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Tech giants are partnering with icons to sell smart glasses to women. But are they interested? We asked ten women for their thoughts on the trend.
For centuries, humans have had complex feelings about the integration of advanced technology into our daily lives. But despite the anxiety of the 19th century about unchecked scientific progress and human hubris, as read in Frankenstein, the modern world is inching closer to a sci-fi fantasy. The 90s had cellphones, the noughties discovered social media, and the 2020s have brought AI and more smartwear products into mainstream consciousness. However, no one seems to fear these advancements more than women, and companies are noting that.
In February 2026, the CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, sat in the front row at the Prada womenswear Fall/Winter 26 show to everyone’s surprise. It is not uncommon to see wealthy men of all professions at fashion shows, but he was there on business. According to Business Insider, it was an extension of his plan to “make wearable tech happen”. They also highlighted that “Meta announced last year that it’s partnering with Prada to create a luxury version of its AI glasses.” It is not the first time Meta has looked to fashion to push this eyewear. In 2025, Ray-Ban Meta collaborated with Coperni for a limited edition of smart glasses.
While Zuckerberg might have skipped out on the next fashion season, his AI glasses did not. As the fashion season had passed from SS27 Menswear and was heading to Paris Haute Couture Week, everyone had the various collections on their lips. However, no brand garnered as much attention and discourse as the announcement of the latest Meta Smart Glasses, in partnership with Kylie Jenner.
The Kylie Jenner x Meta Glasses’ “Starfire AI Glasses” launched on June 23. But by late July, they had a competitor when the South Korean avant-garde brand, Gentle Monster, expanded its footprint by partnering with Google and Samsung to create a line of Intelligent Eyewear. Similar to the Meta Glasses, these are powered by AI (Google Gemini in this case) and stylish. Additionally, influential young adult women like Anok Yai and Alex Consani have been hired to front the campaign.
Why is the smartwear industry keen on having attractive women suddenly advertise and co-sign a technology that is not necessarily new, but wants to become fashionable? More importantly, are women interested in this product, and will they be purchasing it?
Read also: Afrobeats can tell better stories about women — why isn’t that the norm?
Do people care about these smart eyewear products?
Anok Yai for the Gentle Monster X Google X Samsung smart eyewear via @StreetFashion01 on X Google Trends shows that Meta Glasses have seen a 190% increase in web searches over the last three months and a 350% increase over the last year, with the peak at the end of June. This coincides with the announcement and eventual release of the Kylie Jenner x Meta Glasses’ “Starfire AI Glasses”.
Kylie Jenner for her Kylie Jenner X Meta Glasses’ “Starfire AI Glasses” campaign via Best Buy on Pinterest 
A screenshot of Google Trends’ “Interest Over Time” Chart of worldwide past-year search “Meta Glasses”. This interest spilt over into the other version of Meta Glasses, with the “Meta Adventurer Glasses” seeing a 3,750% increase in web searches over the last three months, according to Google Trends.
So by a media impact value measure, this collaboration was a smash hit. It was also a needed one, as Meta officially entered the smart eyewear market in September 2021 with the release of Ray-Ban Stories. Their first-generation smart glasses were developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, the parent company of Ray-Ban.
These initial frames blended the classic Ray-Ban style with wearable technology, featuring built-in dual 5MP cameras, open-ear speakers, and a three-microphone array that allowed users to take photos, record short videos, capture phone calls, and listen to music hands-free. In late 2023, the collaboration levelled up with the second-generation “Ray-Ban Meta” smart glasses, which significantly upgraded the hardware to a 12MP camera, improved audio quality, livestreaming capabilities directly to Instagram and Facebook, and the integration of Meta AI voice commands.
The newer versions aim to make smart eyewear more accessible and comfortable for all-day wear, allowing users to effortlessly pull up translation tools for dozens of languages, handle everyday research queries, and seamlessly manage tasks entirely through voice control.
Men have taken to a less cautious acceptance of the eyewear, as data shows that “the majority of buyers of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are men, accounting for roughly 65% to 74% of total purchases.” Women, in comparison, have proven to be more reluctant.
“Meta Glasses” and its woman problem
Amelia Grey in Ray-Ban Meta X Coperni Glasses via Pinterest Even in Nigeria, the leading buyers are men. As a representative of Betafone, a retailer of technology on Instagram, said, “They [Meta Glasses] are not yet as popular as other Apple products. But in the tech industry in Nigeria, it is a popular product that tech-savvy people buy.” They also added that, “It is more in demand by the male gender than the female.”
Another retailer, gadgetsaccessorieshaven, shared a similar overview of their buyers: “Both men and women buy them, but from my experience, male customers constitute the majority of our buyers. Most female customers are students, content creators, and professionals in tech.” Deegadgets.ng also reaffirms this: “It is mixed [buyers’ gender ratio] but more popular among the male gender.”
However, despite the efforts and progress smart eyewear has made to assimilate into society, Meta encountered several obstacles in its path. One being that it allows wearers to film people without their consent, and as a CNN report highlighted, many ‘manfluencers’ are using it to film women.
Meta has responded to these issues by explaining that “Our glasses have an LED light that activates whenever someone captures content, so it’s clear to others that the device is recording and features tamper detection technology to prevent people from covering that light.”
