The Difference between Sunglasses for Men and Women

Sometimes a pair of sunglasses might look as though it would fit the face of a woman or a man while other sunglasses look particularly tailored to a specific gender. A number of distinctions regarding features, color, and overall frame balance may dictate whether a pair of sunglasses is best worn by a man or woman.

Decorative Elements One of the biggest differences between men and women's sunglasses is the amount of decoration on most pairs. In many cases, the sunglasses worn by women may have small designs and embellishments while sunglasses designed for men might be less ornate or have just a small touch of extra design. A simple geometric shape along the arms of the frames might be the only decoration on a man's pair of sunglasses. Although there are exceptions to this rule with sunglasses that have a lot of decoration on them being meant for male wearers, the majority of fancy sunglasses are made for a woman's face. Fun elements like dots, stripes, and swirls are often offered on women's sunglasses and are absent from men's sunglasses.

Color Choices

Seeing a pair of pink frames on a man's face is a rare event, and most of the time such a color is going to fall squarely into the domain of female sunglasses owners. Many colors are interchangeable between the sexes, however, and it's not uncommon for bright sunglasses in colors like electric blue, lemon yellow, and lime green to appear in designs meant for any gender.

Sometimes a pair of pink sunglasses might fit a man's face, but such frames are usually meant to be worn in jest, such as a pair of sunglasses that mimic the flamboyant and glittery frames of classic rocker Elton John. Each year there are more colors available for men's sunglasses as manufacturers are branching out from traditional black, gray, and brown frames.

Overall Size The biggest distinction between sunglasses meant for men and those meant for women is the size of the frames. Although some men with small faces or some women with large faces might need to look at the opposite gender's frames, men usually need bigger sunglasses while women wear smaller sizes. This distinction can make it a little difficult if a woman is interested in a pair of men's sunglasses because she prefers the style over a feminine pair. Fortunately, there are a few manufacturers out there who create gender-neutral sunglasses in many sizes that can be worn by anyone. Many of the highly modern sunglasses, such as the sort worn in futuristic movies, are a sleek design that might be appropriate for a male or female face. There are even smaller micro-sized reading glasses that fold up into a tiny pouch or case that may be carried along in a purse or pocket. Small travel glasses make it easier to read something like a restaurant menu where the glasses might only be needed for a few minutes.

Frame Material

A few decades ago it was very common for men's sunglasses to be available only in metal frames while women would have plastic frames, but modern sunglasses don't always follow this older tradition. One of the newer trends in sunglasses for men is the use of thick plastic frames.

It is somewhat uncommon to see metal frames designed for female wearers, although this isn't a hard-and-fast rule when it comes to sunglasses design. The softer and more feminine frames for women often demand that the frames are made of plastic to accommodate that look.

When choosing a pair of sunglasses, sometimes the gender for which a pair was created isn't important. As long as a particular pair of sunglasses fits a person's face, and the wearer enjoys the style of their frames, wearing a pair of sunglasses meant for the other sex can be a fun fashion statement.

By : Upneet Kaur