I wear nonprescription eyeglasses on job interviews or when meeting new clients for the distinct purpose of gaining respect by appearing smarter and more credible. It would be unethical to use a wheelchair to gain sympathy by appearing disabled, so is this any different?The letter writer is a woman, and the ethicist — a man — tells her it's not unethical and only an unintelligent person would think glasses make you look more intelligent. And: "If this fashion decision fools people, they deserve to be fooled."
I have about 10 problems with this answer:
1. There's an unexamined opinion that it's okay to fool people who are not intelligent.
2. There's the completely wrong notion that intelligent people have only rational, fact-based thoughts, not emotions and intuitions and sexual urges that influence what they do.
3. There's no attention to the analogy to using a wheelchair, which has many intriguing similarities and differences, such as the fact that a wheelchair only partly corrects a physical deficiency, but glasses presumably get you up to 20/20...
4. ... and the person in glasses is not trying to stimulate a feeling of warmth — sympathy — she's trying to avert feelings of warmth — sexual attraction — or avoid the appearance of warmth that may emanate from the unbespectacled face of a woman.
5. The word "fashion" is used to connote superficiality and light weight, but fashion is powerful in making impressions, and not just on fools. In fact, you're a fool if you think fashion has no impact on you.
6. Saying "fashion" implies the alternate analogy to clothing, but most of us dress in a special way for job interviews or to meet new clients, and we take that pretty seriously without assuming only a fool would be influenced.
7. The analogy to clothing is interestingly inaccurate, because glasses are needed — when they are needed — in a way that is different from clothing. We all need clothing to avoid being naked, but glasses are needed to get to an ideal level that some people have naturally. So wearing glasses contains this claim of physical weakness that the letter writer feels might constitute a lie.
8. Is unnecessary display of physical need wrong in this professional setting? We certainly — if we can — hide sexual urges and our need to urinate. Imagine what our clients would think if we made an outward display of those things. On this analysis, one could imagine thinking that people who need vision correction ought to wear contacts lenses.
9. This might really be about makeup. Studies have shown that it's contrast that makes a woman's face look more feminine — and women often use eyeliner, mascara, and eyebrow pencil to achieve this effect, but too much makeup may seem to send the wrong message. Glasses are a way to get some contrast onto the face.
10. Why do glasses work to turn Superman into Clark Kent?
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77 comments:
Glasses keep bugs and stones out of your eyes on your bicycle commute.
I think its OK to wear the fake glasses, but I'd have problem with a nose and glasses. I think, ethically, that would be crossing a line.
What about falsies?
Plus, you're not supposed to punch anyone in the face when they're wearing glasses. It's a very old rule.
"Plus, you're not supposed to punch anyone in the face when they're wearing glasses. It's a very old rule."
Yeah, the real message is: Don't hit me.
Good for interviews and new clients.
I'm skeptical about point 9. The cliche of the mousey/plain girl removing the glasses and letting her hair down and reveling her femininity and beauty doesn't square with the idea that glasses can make you more feminine. Maybe the point is that they make a woman more masculine and play into traditional stereotypes of masculine intelligence. Do glasses make women look stronger and men look weaker?
It's social signaling - glasses say "I'm smart and focused.' It's like how my mom-friends bought me a 31 diaper bad before I moved across the state. It signals 'I'm a normal mom like you!' and it works...... people assume I'm normal. (I'm not, but by the time they figure out that I'm actually a nerd, it's to late!@ MOOHAHHAHAHAH)
Social signaling can be very useful in situations where you're meeting new people. In the past, we had complex rules for etiquette. With that out the window, accessories are the only option.
Asking 'Are glasses wrong' is more like asking 'is highlighting my hair wrong?' Signals matter. You might as well learn to use them.
High heels?!?
Tight jeans?
Camel toe?
Fool me baby! Oooohhhh, do it again!!
Some of the most intelligent people I know think the earth is getting mortally warmer. Many of them wear glasses.
11. It's glassesist to assume that only the seeing impaired are entitled to glasses.
So what do we think of those nefarious contact lens wearers?
Choosing glasses rather than contact lenses signals that you are not that interested in appearances. The message to potential employers or clients is substance over style, or "I'm to busy working to notice or care about superficial cosmetic issues.
Of course if you work in PR or fashion . . .
Lasix. Do it.
Then wear glasses for reading when your eyes become farsighted earlier than necessary.
There's no attention to the analogy to using a wheelchair, which has many intriguing similarities and differences, such as the fact that a wheelchair only partly corrects a physical deficiency, but glasses presumably get you up to 20/20...