My friend holding his Ray-Ban Meta Glasses via Chinazam Ikechi-Uko Their statement checks out. A male friend of mine owns a pair of these glasses, and I can confirm they feature an LED indicator that lights up whenever a video is being recorded. However, these issues persist, and admittedly, Meta has been pulling its weight by swiftly taking down videos on its platforms when users complain that a video of them violates their privacy.
Alex Consani for the Gentle Monster X Google X Samsung smart eyewear via @StreetFashion01 on X Gentle Monster, on the other hand, might not be new to the smart eyewear industry either, as it partnered with Huawei on the Huawei X Gentle Monster Eyewear and Eyewear II collections in 2019. Yet, there are no articles on the eyewear’s social perception. Another important thing to note is that its previous campaigns featured both male and female models, none of whom were supermodel famous.
Promotional ad campaign for the initial Gentle Monster X Huawei smart eyewear via Hybebeast So for many, it feels convenient that now, these companies are enlisting the Queen of Gen Z, Kylie Jenner, and supermodels Anok Yai and Alex Consani, for their latest collections. The target audience is clear, as these women have proven to have a hold on style in the current zeitgeist. But how are women responding to this subtle push to view smartwear as the next casual technology to adopt? These women share their thoughts.
Read also: Is she dressing for the “male gaze”, or is that just internalised misogyny in disguise
What women have to say about Meta Glasses and all smart eyewear
Noela, 21, Social Editor
No, what would I realistically use them for? I’m not a skit maker or content creator, as I see the appeal for them in that field. Moreover, I hate capitalism.
Precious, 29, Marketer
Personally, they are not recommended [medically], and I do not know if they can be. I also would not want it because I feel overstimulated by the amount of technology we use daily, so I like to take a detox. I really do not want that much technology in my life.
Rukayat, 28, Lifestyle Writer
I am very open to purchasing them as I do not care for their fancy features, only the camera and video recording. I do a lot of interstate travel, and sometimes things do not go as planned, and these glasses can definitely help with getting police brutality and kidnappers on tape.
Ella, 22, Lawyer
Yeah. I’d wear it to do stuff around the house so I can always see my POV when I do things. I want others to see my perspective, as a tiny person.
Sharon, 30, Data Analyst
Honestly, I would not get them or use them. I find them very creepy. Oh, your eyeglasses are a smart object? That’s creepy.
Toyin, 27, Social Media Manager
I am indifferent. I don’t have any thoughts on it, and I do not really care for its use in my life. Honestly, I would rather get a “DJI” for video creation.
Ashim, 22, Fashion & Beauty Writer
No, I won’t get them. In a simple sense, I won’t get them because I don’t see the need, honestly. Whatever the glasses say that they do, I can already do with my normal other smart devices — videos, pictures, voice-to-speech, and music listening. I don’t need to get a pair of glasses to be able to do all of that. It just feels like an innovative toy or knick-knack that was created for the common consumer.
You cannot deny the negative impact that these innovations have on society, especially towards women. You even have cases like South Korea, where students took these glasses into the exam halls to cheat. So you cannot deny that it does harm society. I know that things like this might not be made with negative intentions in mind, but companies are just trying to push out the newest innovative item. We thought we’d have flying cars, but now we get glasses that can record people without their consent.
Dominique, 32, Filmmaker
I am a filmmaker, and therefore, I love to video things. Therefore, I would definitely get them. I also grew up in the US, and there’s a lot of police brutality targeted at black people. So, I think it can be very helpful.
Shalom, 25, Editor
I think it is very accessible for pictures and videos, so I would be getting one. It will aid in content creation, and I have been doing a couple of those lately. But I am wary of it becoming a “thing” because people are weird, and there are already a lot of people taking videos of unsuspecting passersby to share online. We saw what happened when X (formerly known as Twitter) introduced the AI “Grok”, and how people were using it to strip women of their clothing in photos.
Salem, 28, Content Creator
As a content creator, I see so many possibilities and how useful it would be. But it is expensive, so I will stick to phones for now.
Understanding the next steps for the Meta Glasses and other smart eyewear
The discourse surrounding smart eyewear reveals a complex intersection of technological ambition and consumer reality. It raises several concerns, including the one Precious, 29, asked about: are there medically recommended versions? To answer the question, the retailer Gadgetaccessorieshaven affirms that they can convert it to a medically recommended version for you if you’d like.
But for many women, the tension lies in weighing the undeniable utility of these devices — particularly for content creation and personal safety — against deep-seated concerns regarding privacy.
The industry is making a concerted effort to win over women through high-profile partnerships with icons of style and luxury. Nevertheless, the future of smart glasses among female consumers remains uncertain, balancing practical scepticism with technological curiosity.
But the question remains, and only time will tell: Will these Kylie x Meta Glasses and the Anok Yai co-signed Gentle Monster Smartwear finally get women interested?
Read more: Fashion is art, but every hemline, fabric, and silhouette has always had something political to say
React to this post!The post Would you wear Meta Glasses? We asked 10 women what they really think about smart eyewear appeared first on Marie Claire Nigeria.
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