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A pair of modern horn-rimmed glasses

Two different vintage styles of glasses: browline on the left, and horn-rimmed on the right.

Horn-rimmed glasses are a type of eyeglasses with frames made of horn, tortoise shell, or plastic that simulates either material. The name horn-rimmed glasses refer to their original material, which was horn or shell. These glasses began to be popular in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s, and have been a standard for many decades. Over time, the glasses changed appearance and meaning. Later, they were known as dark, heavy, and plastic framed glasses. An early plastic, celluloid, was dyed and molded to look like an animal horn.

Another characteristic is their lack of nose pads. This differentiates them from other glasses, making the profile of horn-rims appear unique. Sometimes saddle bridges are attached to distribute the weight of the glasses. These are placed on the sides and top of the frame's nose.

Currently, as of 2007, the definition of horn-rimmed glasses has become more flexible. They are commonly referred to as a pair of dark, plastic eyeglasses with frames that range in thickness from about 1/16" to 1/4". The dark colored plastic stands out, giving the appearance of thick frames.

Harold Lloyd originally made eyeglass wearing popular.^{[citation needed]} In particular, he brought horn-rimmed glasses to the mainstream — his glasses were plastic. In Europe, frames were made from tortoise shell and were expensive. However, America made plastic framed glasses because it was less expensive than tortoise shell. Around this time, plastic frames began to be called "shell."

Lloyd donned his plastic horn-rims in 1917 when he starred in the short comedy film, Over the Fence. Oddly enough, the glasses contained no lens due to the glare that it would have created from the studio lights. The purpose of the glasses was to differentiate Lloyd from the character he portrayed in the film. He could then go out in public without glasses and was unrecognizable. At this time, the horn-rimmed style was fresh. They were large enough to be dramatic without being over the top.

Lloyd wore glasses whenever he acted. He stated that "They make low-comedy clothes unnecessary, permit enough romantic appeal to catch the feminine eye, usually diverted from comedies, and they hold me down to no particular type or range of story."^[1] Lloyd's seventy-five cent pair of horn-rimmed glasses lasted him eighteen months. He patched them with common adhesives such as glue and chewing gum until he had to replace them. The look could have been the catalyst for society's image of a stereotypical "nerd", who wears thick, black-framed glasses held together with tape. Lloyd influenced young Americans to become consumers of these glasses.

The glasses continued to be popular through the 1930s and worn in each decade following, with heightened popularity in the 1960s. Currently, in the 2000s, the horn-rims are altered to fit the times. Some trend followers wear the glasses without prescriptive lenses, purely as a fashion statement. The glasses are often associated in mainstream culture with being "nerdy", but are popular in emo, punk, indie, hipster, goth, and generally counter-culture fashion. Hot Topic, a popular clothing chain which markets to various counter-cultures and alternative lifestyles, sells the frames without prescriptive lenses.

The glasses have also become part of geek culture and in some circles are an extension of the term ("geek glasses"), as the term "geek" is, in today's culture, now more of a compliment denoting extraordinary skill or knowledge in a certain area (books, music, movies).

Many celebrities through the decades have been seen wearing horn-rimmed glasses. The following is a time line of notable appearances:

1910s/1920s/1930s/1940s

• Harold Lloyd wore them in all of his movies, from 1917s Over the Fence to 1947s The Sin of Harold Diddlebock.

1950s

• Buddy Holly, was a popular singer and songwriter of rock and roll music, and is known for his thick horn-rimmed glasses.
• Eric Morecambe, English comedian, was famous for his horn-rimmed glasses, which he often used as a comedy prop.
• George Reeves' character Clark Kent in the original TV series Adventures of Superman wore horn-rims to conceal his Superman identity. Most later actors who played the role of Superman did the same afterwards.
• Urho Kekkonen, president of Finland.
• Bill Cullen, American TV game show host and panelist.

Barry Goldwater

1960s

• After buying contact lenses, American Senator Barry Goldwater continued wearing horn-rimmed eyeglasses without lenses because the public could not recognize him without the glasses.
• Michael Caine wore horn-rims by Oliver Goldsmith, both off and on-screen in such 1960s film classics as The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin.
• The Beatles' Paul McCartney was spotted wearing horn-rims on and off during the 1960s.
• Greek superstar chanteuse Nana Mouskouri - still performing and recording and still wearing horn-rimmed specs.
• Film director, writer, and actor Woody Allen.

