Cat eye glasses frames are a modern day symbol of a belief held over thousands of years about feminity and sex appeal.
The cat eye glasses frames were originally invented by Altina Schinasi Miranda in the late 1920's and they were called 'Harlequin' Glasses.
They were modelled on the classic Venetian Masks of the Commedia dell'Arte- namely 'the Harlequin,' character - otherwise known as Allechino, was was a male baffoon servant archetype who was prone to being sly and amorous towards women.
©Pixabay
Altina grew frustrated at the plain glasses that were on offer to women and whilst walking down Fifth Avenue in New York one day - had a 'lightbulb' moment where she felt a strong inclination to use her artistic backround to reinvent them.
She sought to change their identity. Altina was a pioneer. She used art in many different platforms. She was a painter, a film maker, a window dresser and an inventor.
She famously said "...I was always looking for ideas for projects. I wanted to use art to enrich my life."
The Harlequin glasses she created will always be regarded as her greatest art work.
She won a very coveted prize in 1939 for her contibution to revolutionizing eyewear- The Lord and Taylor Annual American design Award.
The Cat as a symbolism of Feminity, Sexuality and Power
The motif of the cat as being a motif of uber feminism, sexiness and dominance has been a symbol almost since time began.
One of our earliest encounters of this is with the Egyptian Goddess Bastet- who has the head of a cat and the body of a woman. Bastet wore many hats. She was a symbol of fertility and had warrior like abilities. She would have definitely have been seen as a sex symbol of her day.
© Pixabay
In witch folkflore, cats were always the witches' accomplices. In some stories, witches could turn into cats to inflict harm onto others. Witches and cats were put into the same bracket. Witches could take control of people, in particular men with potions and spells.
In more modern literature, namely Marvel comics and films - Cat woman imbues all of the qualities of the historic examples above. She is a warrior and she is sexy. She wears a tight fitting alluring suit.
We can see understand why Altina chose the cat eye look to revolutionize women's glasses. Cats are a powerful motif especially when they are associated with women.
The Hollywood Catapult
The Hollywood industry was responsible for catapulting cat eye sunglasses to the furore. Famous actresses such as Audrey Hepburn wore them in her movie 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.'
The symbol of the cat holds huge significance in the film for many reasons. Her character 'Holly Go lightly' is hugely independent and arguably more so than women were actually in that era. Like cat woman, Holly also holds an affinity with cats. Last of all, she is very sexy and is admired by many men.
We actually see her as an actual cat.
It is a long standing acting tradition that characters are created with animals in mind to give a nuance. It is very possible that Audrey chose the cat - seeing as it is already such a strong visual motif in the film.
Marilyn Monroe who is seen as the sexiest women of all time also wore cat eye sunglasses and helped to explode their sales.
Shape of the Cat Eye
There is something so feminine about the actual shape of cats eyes. Their beautiful almond shape radiates feminity.
Make up artists are also inspired by the shape of cats eyes. Since the fifties at least, we have seen many examples of flicked wings of eyeliner on Hollywood stars. Marilyn Monroe was a big fan of this look.
'Cat eye' make up has been applied since Ancient Egyptian times. Women as well as men drew kohl lines under their eyes for social status as well as beauty, drawing inspiration from the Goddess Bastet.
The cat eye make up trend has never grown out of fashion and this has been a staple sexy fashion trend for thousands of years.
Structure of the Face
Cat eye sunglasses are very flattering and sexy on a person, and they can help provide symmetry to a face that is otherwise inbalanced.
They look wonderful on very round faces as they break up the roundness with angles and provide a beautiful contrast.
What face shape can wear cat eye glasses?
The best face shapes to wear cat eye glasses are oval, round, heart shaped or diamond.
You can also wear cat eye sunglasses if you have a square shaped face, but it is advisable that you wear frames that have more softer, rounder edges to offset the angles.
