The Power of the Red Glasses

My first pair of glasses had a little emblem of Spongebob Squarepants on them. They screamed, “I’m ready!” and to a fifth-grade Samuel, that was all I could ever ask for.

I never wore them. It was too much effort to put them on every morning.

My eyesight was always okay. Although I nearly had 20/20 vision, I have also always had some form of astigmatism. Basically, I cannot look at screens for too long without the words blurring. In fifth grade, this wasn’t a problem, as the teachers basically only used the whiteboard.

Yet, when I entered high school my world suddenly changed. I would get headaches when I looked at the board and my vision would blur.

So, sophomore year I got new glasses. And they changed my life.

My red spectacles arrived, and the optometrist said that I only needed to wear them when I was looking at a board. As if. The second I put on the glasses, my confidence instantly had a boost. I was always the overweight kid, and somehow the glasses just framed my face. They gave me confidence.

So, I defied my optometrist's instructions and I wore them 24/7. They never left my face. I would often be found on my bed asleep in them with a book hanging over my face. I loved my new look more than anything in the world.

Now, I have a pair of glasses for blue outfits and a pair of glasses for black outfits, and everytime I put on my glasses, my confidence boosts just a little bit.

Clothing and accessories do that for me. They allow my confidence to skyrocket, and when I put my glasses on, I felt like I was a new person.

No one is truly confident, and finding that article of clothing or little thing that makes you confident is so important. Maybe it’s a perfume, or maybe it’s a fancy jacket. Perhaps funny graphic t-shirts give you confidence or posting your hot outfit on social media. Whatever it is, embrace it and flaunt it.

And you know what? I’ll let you in on a little secret.

I don’t need my glasses anymore, but I wear them anyway. In the words of the great Willy Wonka, “Confidence is key.”