The Truth About Buddy Holly's Famous Glasses

Per Mental Floss, Buddy Holly had horrible eyesight (20/800) and could barely read "the top line of an eye chart." Nonetheless, he refused to wear glasses early on in his career as he believed they would taint his rock star image. Though he considered contacts, they did little to help his vision (via Veroniiiica). Holly

Per Mental Floss, Buddy Holly had horrible eyesight (20/800) and could barely read "the top line of an eye chart." Nonetheless, he refused to wear glasses early on in his career as he believed they would taint his rock star image. Though he considered contacts, they did little to help his vision (via Veroniiiica). Holly would continue performing without glasses until he lost his guitar pick and had to crawl "around on stage" to find it. Thus, he turned to his longtime optometrist, J. Davis Armistead for help.

According to History Daily, Holly asked Dr. Armistead for a discreet pair of glasses. The doctor, however, wanted something that contributed to the "distinct personality" of a performer (per History). When Dr. Armistead went on vacation in Mexico City, he found exactly what he was looking for: Holly's now iconic black-framed glasses. The rest, as they say, is history. Years after Holly's death, Armistead noted that Holly ultimately made it possible to be both a nerd and a rockstar. As he put it, "geek chic became a completely accepted alternative style."

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