10 Annoying Movie Tropes You Can't Un-See

10. Glasses = Nerd

Time and again, there is an accessory that seems to be the single irredeemable quality of any aspiring looker, stopping our heroes and heroines getting what they want, need and deserve:

Glasses.

So many films attribute "nerdiness" and all its powers (ugliness, social incompetency, introversion) to a pair of specs. Our hero or heroine removes the offending article and suddenly they are transformed, unrecognisable to their friends and enemies (see also: 'Clark Kenting'), capable of wooing the hottie and winning the approval of their peers.

If this seems cheap, it's because it is.

The trope substitutes real character development for a quick accessory change - as if the world hasn't been saved and the love interest hasn't been won countless times from behind a pair of lenses (Harry Potter's circular bad boys, for one).

You won't have to look far to see the specs go flying, but this trope was especially popular in the early noughties, appearing in The Princess Diaries (2001), Scooby Doo (2002) and even Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002).

It is also dutifully spoofed in 2001's Not Another Teen Movie, which only goes to show how long this trope has been doing the rounds.