Patent Idea... Gucci wheelchair.
Is it ethical to use fake glasses so new clients don't recognize you from porn videos?
The whole idea that The New York Times has an "ethicist" is ridiculous. So, I can't take any of this seriously. Shit, the whole idea of an ethicist is absurd. It's just a fancy title for the benefit of rube NYT readers and chin-rubbers to make themselves feel good for being such wonderful progressives.
Ethicist = Liberal chin-rubber.
Is it unethical to use fake glasses so new clients don't recognize you from porn videos?
@Inga-
Lasix is a diuretic. It will make you "do it." For 6 hours. That is where the name originated- its effect lasts 6 hours and makes you pee (intermittently).
You probably want Lasik.
That explains all those nearsighted patients of Inga peeing uncontrollably and all those patients needing diuretics dying with good eyesight.
Blondes have also died their hair brunette to add apparent IQ points. I don't know whether it works. I've never hired a brunette who turned out to have blonde roots. (I've also never hired a blonde who turned out to have dark roots. It's possible that says something about female software developers and database designers.)
I don't buy the idea that women wear glasses to look unsexy. Any woman who doesn't look good in them isn't going to use this ploy.
The idea, whether admitted or not, is to look like you're still kind of hot but don't need to flaunt it, and you're serious enough to cover up that sexiness for the workplace.
"Lasik"
Shoot *burning lasers* into my eyes?!?!? AAAAAHHHHH!!!! No thank you, I'll stick with my big clunky glasses.
*That little pattern -- '*' -- is what the lasers are searing -- searing! -- into your defenseless corneas.
What? Have women given up on colostomy bags to get an edge with paid jobs in NYC?
Yes LASIK it is, lol. Don't put Lasix in your eyes, bad. Could give you dry eyes eventually:)
Where's mah coffee?
How is this different than any other fashion statement? Same for the wheelchair.
Sexy Librarians with Glasses. I need That Book on the Top Shelf but have Shaky Balance. Oh, You Don't Mind Climbing Up on The Step Stool To Get It for Me? That Would be So Appreciated. Are You Sure You are Okay with That --isn't Climbing Upon the Step Stool Difficult in Such High Heels? You Do It all the Time? I'm Just Concerned About Your Safety.
Sexy Librarians with Glasses. I am Looking For the Book "Why Women Are Underestimated." Can you Help Me Find That Please? I Know Your Time is Valuable.
Those who wear glasses to look smart should never open their mouths to prove otherwise.
Take off your glasses, shake out your hair,
I knew there was a sexy kitten hiding in there!
Sexy Librarians with Glasses. I am Looking For the Book "What Men Can Learn From Women." I've read Good Things About it. I am Always Open To Learning.
Sexy Librarians with Glasses. I am Looking For the Book "Unappreciated Women, And What Men Could Do To Help." It is a Hard World Out There: I Don't Want To Unconsciously Make It Any Harder.
Superman had no weaknesses other than kryptonite so when he transforms into Clark Kent by wearing glasses, he is saying "I'm just a vulnerable guy, no threat to anyone". Interesting that that is the opposite effect the woman is aiming to make if she is conflating intelligence with power.
"Why do glasses work to turn Superman into Clark Kent?"
This one makes me laugh. I wear contacts, for 3-4 weeks at a time without taking them out. I very rarely wear glasses. When I do wear glasses, my daughter (now 14 months) is totally confused, more wary of me. I take them off, and she smiles. She totally seems taken in by the Clark Kent effect.
Fortunately, that makes me superman the rest of the time, so it's okay.
Sexy Librarians with Glasses. I am Looking For the Book "You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover: Unique Insights From Female Librarians." What? You Can't Find a Book Under That Title? Well: is there something You Would Recommend?
Glasses can be sexy, actually. There's a common male sex fantasy about bespectacled women performing a certain sex act.
If you have good vision, then rather than wear fake glasses, steer the conversation to a humble-brag.
So, I've heard that some people, who normally wear contact lenses, wear their glasses for interviews like this one. I would do that too, since everybody looks more intelligent when wearing glasses. I don't wear contacts and so I don't have glasses to put on for the interview.
Sexy Librarian with Glasses Entrepreneur: the Bikini Librarian Book-Mobile.
There's glasses and then there's glasses if you don't want anyone to know who you are.
10. Why do glasses work to turn Superman into Clark Kent?
Because his secret is beryllium instead of kryptonite??
