reason alone, that I can justify musicians not wanting to wear their glasses on stage. Personally, I virtually never go clubbing in glasses, as I know that I will want to dance like a fool, thus running the risk of losing my beloved specs. The same applies to performing. The stage gets hot, and when you combine that with looking down at your guitar (or keyboard, or even keytar – whatever floats your boat), there is a recipe for disaster.

So perhaps the lack of glasses in the music industry is purely an issue of practicality. No one wants to pay to see their favourite musicians fumbling blindly on stage, hitting dud notes, and looking flustered for an hour. This holds true for both men and women. I would like to think that the story ends here, however, it begs to be asked whether or not appearance plays a role in the decision to wear, or not to wear, glasses. It is no secret that females in the music industry are sexualised to sell their brand and appeal to a ‘wider’ audience, which is why independent female musicians are likely to retain their individual style, as it sets them apart from all the other small-timers. However, when you consider the number of factory-processed, label-pushing, stylist-defined female musicians that exist in the mainstream, it becomes an increasingly arduous task to find just one that wears glasses.

It’s at this point that we come to what I believe to be a major issue that surrounds society’s view on glasses. Fetishisation: glasses either do it for you, or they don’t. It seems that when a woman in the mainstream wears glasses she is dichotomised as being either a) sexy and sultry, or b) cutesy and, like, totes adorbs. It becomes “her thing”, her USP, her defining characteristic. (You don’t have to think hard to find examples – Zooey Deschanel in New Girl, or every secretary caricature ever). But this is damaging because it’s not a fair portrayal of your average girl in glasses (or your average aspiring female musician who, on a day-to-day basis, has little interest in appearing ‘adorable’ or ‘sexy’ and just wants to be scouted for her talents). It’s not right that something so trivial and aesthetic becomes a woman’s defining characteristic. Imagine having a label slapped on you before you even began to pick your clothes, or form your political views, or forge your own path in life.

Because of this underlying fetishisation of glasses in our popular culture, we should be recognising and championing the women mentioned earlier, such as Annie Hart and Nona Invie. They are not defined by their glasses; they are defined by their music. Let’s celebrate them, and get the focus back to the musical ability of our female stars, not their physical appearance.

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