Oh... looks like your glasses are sliding down your nose. You'd better correct them—
But wait! Don't reach for those frames just yet. How you adjust your glasses speaks volumes of your character - at least if you're a fictional one. Here, we've provided a helpful list of the myriad ways to correct your spectacles, from which you can pick the one that suits you the best.
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By the arms
Examples
- The members of the Student Council in HeartCatch Pretty Cure!, Itsuki being the only exception. A rare not moe at all example.
- This is how Yuno from Hidamari Sketch puts her Cool Shades on. See for yourself.
- As depicted, Miyuki Takara from Lucky Star engages in this.
- Els Tasmin from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid adjusts her glasses by the left bridge.
- In One Piece, this is often how Tashigi adjusts her glasses. She attempts it in the Punk Hazard arc, only to remember that she is in Smoker's body, who doesn't wear glasses.
- Read or Die: Yomiko Readman also does this.
- Anri Sonohara from Durarara!! does this.
- Kill la Kill: Mako does this when she wears glasses for an episode.
- Robin Series: Tim is seen adjusting his glasses this way after he takes to wearing a pair to avoid having so many people recognize him as "that Drake kid" who was plastered all over their televisions when his father used all his political connections to get Tim rescued out of No Man's Land.
- Brad from The Rocky Horror Picture Show does this when his glasses start to fall off as Magenta is undressing him.
- Arthur apparently does this as a nervous habit. In later episodes, it becomes his "tell" and if he does it then you know he's lying or at least not being entirely truthful.
By the corner
Holding one lens or hinge between the thumb and the forefinger is almost singularly reserved for The Professor types. Nerd Glasses and Purely Aesthetic Glasses are — almost by definition — adjusted this way. This is also the only way to adjust your High-Class Glass, but we can't say if there's a deeper meaning to the connection.
Adjusting your glasses by both lenses is only reserved for the highest echelons of geekdom, and those who wear goggles. (Sometimes these two groups overlap.)
Examples
- Atsushi from Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!
- Shiho and Karin from Naruto.
- In Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, Conway combines this with Scary Shiny Glasses for a particularly creepy effect, usually when addressing Dawn, the object of his affections.
- Autor from Princess Tutu.
- Halfway between this and by-the-bridge, Saruhiko Fushimi in K pushes both corners with one hand, in the middle of a fight.
- Hanako Koyanagi from Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku pushes the corner of her glasses up in a dainty, lady-like way.
- Clark Kent is often seen adjusting his glasses this way, especially in Post-Crisis stories where Clark was given a more aggressive personality. Often used as a punctuation for his snarking.
- Kon-El frequently adjusts his sunglasses by a temple, often pulling them down just a bit to better glance at someone in a sarcastic manner before sliding them back up.
- Brad from The Rocky Horror Picture Show does this when Ralph gets into his car, when Rocky is being born and when watching Rocky sing Sword Of Damocles.
- Dr. Bunsen Honeydew on The Muppet Show does this a lot, which only makes the fact that he's a Muppet with no eyes even funnier.
- Dr Harrison Wells of The Flash (2014) frequently adjusts his glasses by the corner, as well as taking them off and putting them back on one-handed during dramatic moments.
- Kara Zor-El adjusts her glasses by holding one lens between her forefinger and thumb, particularly when she's nervous.
- Pe Lanza of Restart, occasionally.
- Jeff from EarthBound (1994) is doing this as his pose on his Super Smash Bros. Brawl trophy.
- There is also an NPC in Mother 3 who does this for his talking animation.
- Jihl Nabaat of Final Fantasy XIII does this. She certainly tries to be professional in her cruelty.
- Queen of Final Fantasy Type-0 adjusts her glasses by the corner, but without actually gripping them.
- Lucca will do that before covering the hapless enemy with napalm or with other, stronger explosives.
- Awin of Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky adjusts his glasses this way as part of his victory pose.
- Roland from Digital Devil Saga manages to adjust his glasses from both arms with one hand; said hand also bears his Atma mark, so it served as an Ass Kicking Pose.
- As seen above, Martin Summer does this constantly in Hotel Dusk: Room 215.
- Ema Skye in the Ace Attorney series. Unusual in that she very rarely wears the glasses over her eyes, so the adjustment is mostly for the sake of adjusting.
- Hugh O'Conner from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies adjusts his glasses by propping up the lower right corner with his thumb while his index finger is pointed up, making an 'L' gesture (his gimmick is an Insufferable Genius who refers to everyone as "mouth-breathers", so he's likely calling you a 'loser'), so this is a subversion as it's meant to convey a "by the bridge" sentiment. By the end you learn this is nothing but fake bravado anyway.
