| Face
It, Boomers; It's Specs And The City
By
KORKY VANN | COURANT STAFF WRITER
June 12, 2008
They
show no sign of crow's feet, sagging boobs or
gray hair. They're still strutting their stuff
in killer heels and fashions to die for. But
the "Sex and the City" crowd is getting
older, and the proof — as it so often
is — is in the bedroom. This time around,
when Carrie and Mr. Big settle into the sack,
the agenda isn't steamy sex, it's reading. When
the two realize they can't make out the small
print, they share a pair of reading glasses
rather than passionate kisses before drifting
off to sleep.
The
gal pals and their boy toys hold magazines at
arm's length and squint? The directors might
as well have had Mr. Big reach over and pop
a Viagra.
"The
condition is called presbyopia, and it's a part
of the normal aging process," explains
Elizabeth Simmons, assistant professor of ophthalmology
at the University
of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington.
"As the elasticity of the eye naturally
decreases, close-up sight is affected. It happens
to most everyone when they hit their 40s and
50s."
Even
the trendiest can't escape. It's been 10 years
since the HBO series began, and Carrie, Miranda
and Charlotte are now in their 40s. Samantha
celebrates the big 5-0 at the movie's end. Sarah
Jessica Parker, who co-produced the film
(and plays the part of Carrie), said the group
decided not to dodge the age issue.
"When
we started cobbling together the movie, we knew
there was only one road we could take,"
said Parker in an interview with The Associated
Press before the movie was released. "You
cannot pretend we're 32, still running around
New
York drinking with liberty and looking for
interesting sexual partnerships. It would have
been vulgar. None of us wanted that."
Instead,
reading glasses join flower pins, Manolo Blahniks
and horseshoe necklaces as must-have accessories,
and "cheaters" takes on a whole new
meaning. For the country's trailing-edge boomers
(born between 1956 and 1964) and Gen Xers (born
between 1965 and 1979), it's nothing short of
culture shock, says Mark Levit, president of
VisAcuity.com, a Web-based business specializing
in trendy designer reading glasses.
"Older
boomers have already had to face the fact that
they're aging," says Levit, a former professor
of marketing at New
York University who teaches advertising
at the University
of Miami. "This younger group isn't
going there. They're not going to wear drugstore
glasses on a chain around their necks. If they
have to use readers, they're going to relate
them as a trendy fashion statement, not a necessity."
In
fact, says Levit, "trendy reading glasses"
and "cool reading glasses" are popular
search-engine terms, and VisAcuity's "New"
section receives the most traffic. While older
boomers are ordering "Hootenanny,"
"Strawberry Fields," "Hare Krishna"
and other retro-style glasses, Gen Xers are
choosing "Tryst," "Smokin' Cool,"
"Hollywood Eyes" and "Brazillia."
"Vanity plays in here," says Levit.
Before stocking up on reading glasses, Simmons
recommends individuals experiencing any vision
problems to schedule an eye exam. If presbyopia
is diagnosed, options include prescription lenses
or over-the-counter styles.
"The
reality is that, sooner or later, you're going
to need some help with reading the fine print,
making out the numbers on your cellphone or
reading menus at candlelight dinners,"
says Simmon. "Presbyopia is often the first
thing that makes you face the fact that you
really are aging."
Copyright © 2008, The Hartford Courant
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