Why Bodyguards Wear Dark Sunglasses

Why Bodyguards Wear Dark Sunglasses

The ideal answer to the question “why do bodyguards wear black sunglasses?” would be to protect their eyes from the sun. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Many bodyguards will tell you that wearing sunglasses also unsettles any would-be attackers as they cannot see which direction you are looking. This is generally true, but many bodyguards wear sunglasses because they think that it is part of the uniform and they look cool.

A competent bodyguard must be very observant, and bright sunlight will hinder their ability to observe their surroundings.

Over the years, dark sunglasses and bodyguards have become synonymous. Some operatives take wearing sunglasses to the extremes.

There is absolutely no requirement to wear sunglasses indoors. Despite this fact, many unprofessional bodyguards insist on wearing sunglasses indoors, even at night! All this does is highlight who they are. By ensuring that everyone knows that the person wearing sunglasses is supposed to be a bodyguard usually results in the client being recognised or embarrassed.

Obviously, if a bodyguard is outdoors in the blazing sunshine, then sunglasses are essential for eye health and for maintaining visual observations.

Wear Appropriate Sunglasses for the Assignment

When a bodyguard chooses their sunglasses, they should not just follow fashion or their taste. They should:

  • try the sunglasses on before purchasing them;
  • ensuring that the glasses suit the shape of their face;
  • most importantly, that the sunglasses suit the type of assignment.

Oakley wraparound sunglasses are favoured by many operatives working on hostile PMC/PSD assignments which work well because they are robust and offer all-round eye protection, some models even offer ballistic protection.

However, Oakley wraparounds really do not suit an executive protection assignment. A pair of Ray-Ban aviators are far more suited to this role. Although not suited to a hostile assignment they work well in an executive role if they suit the wearer.