What does the phrase "Secretary Glasses" mean to you?

[Carnevil9]

I'm working on a story and I want to succinctly convey a certain image of a woman. I'm planning to use the phrase "secretary glasses" to describe her eyewear, but I'm not sure if that means the same thing to everyone. If you have a second, please let me know if that has any strong connotation for you. Thank you!

Spoiler: I mean to convey the studious but sexy look of those glasses with wide, dark rectangular rims.

 

[Lady2020]

One would have to live under a rock not to know what secretary glasses mean.

 

[Voboy]

I've never worked in a world with a lot of secretaries. I would think of these:


...but then, I live under a rock apparently.

 

[SimonDoom]

A secretary is someone who works in an office, traditionally has to maintain a somewhat sober, business-like demeanor, and needs glasses that are functional. I think of her glasses as probably but not necessarily having black frames, and a fairly functional, sober look. If she wears glasses it's because she might be far-sighted and she needs reading glasses, which are usually either bifocals or glasses that are fairly narrow so she can perch them low on her nose to see documents she's working on but look up and over the lenses when the boss approaches.

Personally, I'd use a more descriptive term.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Also, what era? Fashion of the time would play a role. E.g. Jane Fonda in "9 to 5".

 

[HeyAll]

Thick framed, rectagular. It creates the vision of a hair bun and upright posture.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

One would have to live under a rock not to know what secretary glasses mean.

I've never heard the phrase and guessed it was a reference to the film Secretary, but couldn't recall what hers looked like, if indeed she wore any.

Stereotypical librarian glasses, I'd understand, as some sort of thick-rimmed glasses that dramatically alter appearance when removed...

 

[Smuttyandfun]

There's two ways to go. Uptight with a bun on her head, and practical glasses. Or, sexy, long hair and stylish glasses that make her look intelligent and possibly with an air of authority.

​

 

[Lady2020]

I've never heard the phrase and guessed it was a reference to the film Secretary, but couldn't recall what hers looked like, if indeed she wore any.

Stereotypical librarian glasses, I'd understand, as some sort of thick-rimmed glasses that dramatically alter appearance when removed...

I forgot my fantasy play repertoire includes office scenarios with secretary glasses, which leads to the naive assumption that everyone knows what secretary glasses are.

 

[XerXesXu]

I find it a pleasantly evocative expression - large eyes, gazing adoringly up, through colourful fashion frames, at one - but that may have been an optical delusion.

 

[gunhilltrain]

It's probably better to briefly describe the glasses - the shape of the lenses, what the frame is made of and, well, that's about it. Glasses on either men or women always convey a certain image of the person without it's true or not. I like the way that merely wearing glasses seems to have kept Clark Kent from being identified as Superman.

 

[Voboy]

You're better off being more descriptive, IF this is some sort of major plot point. The small sample of this thread alone, OP, tells you that assuming everyone knows what you're talking about might not be a good conclusion.

If the glasses are significant to the plot, but you don't want to be exhaustive in description, I'd use a well-known pair of glasses to compare them to. "She had Velma Dinkley glasses," for example, or "Walter White would have chosen the same kinds of frames."

Something like that.

 

[ElectricBlue]

If she wears glasses it's because she might be far-sighted and she needs reading glasses, which are usually either bifocals or glasses that are fairly narrow so she can perch them low on her nose to see documents she's working on but look up and over the lenses when the boss approaches.

Personally, I'd use a more descriptive term.

Your secretaries were obviously older than mine. I was lucky enough to have had** several corporate PAs in tight grey skirts and white blouses - although I did have one PA who was older than me, always wore black, red lips, and short skirts. And glasses. Memorable. She knew what she was on about, no doubt about that.

** not in the biblical sense, but there were certainly temptations in that particular company. It had, shall we say, a quite deliberate recruiting policy for the women on the front desks. Shouldn't get away with it now, but probably still does. I've not been back there for a while.

 

[SimonDoom]

Your secretaries were obviously older than mine. I was lucky enough to have had** several corporate PAs in tight grey skirts and white blouses - although I did have one PA who was older than me, always wore black, red lips, and short skirts. And glasses. Memorable. She knew what she was on about, no doubt about that.

** not in the biblical sense, but there were certainly temptations in that particular company. It had, shall we say, a quite deliberate recruiting policy for the women on the front desks. Shouldn't get away with it now, but probably still does. I've not been back there for a while.

Most of my secretaries over the years actually have been rather young. But I don't think it makes any sense to use a term like "secretary glasses" to describe what the secretaries you personally worked with wore, because nobody will know that. You don't convey what you personally mean when you use a phrase like "secretary glasses."

