2022 Sunglasses Trends for the Gays

Statement Sunglasses for Summer That You Can Buy on Memorial Day Sale

My philosophy on sunglasses is simple: They must be big. So big that they cover half of my face. And they must be jet black.

I describe this aesthetic as “rich white republican grandma on her fifth martini, sitting in the backyard her family’s estate in Connecticut and watching her grandson Chip play polo.” Do I know what all those words mean? I sure do not! I don’t even know if one plays polo on the grass to begin with. I have no idea how any of this this works. But I know this! When I put on sunglasses, I want you to think my Black gay ass is Nancy Reagan. Blue blood elite cosplay, I know that’s right.

There’s a high chance that you are going to shop this weekend, maybe. There’s an even higher chance that you’re going to daydream how hot you are going to look this summer, probably. And I know that we don’t know each other, but babe – you are going to look so fucking hot.

So! With that in mind! Here’s 10 sunglasses you can shop right now from Memorial Day sales (while still supporting queer indie media *wink *wink).

J.Crew

At J.Crew, you can take 50% off these sunglasses with the code SUMMER.

A white femme person with rust colored lipstick and a blonde bob wears oversized square sunglasses with both lenses and frames in a monotone tan color.

Cabana Oversized Sunglasses ($69.50)

A black masc person with dreadlocks in a messy top bun and a yellow shirt wears round glasses with a keyhole on the nose bridge, the glasses have dark lenses and a tan brown frame.

Bungalow Sunglasses ($69.50)

Madewell

Everything (everything) is 25% off at Madewell through May 30 with the code LONGWEEKEND.

Orange aviator sunglasses in a close up

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Acetate Linford Aviator Sunglasses ($69.50)

Thin wire gold framed sunglasses with square grey lenses in a close up.

Fest Square Aviator Sunglasses ($69.50)

Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters has select summer items as 50% off through the long weekend. You can also get an extra 40% off already on-sale items.

A black woman with long braids in a grey sweater coat has on light blue square sunglasses with orange lenses.

Jojo Translucent Rectangle Sunglasses ($16)

A woman with brown skin, long dark hair, and an orange tank top has on dark green hexagon shaped sunglasses with thin gold frames.

Belinda Combination Hexagon Sunglasses ($16)

Nordstrom

Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly Sale has literally thousands of shit for up to to 65% off (applied to these sunglasses, that brings them down to $9 and $6, respectively. YES. NINE DOLLARS. SIX DOLLARS. THASSIT.)

A close up of pale orange-pink round sunglasses, monotone in frame and lenses.

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BP Round Sunglasses ($15)
Purple square sunglasses with brown lenses, in a close up.

BP 52mm Rectangle Sunglasses ($15)

Old Navy

Old Navy promises that this weekend “the entire store is on sale!!!” which seems like a lofty promise if you ask me, but sure bud. (It is 60% off summer styles though, included these sunglasses that I want immediately.)

A light skinned brown woman in a striped tan tank top and long curly hair wears thin pink wireframe cat eye sunglasses with brown lenses

Pink Cat’s-Eye Sunglasses for Women ($16.99)

A black person with a shaved head smiles into the sun while wearing oversized dark sunglasses that are square on top and round on the bottom

Square-Frame Sunglasses ($16.99)

Carmen Phillips

Carmen Phillips is Autostraddle’s former editor in chief. She began at Autostraddle in 2017 as a freelance team writer and worked her way up through the company, eventually becoming the EIC from 2021-2024. A Black Puerto Rican feminist writer with a PhD in American Studies from New York University, Carmen specializes in writing about Blackness, race, queerness, politics, culture, and the many ways we find community and connection with each other. During her time at Autostraddle, Carmen focused on pop culture, TV and film reviews, criticism, interviews, and news analysis. She claims many past homes, but left the largest parts of her heart in Detroit, Brooklyn, and Buffalo, NY. And there were several years in her early 20s when she earnestly slept with a copy of James Baldwin’s “Fire Next Time” under her pillow. To reach out, you can find Carmen on Twitter, Instagram, or her website.