The worst generation of bullies revealed

During the eighties it was commonplace to see kids wearing jam jar glasses in the playground and being teased by their classmates for not looking 'cool.' New research proves that kids of the 80s had the worst time at school for wearing specs with 71% claiming they witnessed teasing or bullying about the glasses their friends wore.

The research commissioned by the College of Optometrists indicates that children in the 80s had the worst time at school for wearing specs. 71% of those now aged between 35 and 44 claimed to have witnessed teasing or bullying related to a child wearing glasses. In contrast, recent school leavers appear to have had an easier run, with only 46% of 18-24 year olds aware of any bullying over this issue.

Furthermore, feedback from young people suggests that their glasses are actually viewed in a positive light by their peers. Almost a fifth said their glasses were considered to make them look 'clever,' one in ten said they'd been told they looked 'trendy' and a further 10% were told they made them more 'attractive.' This is quite a turn around to the kind of comments that were flying around the playground twenty years ago.

Dr Susan Blakeney, Optometric Adviser to The College of Optometrists says "When I was a child glasses were certainly no fashion statement and children came up with a whole variety of unpleasant and cruel names to use for the people who wore them. However, a changing attitude amongst the young, enhanced by cultural icons such as Harry Potter and Johnny Depp, has led to children no longer seeing glasses as a reason to tease each other.

For more information visit College Optomerists

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