Take a glimpse at the history of women’s sunglasses

Sunglasses are merely an innovation derived from eyeglasses. Eyewear in general has evolved throughout the centuries, so much so that they moved from protection, to fashion. Women’s eyewear is now commonly used as a fashion accessory.

Early inventions that are similar to the eyeglass, can be traced back to ancient Egypt. This was called the reading stone, and was simply a glass sphere laid on top of the much needed magnified material. Unlike eyeglasses however, this was not wearable. This is where the 13th century rolls in, and the first wearable pair of eyeglass is made. The invention was a success, and through its success, many people tried to capitalize by claiming the invention as their own.

Centuries later, the first pair of sunglass would be born. This was done when a man named James Aysough felt the need to tint his pair of eyeglasses. This would technically be the first pair of sunglasses ever made. However, they did not serve the purpose of protection from the sun and instead, they were mainly to prevent glare. It was not until the year 1929, where the first official pair of sunglasses would be sold. They were surprisingly made popular by the men, specifically the army men. The famous aviators would then come into play. As the name suggests, aviators were worn primarily by pilots. However, in the year 1937, the aviator style sunglasses were made available for purchase to the public.

It would not be long until sunglasses would belong in the category of fashion accessory. They were a craze in the 1930’s, but they weren’t considered a fashion accessory until the 50’s era.  And it wasn’t until the 70’s where it made a boom in the industry. This was because of the many name brand styles, where previously little to none existed. Sunglasses were made famous by the famous people themselves, such as the Hollywood stars and fashion designers.

Women throughout history were always hiding, in a seductive and alluring manner. Behind a fan, or a parasol, alluring and seducing was the name of their game. It is no surprise that sunglasses were popular with the feminine side of the population, as it also served the same purpose. It somewhat left the women hidden, and it kept them alluring and seductive to the men that surrounded them.