I think most of my secretaries didn't wear glasses. The last one did. She was young and stylish and wore black frames.

 

[KeithD]

I had to look the term up.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I think most of my secretaries didn't wear glasses. The last one did. She was young and stylish and wore black frames.

I agree, it's a bit of a daft description.

Glad to hear it's not always been Mrs Ponsomby, for you .

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

Is this a reference to glasses with a retainer? That being a length of elastic or light chain with a loop at each end, which fits around an earpiece, so the glasses can be removed but kept close by?

 

[XerXesXu]

, I'd use a well-known pair of glasses to compare them to. "She had Velma Dinkley glasses," for example, or "Walter White would have chosen the same kinds of frames."

To me, those descriptions would mean nothing.

 

[Agiel]

If the glasses are significant to the plot, but you don't want to be exhaustive in description, I'd use a well-known pair of glasses to compare them to. "She had Velma Dinkley glasses," for example, or "Walter White would have chosen the same kinds of frames."

I have to agree with XerXesXu on this one. I have no idea who Velma Dinkley or Walker White are and I wouldn’t go to the trouble of googling to find out.

If you need to refer to the glasses the secretary in the story is wearing I think the style of glasses would depend on the character you have created in terms of appearance, age and personality. A dominant secretary, for example, would not be wearing the same as a submissive secretary. A glamorous secretary would not be wearing the same as a plain looking woman.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I'm guessing Velma Dinkley is much better known as 'Velma from Scooby-Doo', which is what I'd call her. I believe Walter White is from that Breaking Bad telly programme but having not watched it have no idea.
"She wore glasses, the kind you'd find on a prim Fifties secretary."

 

[Voboy]

I'm guessing Velma Dinkley is much better known as 'Velma from Scooby-Doo', which is what I'd call her. I believe Walter White is from that Breaking Bad telly programme but having not watched it have no idea.
"She wore glasses, the kind you'd find on a prim Fifties secretary."

...okay... so Velma and White are bad advice.

But, based on me living under a rock, they're no worse than the OP's wording. Lol.

 

[SimonDoom]

...okay... so Velma and White are bad advice.

But, based on me living under a rock, they're no worse than the OP's wording. Lol.

I think we are all in the same boat. The cultural references that are extremely familiar and obvious to us are not familiar and obvious to others. I would instantly understand a reference to Velma or Walter White, but I can see how many others wouldn't. I think this thread illustrates why one has to be careful about phrases like "secretary glasses" that may mean absolutely nothing to many, many readers. Just describe the glasses.

I think it's fascinating to see how Velma (the nerdy one from Scooby doo) even more than Daphne has become a popular cosplay figure and erotic meme. There's tons of Velma erotica out there. It's a great example of how weird the erotic imagination is.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I think we are all in the same boat. The cultural references that are extremely familiar and obvious to us are not familiar and obvious to others. I would instantly understand a reference to Velma or Walter White, but I can see how many others wouldn't. I think this thread illustrates why one has to be careful about phrases like "secretary glasses" that may mean absolutely nothing to many, many readers. Just describe the glasses.

I think it's fascinating to see how Velma (the nerdy one from Scooby doo) even more than Daphne has become a popular cosplay figure and erotic meme. There's tons of Velma erotica out there. It's a great example of how weird the erotic imagination is.

Assuming anyone is still reading this stuff, fifty years from now readers will need annotated notes to figure out who Velma and Walter White were. As for Daphne versus Velma: Daphne strikes me as being a bit full of herself - until she reaches the age of thirty-five or forty, which, being a cartoon character, she never will. Velma seems more approachable and more fun to be around, which is probably why she is popular as an erotic meme.

 

[NotWise]

The image that came to my mind first were half-frame readers. Then, like KeithD, I looked them up and it turned out that "secretary glasses" are a marketing thing, but not a specific style. They even make them for "hot secretary" costumes.

If I were to use one term for all the glasses I saw under the heading of "secretary glasses," then I'd call them "a little mannish."

 

[Kumquatqueen]

As for Daphne versus Velma: Daphne strikes me as being a bit full of herself - until she reaches the age of thirty-five or forty, which, being a cartoon character, she never will. Velma seems more approachable and more fun to be around, which is probably why she is popular as an erotic meme.

More obviously: Daphne is clearly going steady with Fred. We won't speculate about Shaggy and Scooby, but they're stoned off their tits. Velma is single, intelligent, and has those short skirts. She's thus the only desirable one of the bunch. Even before you get speculating about what she might look like under all that hair and thick glasses.

Why yes, they did show Scooby-Doo after school when I was an impressionable age...