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alt title(s): Glasses Girl

"...fanboys make passes at girls who wear glasses."
Neil Sinclair, alt.fan.bgcrisis, 15 September 2004

"Just because you don't need glasses doesn't mean you shouldn't wear them."

Literally, "glasses girl" — one of the classic "sweet girl" stereotypes in anime. Cute enough without going overboard or posing the threat that a more conventionally beautiful girl might, the meganekko is usually pleasant, smart, and clever. And something about the fact that she needs glasses seems to imply an endearing vulnerability that makes her far more accessible to the average guy. After the Yamato Nadeshiko, she's the second-best girl that a boy can bring home to meet his parents and probably the more realistic of the two. Naturally, as with any stereotype, the meganekko can inverted or subverted, but the vast majority in anime are sweet, smart and — when found in a major role — usually more than a challenge for a male lead to keep up with. Occasionally she's an unpopular character within the story, but not with the fans.

The glasses are the important part, though. Whether she's Blind Without Em or not, they are key to her appeal. This is one girl who doesn't need a "Beautiful All Along" transformation; in fact, taking her glasses away might is an almost surefire way to reduce her attractiveness!

Sometimes the presence or absence of glasses shows a change in personality, while other times they're a way to give a character a more realistic costume prop.

In Western countries this type of character is rarely popular; when she appears, she is often commanded that The Glasses Gotta Go!

Wikipedia suggests we see also "glasses fetishism". Can very easily a form of Fetish Fuel.

Standard issue for the Hot Librarian or Sexy Secretary. May or may not be a Shrinking Violet (or perhaps just a Seemingly Wholesome Fifties Girl) as well. For a male counterpart, see Kichiku Megane.

Not to be confused with Mega Neko, also known as "really big cats".


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