We all know that sun shades keep the sun out of our eyes and the world out of your business. But what you may know is that they have a long history – and they have long history – and they can do much more for you than cut glare and look cool.
Below Are 4 Facts That will Interest you About Sun Shades
In Ancient Times, Sun Shades Were A Status Symbol
A Roman emperor Nero watched gladiators fight in the Coliseum through protective lenses made of polished jewels. In twelfth-century China, dark glasses made of semiprecious smoky quartz were used in court to help judges hide their expressions. The practice was said to make trials more impartial by concealing any clues to the future verdict.
A Single Entrepreneur Made Sun Shades Mainstream
In 1919, Sam Foster left his job at a plastic manufacturing firm to go solo, fabricating his own products from the then-new material. He reinvented his business constantly, trying to carve out a niche – at various points in time he specialized in everything from women’s hair accessories to medical equipment. For ten years. Foster kept his business in the black but had no breakaway success. He sold a case to a department store in Atlantic City. They caught on like wildfire with beach-goers. Before long the fad had spread to Hollywood, where the day’s biggest celebrities used them obscure their faces from the paparazzi. This made sunglasses look cooler instantly – and would become a prominent selling point for the brand we now know as Foster Grant.
The Ray-Ban Aviator Sun Shades Was A World War 11 Invention
Sunglasses were primed for another popularity boost when the U.S. Air Force commissioned a team of researchers to design a protective lens for fighter pilots in 1936. The pilots needed glare reduction that was powerful enough for the bright sunlight of high altitudes, but would still leave their vision precise. The Iconic full-coverage shape was then developed and the shades were distributed throughout the Air Force. After the war, the association with fighter pilots made the aviator style instantly cool. They’ve been a men’s style mainstay ever since.
Men’s Sun Shades Attract Women
Vanessa Brown, a cultural researcher at Nottingham Trent University who wrote the book Cool shades, theorizes that the accessory’s cachet comes from a sense of mystery. By partially hiding the face, they invite curiosity. That’s the hypothesis of psychology researchers at the University of Nevada. In other words, what women find sexy may have a lot more to do with what’s hidden than what’s on display. Even in a platonic context, a sense of intrigue combined with great personal style is bound to draw people in. If they sense there’s something you’re not giving away, they want to find out more.