- The concise Shizune of Katawa Shoujo often poses this way.
- Hifumi Yamada in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, for at least one portrait/sprite.
- Reva in SC2VN does this when she's talking to people. When she's analyzing Starcraft, it's by the bridge instead.
- Canada of Hetalia: Axis Powers did this in the second part of "Hetalia of the Dead" from season five.
Web Original
- The Nostalgia Critic has a habit of doing it whenever people with glasses get treated badly in the movies he reviews.
- Ready Jet Go!: Mitchell adjusts his glasses by the corner when he has something important to say, like when he asserts that Halloween isn't magical in "That's One Gigantic Pumpkin, Jet Propulsion!".
By the bridge
Pushing your glasses back up your nose by their bridge, using one or two fingers, usually means that you're a Badass Bookworm or have some Machiavellian Evil Plan up your sleeve (Especially when combined with Scary Shiny Glasses and/or Stoic Spectacles).
Sometimes this is also combined with a covert way of Flipping the Bird without technically doing so, intentional or otherwise.
Examples
- Takamatsu in Angel Beats! does this many times in a row when saying things. Yuri claims he's actually quite dumb and just wears glasses to seem smart.
- Bleach: Mostly an anime-only trope, although it sometimes happens in the manga. Uryuu Ishida, Ryuuken Ishida, Nanao Ise, and Szayelaporro Granz all adjust their glasses by the bridge. They tend to do it when they're making a point, or irritated, nervous, thoughtful or about to enter combat or a confrontational situation. Szayel once got extra points for adjusting his glasses in this manner while using Sonido to avoid an attack from Renji.
- Shou Tucker does this in Fullmetal Alchemist. This combined with Scary Shiny Glasses are clues to show that something isn't quite right with him. Hughes does it as well when going into Overprotective Dad mode.
- Reisi Munakata of K, constantly. It's never looked hotter.
- Kirio a.k.a. "Mr. Glasses Man" from Kamichama Karin.
- After becoming a Megane, Yuuno Scrya from Lyrical Nanoha does this.
- In episode 4 of Marginal #4, when senpai idols Lagrange Point decide to "help out" at Magi4's School Festival, they wear elegant masks that hide their faces (but not their distinctive Multicolored Hair), and at one point, they do this gesture on their masks, in unison.
- As does Takamizawa in Midori Days.
- In Naruto:
- Shino and Ebisu both push up their Cool Shades this way.
- Kabuto does this to his Scary Shiny Glasses.
- Negima! Magister Negi Magi: Haruna Saotome does this often.
- The trope image is Gendo Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion. When he's not doing his trademark Gendo Pose◊, he's doing this.
- On the other hand, Kensuke also does this, despite arguably being the nicest character in the franchise. Mari from the Rebuild of Evangelion films does as well.
- Mai Minakami from Nichijou does this occasionally, but with her, it's because she's trolling her friends. A notable example is when she and her friends are playing "Red Light Green Light".
- Kyouya Ootori of Ouran High School Host Club does it with alarming frequency, often triggering Scary Shiny Glasses.
- Nikaidou Yuu of Shugo Chara! does this frequently, often triggering Scary Shiny Glasses, but stops after his Heel–Face Turn.
- Kinon Bachika (when she's Rossiu's assistant) in Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann does this all the time.
- In Tokyo Ghoul, Nishiki is first glimpsed adjusting his glasses this way, with the upper half of his face obscured from view. It serves to quickly establish him as someone not to be trusted, though he eventually becomes less of a violent Jerkass.
- Vash the Stampede from Trigun, occasionally with his middle finger.
- X-eins of Valvrave does this sometimes, when explaining a new plan he's thought up that's just Crazy Enough to Work ... even when he's wearing a helmet over his face and can't actually touch the glasses.
- Keima in The World God Only Knows generally does this except when he's pretending to be nicer than he is, in which case he'll adjust them by the sides. It plays out interestingly when Keima and Yui switch bodies and he tries doing it by habit, but Yui's vision is better and she doesn't need glasses. He's momentarily confused.
- Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: Reiji Akaba adjusts his glasses like this. He also happens to be a mastermind who leads The Lancers.
- Justin Hammer does it this way in Iron Man 2, showing that he has a lot of nervous energy and is an awkward man.
- In Now and Then, Nerdy Morton does this as a child while saying "hello dear" to Chrissy, and it becomes his defining characteristic so we later recognize him as an adult once he's married to her. Awww.
