"Meganekko" (JP) is a term for a cute and sweet female character who wears glasses.
This is the female counterpart of megane.
Etymology
Meaning of the Term
Meganekko (眼鏡っ娘) comes from the word "megane" (眼鏡), which means "glasses", and "ko" (娘), meaning "girl".[1]
History
Meganekko first started gaining popularity in the 1980s with the release of Dr. Slump and its lead character Arale Norimaki.[2] Prior to this, the image of a woman wearing glasses had a negative stigma to it, with phrases such as "you're a beautiful woman when you take off your glasses" being common. However, with the rise of Arale's popularity, wearing glasses became a fashion trend among youth in Japan leading to meganekko becoming a fully established character archetype in the mid-1990s.
Characteristics
Characters who use glasses tend to have a charm to them. The simple fact that they use glasses makes them more appealing, interesting, and mysterious to some audiences. Thanks to them wearing glasses, they can also perform more actions and use more expressions around people. They can also be present in situations, even charming or romantic ones, related to the fact they are or are not wearing them at the moment. The glasses are a presented key to their appeal.
Personality
Meganekko are cute and sweet female characters who wear glasses. They are usually portrayed as timid and shy, while also being clever.
Meganekko characters are usually very smart. They are often vulnerable bookworm characters who like to read books, learn and study. But characters with glasses in general tend to give the impression that they are smarter than the average person, even if sometimes this is not the case. It's a common stereotype to create smart characters also wearing glasses.
Meganekko are usually really gentle and kind to people, and some are even described to be a big-sister type of person too since they tend to be more mature than other characters in the anime.
Ironically, some characters of this type are unpopular and even looked down on by the other characters within the story, but they gain a lot of popularity and love from the fans instead. This normally causes them to be more shy and insecure around people until they find someone who accepts them for who they are no matter their appearance, similar to dandere or hajidere characters.
Similar Archetypes
- Dandere: A term for a character who is silent and expressionless most of the time, but will suddenly become cute, talkative, and deredere when they are alone with their love interest.
- Megane: A term for a stoic and intelligent male character who wears glasses.
- Moe: A term for characters who are the embodiment of being "cute" and give off feelings of strong affection.
List of Characters
Gallery
 Nodoka Manabe from K-ON!  Sakura Kouno from Horimiya  Ai Mie from Suki na Ko ga Megane wo Wasureta  Miyuki Takara from Lucky☆Star .png "Chiaki Oogaki from Yuru Camp△ (1).png (122 KB)") Chiaki Oogaki from Yuru Camp△  Mirai Kuriyama from Kyoukai no Kanata |
References
- ↑ What is Meganekko. Pixiv Encyclopedia.
- ↑ What is Meganekko. Nico Nico Pedia (2009/07/08).