The root word of beryllium is old and familiar and lurks beneath the surface of the commonly used word brilliant:
brilliant
1680s, from Fr. brilliant "sparkling, shining" prp. of briller "to shine" (16c.), from It. brillare "sparkle, whirl," perhaps from V.L. *berillare "to shine like a beryl," from berillus "beryl, precious stone," from L. beryllus (see beryl). In reference to diamonds (1680s) it means a flat-topped cut invented 17c. by Venetian cutter Vincenzo Peruzzi.
In the Middle Ages, transparent, colorless beryl was used to make optical lenses, whence the German word Brille which today still means eyeglasses. Note also the slang word Brill.
The invention and manufacture of actual glass spectacles developed in Italy in the 13th century and improvements followed closely with the development of optics.
... and at a $1.99 how can you go wrong?
The Bikini Librarian Book-Mobile. Perhaps we can Retro-Fit an old Wiener-Mobile.
Women can look very hot wearing glasses. Look at S.E. Cupp. Hubba-hubba.
Honey, it's a tough world out there. If you think glasses will help you stand out, then stand out. Do anything short of presenting-in-the-animal-world-meaning-of-presenting.
How many people go through pains to hide their tattoos on a first interview? That's a fashionable choice that many choose to suppress.
"I'm skeptical about point 9. The cliche of the mousey/plain girl removing the glasses and letting her hair down and reveling her femininity and beauty doesn't square with the idea that glasses can make you more feminine. Maybe the point is that they make a woman more masculine and play into traditional stereotypes of masculine intelligence. Do glasses make women look stronger and men look weaker?"
The point is that contrast is needed to make the face more feminine and you get used to the way this looks right when you wear makeup. Then if you tone the makeup down, it looks wrong. A way to get the definition back is with glasses. The lack of makeup isn't as much of a problem.
But, yeah, it's less sexy. That was the point of toning down the makeup!
"7. The analogy to clothing is interestingly inaccurate, because glasses are needed — when they are needed — in a way that is different from clothing. We all need clothing to avoid being naked, but glasses are needed to get to an ideal level that some people have naturally. So wearing glasses contains this claim of physical weakness that the letter writer feels might constitute a lie. "
Jeebus, Ann, that stopped being true years ago. Non-prescription glasses for fashion were popular in the 80s. Also, no one takes to a wheelchair to look more attractive. Glasses sit on your face and can dramatically alter one's appearance, so that's just as fair as makeup.
As for it being a "lie," so are Spanx, but what on earth difference does it make? If it were a material lie (I.e. "Oh, we only hired you because we thought you had bad eyesight"), then sure. But manipulating physical appearance to make a certain impression? Fair game.
I'm very familiar with the effect because I wear glasses and contact lenses. As soon as I put the contacts in, I want to add makeup. But as long as I have the glasses on, the need for makeup don't feel the same.
"Glasses can be sexy, actually. There's a common male sex fantasy about bespectacled women performing a certain sex act."
Putting glasses on his penis?
Putting glasses on so she can find his penis?
Nomen is basically right; the last thing the Gray Lady needs is an ethicist who worries about womyn's issues.
Editorial policy, yes.
And a lot of women who need them wised up in the 60s and 70s and carefully selected frames and lenses and turned them into jewelry that flatters and accents their eyes.
Ann Althouse said...
4. ... and the person in glasses is not trying to stimulate a feeling of warmth — sympathy — she's trying to avert feelings of warmth — sexual attraction — or avoid the appearance of warmth that may emanate from the unbespectacled face of a woman.
Men don't make passes at girls who wear glasses unless it's because of their frames?
Actually, a woman can look smart and still be a knockout. Maybe all those intelligent womyn who read the Gray Lady haven't figured that one out yet.
10. Why do glasses work to turn Superman into Clark Kent?
Because the provider, the hunter, is supposed to be eagle-eyed.
I look at it this way (through my glasses): A dumb person would never think about using glasses to look smarter. If she has figured out that wearing glasses makes her looks smarter, and looking smarter enhances her chance of getting a job, then I'd say she's a couple IQ points closer to getting the job she wants. Wear the glasses.
Caveat: It's better to use a weak-prescription set of reading glasses, if you don't actually need glasses. It's easy to spot actors in movies and TV shows wearing fake glasses by the lack of refraction at the edges of the lenses. If the person interviewing you sees that you're wearing fake glasses that would be dumb and counter-productive.
I thought it was the glasses let him do some Kryptonian mumbo-jumbo that makes people not realize that he looks like Superman.
Ann Althouse said...
