Warby Parker promotes free eclipse glasses with 'Poor Things' Bella Baxter lookalike

C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·4 min read

"You are in my sun," Bella Baxter casually tells her erstwhile swain and sort-of abductor Duncan Wedderburn in the award-winning 2023 movie "Poor Things."

Coming April 8, the moon will be, too. And popular prescription glasses retailer Warby Parker's version of the blunt, eternally inquisitive Bella (played to perfection in the movie by Emma Stone, who won an Oscar for it) has discovered the safest and most stylish way to gaze upon the spectacular solar eclipse: with a free pair of Warby Parker eclipse glasses.

As it has for previous eclipses, Warby Parker is offering free eclipse glasses at any of its locations starting Monday, April 1.

For the last week, the company has been promoting the glasses offer with short videos posted to social media of a woman in very Bella-like clothing (and eclipse glasses), lurching about in wonderment and looking up into the sky at a total eclipse, over a quote from the movie and haunting piano music.

"It is only the way it is until we discover the new way it is and then that is the way it is until we discover the new way it is and so it goes until the world is no longer flat, electricity lights the night and shoes are no longer tied with ribbons.

"Defy the Sky. 4.8.24," it finishes.

In another, she twirls her hair in slow-motion to reveal the glasses. The caption reads, "Bella Baxter captured at the red carpet for Solar Eclipse 2024."

A third seems to have no obvious eclipse connection.

In the whimsically macabre movie, Bella was created when a Dr. Frankenstein-ish Willem DaFoe puts an infant's brain inside a grown woman's dead body to see how it would develop. The rakish Wedderburn, played by Mark Ruffalo, whisks her away instead to learn the pleasures of the flesh but isn't quite ready for her matter-of-fact, untouched-by-patriarchy attitude.

You'll need eclipse glasses if you plan to look up on April 8. There won't be anywhere you can stand in Florida to see the total Great North American Eclipse, which will be visible in its totality diagonally across the continent from Mexico to Newfoundland. But everyone in Florida will see at least half the sun covered, while areas toward the Panhandle may see 3/4 or more.

What glasses should you wear for the eclipse?

At no point will it be safe to look directly at the sun with your eyes or through a camera, telescope or binocular lens or sunglasses. Doing so can cause immediate and severe eye injury.

NASA recommends safe solar viewing glasses, also called eclipse glasses, or a safe handheld solar viewer. Eclipse glasses are 100,000 times darker than regular sunglasses (which are not enough to protect your eyes during an eclipse) to block nearly all visible, infrared and ultraviolet light.

A pair of free solar eclipse glasses sit on display at a Warby Parker store on Aug. 11, 2017 in New York City.
A pair of free solar eclipse glasses sit on display at a Warby Parker store on Aug. 11, 2017 in New York City.

Are your eclipse glasses safe? Fake eclipse glasses are flooding online stores. How to test before the April solar eclipse

Warby Parker to offer free eclipse glasses

Warby Parker employee Karolyna Landin poses with a pair of solar eclipse glasses that the eyeglass store gave out for the 2017 ecl;ipse.
Warby Parker employee Karolyna Landin poses with a pair of solar eclipse glasses that the eyeglass store gave out for the 2017 ecl;ipse.

"In polite society, it’s rude to stare. Except at the solar eclipse, with our ISO-certified eclipse glasses," Warby Parker said in an Instagram post. The company began providing free solar eclipse glasses at all locations from April 1 until the day of the eclipse, unless supplies run out.

"As avid supporters of sharp vision, we want to make sure you have everything you need to safely witness this celestial spectacle," Warby Parker announced.

The glasses are ISO-certified and manufactured by American Paper Optics. You can get two pairs per family.

Where can I get free eclipse glasses from Warby Parker in Florida?

Warby Parker at Estero's Coconut Point.
Warby Parker at Estero's Coconut Point.

There are 20 Warby Parker locations in Florida.

  • Aventura: Aventura Mall, 19501 Biscayne Blvd. Suite 906

  • Boca Raton: Boca Town Center, 6000 Glades Rd. Suite 1032C

  • Estero: Coconut Point, 23151 Fashion Dr. Suite 109

  • Fort Lauderdale: 1017 E. Las Olas Blvd.

  • Gainesville: Butler Town Center, 3630 SW 32nd Ct. Suite 40

  • Jacksonville: St. Johns Town Center, 4712 River City Dr. Space 107

  • Melbourne: Avenue Viera, 2271 Town Center Ave. Suite 113

  • Miami:

    • Brickell City Centre, 701 S. Miami Ave. Suite 245B

    • Coconut Grove, 3403 Main Hwy

    • Dadeland Mall, 7535 N. Kendall Dr. #1880A

    • Wynwood, 215 NW 25th St.

  • Naples: Mercato, 9115 Strada Pl. #5110

  • Orlando:

    • Mall at Millenia, 4200 Conroy Rd. Suite B166

    • Waterford Lakes Town Center, 683 N. Alafaya Trail

  • Palm Beach Gardens: The Gardens Mall, 3101 PGA Blvd. Suite B-135

  • Sarasota: University Town Center, 140 University Town Center Dr.

  • Tampa:

    • Hyde Park Village, 702 S. Dakota Ave.

    • International Plaza, 2223 N. Westshore Blvd. Suite 280

  • Wesley Chapel: Shops at Wiregrass, 28249 Paseo Dr. #100

  • Winter Park: 356 S. Park Ave.

If they run out, don't worry. Warby Parker also provides free instructions on how to print out and build your own pinhole projector.

What time will the April 8 eclipse be visible in Florida?

Florida residents should start to see the eclipse beginning around 1:35 p.m. EDT on April 8, with the midpoint at 2:55.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 2024 solar eclipse: 'Poor Things' lookalike shows Warby Parker glasses