Aviator sunglasses,also known as pilot shades or stunner shades, are a style of sunglasses that were developed by Ray-Ban. They are characterized by dark, often reflective lenses having an area two or three times the area of the eye socket, and metal frames with either paddles or wire temples which hook behind the ears. Contemporary models are often polarized (although wearing polarized sunglasses for flying is unwise since they may mask the light glinting off an oncoming aircraft, as well as blocking the information on most modern glass cockpit displays).
History
Aviator sunglasses were given their name due to their oblique teardrop shape, which matched those of the smoked-lens flying goggles which Ray-Ban was then selling to the Army and Navy. One undesirable result of wearing these goggles was the mismatched tan (darker on the face, lighter around the eyes) which developed.
Legend claims that the need arose for aviator-style sunglasses because military pilots found that sun and glare protection would be helpful to aid them during day missions and dogfights. However, pilots of the time did not wear sunglasses while flying.
The popularity of the glasses sky-rocketed as many celebrities began wearing the style of sunglasses. The style has been popular since the 1960s, but became even more so in the 1980s following pop culture references concerning Hunter S. Thompson, Michael Jackson, and use by celebrities in films like Top Gun, where Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise sported them.
The large lenses are not straight as in eyeglasses but bulge out slightly. The design attempts to cover the entire range of the eye and prevent as much light as possible from entering the eye socket from any angle. Aviators are popular with military and civilian aviators alike because they work quite well. Law enforcement officers have also taken a liking to the glasses for many reasons, including their excellent cancellation of glare and prevention of eye contact. The design was originally intended for shooting.
The Aviator became a well-known style of sunglasses when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines in World War II. Photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing them for newspapers, and Americans instantly fell in love with them.
Tom Cruise made the Ray-Ban Aviator famous again in the 1986 movie "Top Gun". This was technically inaccurate, because since 1982 all the aviator sunglasses supplied to the US forces have been made by Randolph Engineering.
The Ray-Ban Aviator has become one of the most copied styles in history.
The Aviator sunglasses were released in 1936 but these glasses were only available to fighter pilots, and though there was talk at the time for public release, it didn't happen until 1938.
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