"Glasses can be sexy, actually. There's a common male sex fantasy about bespectacled women performing a certain sex act."
Putting glasses on his penis?
Putting glasses on so she can find his penis?
Haha.
"Glasses can be sexy, actually. There's a common male sex fantasy about bespectacled women performing a certain sex act."
--------------------
"Putting glasses on his penis?
Putting glasses on so she can find his penis?"
6/9/13, 9:41 AM
Bwhahahahaah! Good one .
Though, now that I think of it, that answer doesn't square with me.
Wiki link: "n the 1970s, one suggestion was that the lenses of Clark Kent's glasses (made of Kryptonian materials) constantly amplified a low-level super-hypnosis power, thereby creating the illusion of others viewing Clark Kent as a weak and frailer being."
The real problem is the ethics behind this for Superman. How can he be the boy scout, the cape, the hero, if he was constantly hypnotizing not only his closest friends, but every human being who he ever saw?
That's a more interesting question than whether girls should wear vanity glasses. Also, as an aside, you can sometimes tell when glasses are fakes, which does make the person in question look ridiculous.
Putting glasses on his penis?
Third eye correctile disfunction
Clark Kent wore those glasses because they were special glasses. X-ray vision glasses. Capable of looking at women like they had no clothes on.
Re: "Putting glasses on so she can find his penis?"
I first read this as "Putting glasses on so HE can find his penis?"
Heaven Forbid it'd require BiFocals.
Og course, Sexy Bisexual Librarians Might wear BiFocals.
Or even sexy heterosexual librarian.
Especially one from the frozen North.
Re: ""Glasses can be sexy, actually. There's a common male sex fantasy about bespectacled women performing a certain sex act."
That One is Different than the One where the Woman wears Welding Goggles.
Sexy Librarian Welding Goggles.
I attended a lecture by Mr. Klosterman on the subject of ethics a few years ago. I was astounded by his superficial treatment of the subject and the fact that the NY Times would call him "The Ethicist." What was truly unethical was that he accepted payment for the lecture.
Just look at the answer he gives to the other letter in this week's column on the subject of umbrella theft.
"So what’s the solution? The solution is to presume nothing. Do not factor in other people’s theoretical motives when trying to make an ethical determination. Your decision should not be a reaction to other people’s thought processes, particularly if those processes are unknown."
Then he proceeds to violate that advice in his very next answer by making presumptions about people who would: 1) wear glasses in order to create a particular impression in the interviewer's mind, and 2) be impressed by the fact that someone is wearing glasses.
The simple fact that he is still "The Ethicist" for the NY Times says much more to me about the Times editors and their view of ethics than it does about the lack of quality in the advice Klosterman provides in his weekly column. Apparently, the view of the NYT is that ethics are superficial, entertainment-based, and self-contradictory in that ethical behavior depends completely on the situation.
I -- of course -- Googled "Sexy Librarian Welding Goggles" and the First Link contained the following:
"Welding! Welding is a glorious, mystery-infused, thoroughly bad-ass way to stick things together. Welders move in their own cloud of mythos and danger - they are dirtier, tougher, and sexier than other kinds of makers, and the things they build are big and strong and hold
our world together."
Add 'Sexy Librarian' to this text and Oh Yeah.
Sexy Librarians! The Library Arts are a glorious, mystery-infused, thoroughly bad-ass way to stick Thoughts together. Sexy Librarians move in their own cloud of mythos and danger - they are dirtier, tougher, and sexier than other kinds of Office Workers, and the Books they Categorize are big and strong and hold our world together."
Sexy Librarians with Welding Goggles, Dressed in French Maid outfits: That would be a Fine Library, indeed.
And Do Not Forget the Sexy Librarian Thigh Gap.
Put Eyeglasses on "Dick Van Dyke"-era Mary Tyler Moore and you Have a Sexy Librarian.
Which would have been One of the Best 25 TV Shows Ever.
Social signaling can be very useful in situations where you're meeting new people. In the past, we had complex rules for etiquette. With that out the window, accessories are the only option.
Well, not the only option, and hopefully not even the first one. Basic dress would probably be even higher on the scale. Grooming too - my mustache right now is much too long if I were applying for most jobs. But accessories should not be ignored either.
Years ago, I read (and then on occasion reread) Mallory's "Dress for Success", and gave the women's version to my (now ex) wife, who know it instinctively. Somewhat with men, and definitely for women, his comments on accessories were important. For men, a lot of signalling goes into the type of suit, shirt, and tie. After a certain point, it isn't so much about quality or price, but rather, color and pattern. But, accessories, such as shoes and watches are also important. And, also cuff links.
