Every spring, like clockwork, I find myself sad and wistful as the days grow longer and warmer. Sure, in a few months there will be fireworks, barbecues, float trips, and swimming holes, but that also means ski season will听be over. With winter鈥檚 barometric roller coaster听coming to a screeching halt, there will no longer be storms to chase and no further need to obsess over weather reports. I dutifully wrap another layer of duct tape over my Kinco gloves, empty the accumulated candy wrappers from my bib pockets, and even tell听myself that next year听I鈥檒l at least think about doing a few preseason squats.

What saves me from my听warm-weather melancholy, however, are new product听releases signaling the promise of the next ski season. Maybe I read too many reviews hyping the latest and greatest shiny听swag, but shopping for new winter gear is what gets me through summer. And yet, buried among听descriptions of waterproof-breathable membranes and debates on the playfulness of ski cores, there is often that one distasteful thing I see in catalogs听that bursts my听bubble: 鈥淎sian-fit鈥� goggles.听

While sizing and fit are undoubtedly important aspects of performance, no other product in the pantheon of outdoor gear is labeled so explicitly by ethnicity. And it鈥檚 not only limited to skiing; manufacturers of eyewear designated for cycling, driving, construction, general fashion, and even tactical use are all equally guilty of the faux pas. Indeed, the release of 鈥淎sian fit鈥� as a label in the early 2010s was not without controversy. A听听about Asian-fit sunglasses included an interview with an assistant professor of anthropology, who focused on the cranio-facial variation in human populations听and delved into the specifics of nasal-cavity structures of Europeans and Asians. The conclusion was that there were indeed anatomic differences, prompting justification for such eyewear. And it鈥檚 true, different ethnic groups have measurable variations in facial form. Research published by biologist Jing Guo in the 听that utilized听genetic markers and 3D mapping听revealed that 鈥渢he nose, brow area, and cheekbones exhibit particularly strong signals of differentiation鈥� between Europeans and Asians. (Eighty-nine participants who self-reported as being of European descent听and 872 participants of Han Chinese, Tibetan, and Uyghur descent听were part of the study.)听These are the same morphologic features that determine how goggles, sunglasses, monocles, and all manner of eyewear fit different faces. And these听same facial features even play into how well the now ubiquitous N95 masks .

But in 2021, have we not evolved beyond using racial or gendered characteristics to sell gear? The problem with Asian-fit goggles is not the product itself; it鈥檚 the atrocious naming scheme. To make sweeping generalizations about the physical attributes of a race, and then to label a product as such, is to single out the product and its consumers as outliers. As if to say, 鈥淎sians, you should wear these. Not those other ones, those are not for you. They were made for other people, with normal faces鈥攏ot you.鈥� Conversely, individuals of non-Asian ethnicities who share facial structures similar to听Asians are disincentivized to even try on the very goggles that might offer the best fit. Guo鈥檚 research model, using high-resolution 3D facial images and over 30,000 discrete markers, was able to correctly identify 81 percent of individuals as Asian or European. Which means approximately 20 percent of the study group overlaps and shares indistinguishably similar facial features鈥攁nd isnt鈥檛听being served by this categorization.听

Labels carry context and judgement. is what psychologists describe as the cognitive processes that occur outside of our conscious awareness or control, including all the associated attitudes, stereotypes, and lingering biases. It鈥檚 why psychologists caution the in early childhood development; for example, being called 鈥渢he bad kid鈥� carries a very different meaning than having 鈥渄one a bad thing.鈥� It鈥檚 why health care professionals identify patients by name, ,听when听discussing a case in medical records. The label 鈥淎sian fit鈥� denotes an 鈥渙therness鈥澨齮o Asian and Asian American skiers in an industry that already chronically lacks diversity.听Preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association听from听2019鈥�20 shows that more听than 88 percent of visitors to U.S. ski areas were white. And those ethnic demographics have not changed in the past ten听years.听

Instead of using race or ethnicity to label a product, eyewear makers should catch up to other segments听of the industry and start using feature-oriented naming conventions. Climbing shoes are designed for different foot types that aren鈥檛 tied to race or gender, such as听low-volume shoes. The biggest bike manufacturers have also听gone , no longer delineating between women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 models听but choosing instead to emphasize fit and features. When it comes to eyewear, how about something cool and zippy-sounding, like听鈥渮ygomatic fit鈥�? Or simply听鈥渓ow-bridge fit,鈥澨� la ?听

In the grand scheme of things, goggles don鈥檛 matter all that much. Fresh snow, first chair, friends, and whether or not the Waffle Cabin is open are the priorities. But in this听day and age, words matter. People matter. Continuing to label goggles and sunglasses as 鈥淎sian fit鈥澨齣s, at worst, divisive and exclusionary听and, at best, just terribly lazy marketing. It鈥檚 high time that eyewear makers do their part to move听toward听a more inclusive outdoors.

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