- Hiroshi Tanaka in A Lullaby Sinister has this habit, taking any chance he can get to adjust his glasses this way. Tends to happen more often during intense Occult Club discussions during their investigation of the Surrogate School.
- Shizuo Heiwajima in Durarara!!!! does this with his Cool Shades on occasion.
- Shiroe in Log Horizon does this incessantly whenever he comes up with a plan, as is fitting for his role as The Strategist of his party. Krusty, the surprisingly sneaky leader of the combat Guild D.D.D. does this as well. Henrietta, too.
- It's gotten to the point that non-glasses-wearing characters have started imitating this motion to show they are thinking of or have a cunning plan.
- Uesugi in Tantei Team KZ Jiken Note habitually adjusts his glasses this way, which telegraphs his role as the local cold Stoic Spectacles.
- Hiro in Heroes does this - it does a good job straddling the western 'dork glasses' and eastern 'serious moment.' It also lampshades itself from time to time, like when Hiro meets his younger self, and they both adjust their glasses at the same time.
- In Psychoville, the younger Jeremy does this multiple times during his flashback of Ravenhill.
- The Stefan & Krister character Olvert Bengtsson does the Flipping the Bird variant in almost all his sketches.
- Maniac: Dr. Fujita frequently pushes her glasses up her nose by the bridge.
- Meibo from Infinity Game does this in an attempt to look threatening, it usually works.
- Auron does this with his Scary Shiny Cool Shades after every battle in Final Fantasy X. And he is most most definitely not a nerd.
- Ignis Scientia of Final Fantasy XV adjusts his glasses like this. Along with fitting the Badass Bookworm archetype, it's also done in several of his combat animations; as his weapon choices are polearms and twin daggers, adjusting them by the bridge is simply the fastest and easiest way to do so in a combat situation.
- Clive of Wild ARMs 3 is a Badass Bookworm and does this constantly.
- Otacon does this in Metal Gear. It's a nervous habit that persists even when he's not wearing glasses.
- Senator Armstrong of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance does this often, usually after shrugging off massive amounts of damage. Or even during the process.
- Wearing a scientist disguise in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater allows the player to make Snake do this.
- As does Roxis in Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis. Even on the pause menu. His Graphics-Induced Super-Deformed field sprite uses Type 2, however.
- In Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility, Jin (one of the eligible bachelors) does this as his "talking" gesture (which all the characters have).
- Tager does this in the BlazBlue games.
- Jade does this in both Tales of the Abyss and The Anime of the Game, triggering Scary Shiny Glasses more often in the latter. Despite this, it seems to be a nervous habit as much as anything - watch the OVA closely and you'll notice he usually does it when he's trying to hide a lie, and he does Type 2 at least once when he's really just trying to see something better.
- Rare Western example of badassery: the Medic in Team Fortress 2 does this in Meet the Medic. Medic will also adjust his glasses during his High Five Taunt animation.
- Another Team Fortress 2 example: The team's secretary/cleaner Miss Pauling adjusts her glasses this way in the "Expiration Date" short.
- Hubert Oswell of Tales of Graces is shown doing this in his menu portrait and this also seems to be a standard gesture of his in skits.
- Richter Abent of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World adjusts his glasses like this. Despite his assumed role as antagonist, this rarely means anything malevolent; rather, this is guy who rocks level 20 before Emil has even levelled up yet.
- Machias Regnitz in The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel does this as part of his level-up pose, also on occasion when making a deduction. Additionally, Instructor Thomas Lysander, unsurprisingly for the scholarly type. You only get to see this once though, in the final scene with him Cold Steel II only a New Game Plus if you completed the Black Records sidequest.
- Persona 5's protagonist has this as a character tic. He's an Anti-Hero during most of the game but the tic turns into something much more sinister in the True ending where he becomes a Villain with Good Publicity.
- In Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom Leander does this, again indicating the scholarly sort. He will sometimes do this when he's nervous or worried.
- In Fate/Grand Order:
- Lord El-Melloi II, who is also kind of Zhuge Liang, adjusts his glasses by the bridge as his skill animation. It fits, since he's a Badass Bookworm Strategist type, with occasional manipulative moments. Slightly less cool: he even tries to adjust them when he's not wearing them, like he keeps forgetting that he forgot his glasses.
- Sigurd also does the same as The Smart Guy whose glasses are literal manifestations of his wisdom, even trying to adjust them while they're still underneath his mask.