1970s

• Elvis Costello, a British musician, singer, and songwriter of the "pub rock" genre, was later known for punk rock and new wave music.

Drew Carey

1980s

• Bill Gates wore the trend on the cover of the April 16, 1984 issue of Time magazine.
• Corey Feldman's character Teddy Duchamp in the 1986 film, Stand by Me wears horn-rims.

1990s

• Cartoonist Gary Larson illustrates characters wearing horn-rims in the San Francisco Chronicle comic strip "The Far Side".
• Drew Carey of The Drew Carey Show continues to wear horn-rims after having corrective laser eye surgery.
• Patrick Bateman, a main character and narrator of the Bret Easton Ellis novel American Psycho, wore them. Oliver Peoples is the brand that is referenced.
• In the 1990s, many types of 1960s fashion trends reemerged, including bellbottom pants, brightly colored clothing, and platform shoes. With this, Mike Myers played Austin Powers in the Austin Powers series of films, wearing another popular 60s trend, the horn-rims. Michael Caine made an appearance in the third film, Goldmember wearing his iconic horn-rims and playing Austin's father Nigel Powers.
• Percy Weasley and his father, Arthur Weasley in Harry Potter are depicted as wearing horn-rimmed glasses.
• Rivers Cuomo, front man of the rock band Weezer, is identified by his horn-rims.
• Graham Coxon from the British band Blur could always be seen wearing horn-rimmed glasses from the band's start in 1990 to the present.
• Singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb prominently wears horn-rimmed glasses at all times, including record covers, live concerts, and her music videos.

2000s

• Anne Hathaway's character Mia in the movie The Princess Diaries wore them before her makeover.
• Tina Fey, who was a writer on Saturday Night Live, is now on the show 30 Rock.
• Actor Paul Marcarelli, the "Test Man" for Verizon Wireless commercials, is famous for the phrase, "Can you hear me now? Good."
• Jack Coleman's character Mr. Bennet is often referred to on the show Heroes as "the man with the horn-rimmed glasses" (even though his glasses aren't horn-rimmed; they're browline).
• Adam Savage, of the Discovery Channel TV show MythBusters, wears horn-rimmed glasses. He can be seen in one episode using a piece of gum and a stick to retrieve one of the temples that fell off into a hole.
• George Pettit, one of the three vocalists in the Canadian hardcore band, "Alexisonfire", wears horn-rimmed glasses whenever he's not on stage performing.
• Johnny Depp is often seen with black horn-rimmed glasses. He is seen when his character in Secret Window wears them, but he also wears them in real life.
• The character Rita Skeeter in the Harry Potter series is described as wearing tortoise shell glasses.
• Constantine Maroulis wears black horn-rimmed glasses while appearing in the fifth season of American Idol, one year after the season he participated when he did not wear glasses. Later, he is seen wearing the same glasses.
• Katharine McPhee wears black horn-rimmed reading glasses in some of her video blogs.
• America Ferrera's character in the television series Ugly Betty, Betty Suarez, wears red horn-rimmed glasses.
• Stephen Merchant wears black horn-rimmed glasses. He admits that if he were ever in a fight, the other person need only remove his glasses to win.
• Johnny Knoxville of Jackass has appeared in several skits wearing horn-rimmed glasses.
• The Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who, portrayed by David Tennant, often wears tortoise shell reading glasses
• Stephanie March's character in the television series "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and it's short lived spin-off "Conviction", Alexandra Cabot wears horn-rimmed glasses although various times she is seen without them in scenes taking place with-in the SVU precinct.
• Mikey Way, the bassist of the band My Chemical Romance, used to wear horn-rimmed glasses, but got LASIK surgery and no longer needs them.

• horn-rimmed The Free Dictionary
• "Harold Lloyd: The Glasses" by Annette M. D'Agostino
• Eyeglass frame Enotes.com
• Timeless Eyeglasses AskMen.com