Musicians Prefer Sunglasses 24/7

People often think famous musicians who wear their sunglasses at night are tyring to look cool or even pretentious. But there are valid reasons many musicians wear sunglasses all the time. Privacy is a big concern for rock stars such as Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Paul David Hewson, best known as Bono, the lead singer of the Irish band U2. Sunglasses, especially the mirrored brands, help a celebrity avoid eye contact when he wants or needs to live the life of a normal private citizen.

Bono, who is one of many musicians who wear their sunglasses at night, has said that the sunglasses help him deal with the paparazzi and fans continually taking photos of him. The flashes irritate his eyes so much that they can swell up if he doesn't take the precaution of wearing the sunglasses. An option preferred by are mirrored sunglasses, which give the eye extra protection from glare and ultraviolet rays. Depending on the quality of the sunglasses, glare can be reduced between ten and sixty percent. Another benefit the sunglasses offer is to hide a musician's bleary eyes and the bags around the eyes, or possibly signs of illegal substance abuse. And even blind musicians wear sunglasses to mask the evidence that they can't see: Stevie Wonder always has his sunglasses on, as did the late Ray Charles.

Other musicians who wear their sunglasses at night, such as Lady Gaga, are using the sunglasses as part of their fashion statement. Lady Gaga uses sunglasses as part of her out-there costuming, both on and off the stage, including Ray- Bans, Tom Ford Sunglasses, and other well-known brands. Roy Orbison was one of the original rock stars, beginning in the mid-1960s, who wore his sunglasses as part of his on-stage persona. John Lennon, Janis Joplin and other rock stars continued the trend. Today hip-hop stars, including Kanye West, Soulja Boy and Flava Flav, take this fashion trend to a more extreme level.

The list of sunglasses styles favored musicians who wear their sunglasses at night include the teashades, made popular by John Lennon, Ozzy Osbourne and Sir Elton John. Wayfarer sunglasses, first popularized by movie star James Dean, were preferred by Roy Orbison, and later taken to a new level by the Blues Brothers, Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi. Oversize sunglasses are the newest trend, favored by Lady Gaga and many of today's hip-hop artists.