- Gale from Digital Devil Saga frequently does this exact gesture in spite of not actually wearing glasses; it is heavily implied that this is a Character Tic remaining from his past life. Notably, he is the strategist and one of the top combatants of the Embryon tribe.
- Ace Attorney: Grey does this a lot in the second game, as does Kristoph in the fourth. Sometime after the time skip, Edgeworth has acquired a pair and also adjusts them this way.
- Reva in SC2VN does this when she's analyzing Starcraft. When she's talking to people, it's by the corner instead.
- During her introduction, Glynda Goodwitch does this as she begins her duel in RWBY, seeming to invoke Badass Teacher.
- In Girl Genius Tarvek occasionally pushes up his glasses using the bridge, as befitting a smug sneaky Badass Bookworm like himself. For example here after outsmarting Violeta and Vole in one go, though the glasses are immediately afterwards smacked off with a broom.
- Mr. Spender from Paranatural exaggerates this trope as well as Scary Shiny Glasses by doing it seven times in a row and weaponizing it. He has the power to control light, as in any kind of light, including the shine coming from adjusted glasses.
- El Goonish Shive:
- Sarah does this as a way of showing off the costume Nerd Glasses she just received.
- Both Luke and Sam do this to trigger Scary Shiny Glasses.
- Sarah does this
Other ways
After what we've covered thus far, the gestures that remain tend to be so alien as to be relegated to some singular character's idiosyncracies. Look through these examples for some truly exotic ways to adjust your glasses.
Examples
- In Black Butler:
- William T Spears uses his death scythe to adjust his glasses.
- Sebastian uses a violin bow to adjust his glasses while teaching Ciel the violin in episode 13.
- Tatsumi in Descendants of Darkness does the whole-hand version with thumb and forefinger against the lower frames of opposite sides of his glasses, in his case causing his hand to cover most of his entire face below the eyes. This mostly has the effect of making him look dramatic and somewhat sinister.
- Free! has Rei, who performs the awkward ritual of putting his thumb on one corner and his middle finger on the opposite one and blocking his own vision while he pushes his glasses up. Usually just before he begins to rhapsodize about aesthetic or theory. He's so used to doing this that he once attempts to adjust his glasses while he's not even wearing them◊.
- In One Piece, Kuro adjust his glasses by pushing up on the bottoms of the lenses with the heels of his hands, an early hint to the fact that he used to wear clawed gauntlets. His once-Dragon Jango considers this proof his captain hasn't gotten rusty after years without wielding them.
- In The Girl With The Silver Eyes, Katie is used to lifting her glasses via telekinesis. After she finds others like her, they jointly complain about how frustrating it is to try to remember to do it with your hands when it's so obvious and easy to do it the normal way — mentally!
- In the Bayonetta series, the titular witch will casually adjust her Sexy Spectacles (or her mask, if she's in her 'Old' costume) at the corner with the barrel of her gun. While certainly not the smartest way to adjust them, it does illustrate that Bayonetta is equal parts dangerous and sexy. Less blatantly, she'll pull her thumb away from the grip and shift them up by the underside of the frame - this one tends to happen when something's piqued her curiosity.
- In Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies, Detective Bobby Fulbright adjusts his sunglasses by the rims using his index finger, middle finger, and thumb in the shape of a gun. This is accompanied with Scary Shiny Glasses.
- People with glasses are not that common in Stand Still, Stay Silent (one notable example being Trond), but in Lalli's Keuruu-flashback, a woman adjusts her Opaque Nerd Glasses by the rims with her thumb and index finger while she is bringing forth evidence of who is to blame for an unforeseen attack.
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
- In "Slice of Life", Vinyl Scratch pushes back her sunglasses to the proper position after the wild ride on the mobile DJ booth. Having hooves instead of fingers, though, she simply pushes up on one lens instead of gripping the frames or bridge.
- Likewise, in "Amending Fences", as a bespectacled unicorn, Moondancer adjusts her slipping glasses with her magic or her hooves.
As you can see, adjusting your glasses can be such a powerful characterization tool that you shouldn't reserve doing it only for when your glasses actually need adjusting. If you're wearing Stoic Spectacles or are just painfully shy, you can always just adjust your glasses in lieu of a proper greeting. If you want to underline the seriousness of the situation, adjust your glasses - Glasses Pull used to be popular for this, but nowadays it's a largely Discredited Trope. Don't know how to express your feelings? Adjust your glasses. It's an act with uses above and beyond just correcting your corrective lenses.
Bonus points if you wear glasses and were trying all of these methods as you read them.
Bonus bonus points if you put a pair on just to do that.
