Like #130: Ray Ban Wayfarers

"Right now, all white people are either wearing or coveting a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses. White people love these Ray-Bans because they were very popular in the 1960s and 1980s. This gives them a historical precedent and allows white people to classify them as “timeless.” That way when they purchase these sunglasses they can talk about how they were inspired by the fashion and music of these bygone eras. When a white person says this, you should just nod and mention how they look like young Johnny Cash, a dead Beach Boy, Audrey Hepburn, or an extra from a John Hughes movie. Under no circumstances, should you imply that white people purchased their sunglasses because of celebrities that are not dead or because they saw them on other white people they think are cool. This will make them very upset as white people need to believe they cannot be persuaded to buy anything."

Recently, Zooey Deschanel has appeared as a model for the Oliver Peoples Sunglasses Company. Although the glasses that Zooey wears are not Ray-Ban, they are the wayfarer style. A picture of Zooey wearing Ray-Ban wayfarers themselves can be seen above.

Interestingly, Zooey has become a model for this type of sunglasses at the same time that Lander has suggested that white people may buy wayfarers because they have seen them on “stars who are not dead” or on “other white people they think are cool.” Deschanel, as an Indie star, qualifies both as a star who is not dead and as a ‘cool’ white person. If people are imitating her consumer choices, it would appear that she is becoming an icon of sorts.

Wayfarers also have a vintage sensibility that is in line with Deschanel’s image (see the post on Vintage). As mentioned before, Zooey considers herself “an old-fashioned girl.” The Oliver Peoples ad in particular seems to draw intertextually on images of Audrey Hepburn wearing wayfarers in Breakfast At Tiffany's. (see below)

Additionally, this video advertisement "Catch a Tuesday" for Oliver Peoples showcases Deschanel's vintage style. She is filmed wearing vintage clothes and accessories in elegant-yet-retro surroundings. Thus, both wayfarer sunglasses and vintage style are updated and targeted toward affluent consumers.