4 Iconic Women on TV Who Wear Glasses

Fashion accessories like eyewear can help elevate a woman’s looks, hence why a classy pair of sunglasses are so popular among fashionistas across the globe.  

The global eyewear industry is projected to reach $279.4 billion by 2032 due to various factors, including emerging fashion and lifestyle trends, rapid technological advancements, and consumers’ growing disposable incomes. Fictional women on television, of course, are similarly not immune to the allure of using eyewear to establish their styles and to further their characterization in their respective stories.

Throughout the history of women in television, many iconic characters have emerged — some of whom are eyeglass-touting women — who also become quick fan favorites among viewers who keep up with their respective shows. Some of these characters wear glasses as a permanent fixture of their look, while others use glasses as a crucial characterization tool. Below, we’ll look at four iconic women on TV who wear glasses:

Alex Vause (Orange is the New Black)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvaLwWrWnrk

Set almost entirely in a women’s prison, Orange is the New Black was one of streaming platform Netflix’s earliest hits, predating Stranger Things. In the show’s ensemble of iconic, badass, and queer women, Laura Prepon’s Alex Vause stands out as a big reason and cause of chaos for the main character — and ex-girlfriend — Piper Chapman. Alex’s key accessory throughout the show is her black rectangular glasses.

While fans weren’t able to determine the exact brand or model of Alex’s glasses, there are fortunately many similarly designed women’s glasses. Frames like the Ray-Ban RB5169 are great if you’re looking to get a similar look for a costume party, or you can also check out the RX5277 (also from Ray-Ban) for the metal accents in the frames’ horns. Another alternative, if you’d like a splash of color, is the Tory Burch TY2144U, which still encapsulates the distinct rectangular look of Alex’s glasses.

Kara Danvers (Supergirl)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVqJ39_D0lw

As a cousin to none other than Superman himself, it comes as no surprise that Melissa Benoist’s Kara Zor-El — or Kara Danvers — also relies on wearing a pair of glasses to disguise herself and hide her superpowers. While the many variations of onscreen Clark Kents swung between different styles and silhouettes of eyeglasses, TV’s Kara Danvers consistently wears a pair of L.A. Eyeworks eyeglasses, a pair of nearly-oval lenses hugged by dark brown, horn-rimmed thick frames.

In a previous post, we highlighted the two-hour finale for Supergirl, which aired in 2021. The series finale followed a penultimate buildup in which Supergirl and friends take drastic action after Nyxly and Lex kidnap a loved one. Meanwhile, the series finale featured a beautiful wedding and a return of some familiar faces as Supergirl fights to stop Lex Luthor once and for all. While much of the series finale featured Kara in Supergirl form, fans could still see her iconic eyeglasses for a proper send-off.

Daria Morgendorffer (Daria)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-LYjxv4TD4

Of course, even animated television women aren’t exempt from resorting to eyewear as a fashion choice or character statement. The titular lead of the adult animated sitcom Daria, is an intelligent, cynical, and deadpan teenage girl navigating her satirical high school life. Aside from her deadpan eyes, another iconic part of Daria’s character design is her thin-framed rounded glasses a la Harry Potter.

Most recently, long-time Daria fans were disappointed by the news of the cancelled spinoff Jodie, an animated film meant to focus on Jodie Landon, Daria’s artistic best friend from the original animated series. While Daria wouldn’t have been a main character in the Jodie project, the film would have been a nice callback to MTV’s cult favorite animated high schooler and might have had plans for a Daria cameo.

Velma Dinkley (Scooby-Doo)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgJCkByLHuE

Finally, it’s hard to list iconic women on TV who wear glasses without including Mystery Incorporated’s resident nerd, Velma Dinkley. Much like fellow animated glasses-wearer Daria, Velma’s thick angular glasses are crucial to her character. In fact, throughout the animated series and some live adaptations of Scooby-Doo, Velma misplacing or dropping her glasses is a regular gag.

In 2023, a new Mindy Kaling-led spinoff, Velma, was released on streaming service Max. The pilot introduced a new background story for why Velma is never seen without her iconic rectangular glasses—they were her mother’s glasses and are a memento of the woman who vanished on Christmas Eve while shopping for a last-minute gift for Velma. This modern retelling of Velma Dinkley states that Velma doesn’t necessarily need the glasses, but they are important to her.