Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Vision Exam
When I was in the first grade, I was very shy and introverted. I wanted desperately to fit in with my friends, and to me, this meant looking like them. The thing was, most of my friends had glasses, so naturally I needed them too. Actually, I have 20/15 vision. I can see everything. So what was a girl to do? I didn't need glasses in a physical way, but I needed them in an emotional way. I did the only thing there was to do. I intentionally failed my eye exam. And I had such a sense of pride after that! It wasn't the glasses that caused this transition, it was the fact that I had outsmarted science! This was a test, and I lied and got what I wanted! I was better than science at the tender age of six! In the end, the glasses gave me a headache so I stopped wearing them after a week, and to my surprise, my friends couldn't have cared less. This reminded me of the class discussion we had in reaction to the pin-prick text used to test sensitivity in those with Apotemnophylia. We discussed that it would be possible for humans to lie about their sensitivity in areas of their body that they wish to have removed. They want a leg gone, so they say it hurts more. I wanted glasses, so I said that slide 2 was clearer than slide 1.
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Hilarious story. I need glasses, and was just discussing opinions on non-prescription glasses with a friend who also needs them. Being the indignant type, he seemed to take some offense to people wearing glasses exclusively for aesthetic purposes. I thought it was crazy to care either way haha. This whole thing relates to our discussion on how real amputees view those with Apotemnophylia.
ReplyDeleteI found this to be really interesting because I too need glasses, and pretty desperately to boot. I remember that in the past I would also get upset when people wore them strictly for looks. part of this may have been due to me being bitter about actually needing them and therefore seeing them in some negative light. I probably thought "why would someone WANT to look like they have bad eyesight, are they just turning it into a joke?" I imagine that this very same though process can be related back to our discussions on Apotemnophylia. I could see an amputee (not by choice) being upset and asking why would someone WANT to cut off their own leg? Now, I don't mind when people wear glasses just for looks and perhaps this is due to it just becoming recognized as a fashion statement over time. I'm still of the belief that it is totally unnecessary, and in my biased opinion I think one needs to have a certain level of insecurity with their looks in order to think they need to wear them. Then again, maybe that thought will also fade away as more and more people accept it as 'normal'.
ReplyDeleteTyler Hilligoss