If there’s one piece of attire that all celebrities, young and old, male and female, A-lister and C-lister, are known for, it’s eyewear – or specifically, sunglasses. As a protective bit of kit, it makes sense for them to wear sunglasses when outside, even sometimes on overcast days, and they do grant a bit of face cover to those who don’t want to be interrupted by fans. Still, celebrity love of sunglasses goes beyond practicality.
One of the most famous sunglass occasions, as Grazia delves into, is the Oscars. It’s often more difficult to spot the celebrities who aren’t wearing sunglasses than those who are at the indoor, dim-lit awards ceremony. Few of those in attendance will step onto the stage to award be awarded, counting out many arguments of defending against the spotlights, and yet, sunglasses are commonplace.
There’s this commonplace use of certain types of sunglasses, predominantly for occasions and red carpets, for celebrities, which is mostly accepted. Many of these leading, branded, trendy sets are among the Daily Bayonet’s top hot weather fashion tips. Still, there are those who go too far, venture into the realms of ridiculousness, and seem very out of place with their eyewear choices. These famous few epitomize this group.
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Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA)
At his peak, Conor McGregor was the most popular fighter in the UFC, with his outlandish persona garnering him a huge fan base. It helped him to earn a Beats campaign, make him one of the highest-paid mixed martial artists of all time, and remain a celebrity after his retirement. A big part of his usual ensemble was a pair of sunglasses.
Seemingly obsessed with them, he’s a regular wearer of eyewear for indoor occasions, like press conferences and head-to-heads at the weigh-in. Famously, in the run-up to his UFC 205 bout with Eddie Alvarez, his opponent told him to “take them stupid-a** glasses off,” as GQ recounts. While the sunglasses were ridiculous for the setting, McGregor taunted Alvarez, saying that he wouldn’t, but then, comically, the Irishman removed his specs.
Sunglasses were regularly a theme of McGregor’s social media posts and smack talk. In the run to his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier, “Notorious” posted a picture of himself in sunglasses, and then the same one again: only the second time, he had crudely edited in an image of his victory in the first fight. If it were to be permitted, he and fellow sunglasses-obsessive Floyd Mayweather Jr. might have boxed in them.
Espen Jorstad
There’s quite a heated debate in professional poker circles as to whether or not people should be allowed to wear sunglasses at the table of play. Hugely popular stars of the game have come out against sunglasses or outright refuse to wear them, including Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, and Daniel Negreanu. Still, that didn’t stop Espen Jorstad from wearing his shades to coast to the 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event prize.
Sweeping in $10 million for his efforts, the Norwegian wore his sunglasses throughout, with those in favor of eyewear at the table citing that it grants comfort and familiarity even on the big stage against the biggest names. That does beg the question as to whether or not these pros practice in shades, or even spend their leisure playing time in sunglasses at home.
Seeing someone at the well-lit WSOP table in sunglasses is a bit odd, but to get used to it, they may even do so at home. If on their own, the way to practice is to go online. So, do they put on the sunglasses, log in to Betway casino, and then play the likes of Casino Hold’em or Ultimate Texas Hold’em, or perhaps even keep up the cool aesthetic for a spin on slots like Diamond King Gold or Masters of Valhalla? Either way, it should all be too odd to be true.
Kanye West
An eccentric man, indeed, Kanye West has blended his way from influential rap and pop star to fashion mogul and eco-village builder over the last couple of decades. While he does have his own Yeezy collection, which seems to do quite well, Ye is also responsible for one of the more bizarre eyewear trends that quickly capitulated.
In the 2009 music video Stronger, which samples Daft Punk, Ye is seen donning the shutter shades from the 33rd second. It was a revival of an ‘80s trend that rapidly came and went, just as it did when Kanye West “brought it back.” The issue was that shutter shades, as Yahoo news is told, are “aggressively impractical” as you just can’t see well when they’re on. Somehow, they were even more impractical to wear inside, especially in clubs, than regular sunglasses.
Celebrities have a bizarre relationship with sunglasses, seemingly wearing them more when it’s inappropriate than when they’re intended to. Regardless, we’re excited to see the next great audacious set hit the red carpet.
