Dan Schawbel - Gen Y Expert RSS feed: Personal Brand Stereotypes #2: Glasses Make You

[David Sandusky]

My RSS Feed is a Thinker and blog is #1 for online personal brand thoughts. Dan Schawbel is Gen Y and geared to Gen Y personal brand, but you will benefit regardless of generation. He has Just Posted the Following:


The previous post in the personal brand stereotypes series examined why tall people are perceived as beingm basketball players, even when most don’t play sports. I also touched on how height may be a factor when confronting the opposite sex and why girls go for taller male counterparts. Today, I examine how wearing eyeglasses makes others think your smart or a geek/dork.
My Story
When I was growing up, I refused to wear glasses, even though I was nearsighted (can’t see objects well from far away, which is the opposite of farsighted). I did this for many reasons. My friends avoided them because you get labeled immediately as a dork. When you’re in high school and people categorize you as a dork, life becomes real hard. One of the reasons I loathed high school so much is because once your labeled, it sticks and through word-of-mouth, the entire school will either isolate you or include you. The interesting thing is how I was viewed by professors. They saw me as an intellectual and would call on me more than my classmates. I do think glasses had an impact on their decision making process.
The funny thing is that when your in high school you care MUCH MORE about what other students think about you than your teachers. There is something about social circles that is so captivating, yet so disgusting. Either way, glasses are in your favor when interviewing or in a classroom setting, but may work against you in social situations, such as flirting with the opposite sex.
I’ve learned to enjoy my glasses, although I ended up getting contact lenses my sophomore year in college. My eyes are very sensitive, therefore I can only wear contacts for between 6 and 8 hours at a time. When I work on my computer, I wear glasses, which I stand by. If you stare at a computer with contact lenses your eyes dry out fast and they begin to hurt.

Quick note: I just viewed a discussion about this topic on Yahoo! Answers.

Are you Superman or Clark Kent or Both?
I choose the ladder. I like being Clark Kent at work and Superman outside of work (on the weekends). As we both know, both of their identities are the same, but they are perceived as different because of their branding. The glasses make Clark look smart and position him as a suitable reporter, when he works with Lois Lane. When the glasses come off, he becomes his true self, or the one that doesn’t mask his super powers. There is something about him removing his glasses that astounds me. Does he really feel that he’s tricked everyone just by the glasses, or is it his attitude and stance?
I’ve even met people who purposely buy glasses (with no prescription lenses) just to appear smart. Honestly, some of us are born with bad vision and need glasses to survive. While some select glasses as the cure, others choose surgery or contact lenses. I think you should do whatever is right for your brand, regardless of what others think, but you may have your own opinion.
Coming up next
In the 3rd part of this series I will go over “the curse of the pink shirt.” When people see men in pink (or purple) they assume they are homosexual. This will make for a great discussion.




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