So far I have only written about female characters, it is not my intent to leave out guys.
Glasses are also used on male characters, for similar reasons as female characters;
 *create an outcast
*to give "smarts"
*physical weakness, or unattractiveness

We women forget that media also pushes ideals on men. Men are pressured to be strong, athletic and to hold back their emotions. Let's think of a 'nerd' character,  often male, thin, wears glasses, uses an inhaler, and knows a lot about science. To summarize physically  they are weak, and glasses are apart of showing that.  This person is not athletic; so instead of caring about sports they spend time reading about science , math history and anything too brainy to a 'normal' person to think about. We are suppose to laugh at these characters, yet we would want them to fix our broken technology.

How often are glasses attached to this 'nerd' stereotype?   It is incredibly rare to see a strong, attractive, admirable or even just a lead character wearing glasses; male or female.