If you ever want to see how to power dress, try hanging around the Capital, or walking down K street at the right time o day. Friend of mine is a lobbyist, and when he took the job, his boss made sure that he knew to wear French cuffs with cuff links, and always have well shined shoes (of certain, conservative styles). It is the small things that apparently count there, and there is apparently a game seeing what symbolism people are showing with their cuff links and ties (lobbyists working Republicans do better with elephants on either than donkeys).
So, back to the glasses. I think they are just fine for someone applying to be an attorney, an accountant, or a programmer. All require a lot of eye work, and those in those fields tend to be more near sighted than average. Maybe not so good for an actress or model, or maybe even waitress.
I frankly don't see this as any different from wearing the right type of clothes to an interview. A woman trying to look a bit more bookish when applying for a bookish type of job is no different, in my view, from my friend showing off elephant cuff links when visiting Republican members of Congress. Or, my wearing a navy pin stripe suit, with white shirt, conservative tie, black lace up shoes, etc. when applying for a job as an attorney.
Surely the correct answer is that it's unethical to hire on the basis of perceived intelligence.
Or actual intelligence, for that matter.
Doing anything to falsely appear smarter than you really are is unethical, because it can lead to others giving you a dangerous level of responsibility. The risks of this have been made clearly evident recently.
To be safe, I always try to appear about 50 I.Q. points lower than I am. That way I can always be competent at whatever I'm asked to do. It's just being responsible. Acting intelligent is incredibly rude, and selfish.
This is getting way to deep for me. When I was single I always liked good looking woman who wore glasses. I figured once they took them off at a special moment they couldn't see how ugly I was.
For me, female sexy is burnt denim, leather, and long hair tumbling out of a welding helmet.
LASIK is the closest most folks are going to come to experiencing a biblical miracle. Beg, borrow or steal, but do it today. Then, when needed, you can whip out the reading glasses and look intelligent aaaannd mature.
Broom, I agree 100%. I got LASIK about 20 years ago when it was new and incredibly expensive for me at the time. I still think it was the single best use of money I've ever made. I struggled as a kid with glasses, and then as a young adult with contacts. All of it was not only a huge pain in the ass, but never adequately solved the problem. Then in a matter of minutes, my life was changed forever. When I think about how much time, frustration, and money that has saved me over the years, I can't imagine not doing it no matter what it cost. How do you put a value on a life of hassle-free perfect vision compared to the alternative? If you are active, and especially if you're outdoorsy it's an imperative, and the earlier the better.
Some of s can't have LASIK. I was told they would need to put cylinders over my irises, fill them with some kind of solution to soften the lens, and then scrape it into the right shape.
!!!
It's true that you need less makeup with glasses, and it's true that you are treated differently depending on whether or not you are wearing glasses. The difference in treatment is often remarkable.
Althouse presents an exhaustive survey of this critical moral issue, and that's the tell. I've been wearing glasses since age fifteen. They're inconvenient and annoying, and years ago used to be more so. They were heavier and were forever sliding down one's nose. I've never liked wearing glasses but their effect on my appearance was a minor consideration. I would never drop foreign objects onto my eyeballs or have a laser beam sear my retina simply to improve my appearance. I think most men would put a higher value on 20/20 vision than a better looking appearance. I don't think that's true of most women.....Not all, but certainly some women look better with glasses. The bet here is that the letter writer is such a woman.
About Superman: The eyeglass thing reinforces the fairy tale.. If you live in a world where men can jump tall buildings in a single bound, why not live in a world where such a man can radically alter his appearance by putting on glasses. This is a world where the force of fantasy has more power than the force of gravity.
This was explained in the comics: Superman is unconsciously using his power of super-hypnotism to exert his will on everyone around him, when puts on the glasses.
plus this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWTJIBGNId0
I don't see the purpose. How smart do you have to be to be a secretary these days?
Freeman,
You're describing a PRK. The recovery period is a little longer (and can be uncomfortable) than for LASIK but still totally worth it. My nephew, a F-22 pilot, had a PRK done and he now has vision like, well, a fighter pilot. Those who express reservations about "having burning lasers beamed into my eyes" simply don't understand how advanced, safe, and routine LASIK has become. Needless to say, be willing to pick and pay a premium for a reputable practitioner, not the $49.95 Tuesday special performed by the silk-shirted ophthalmologist from one of the lesser former Soviet republics.
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