Harry Potter takes the geek factor out of glasses

By Serena Chaudhry

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters Life!) - Will girls make passes at boys who wear glasses? Well they might if he looks like Harry Potter or "Pirates of the Caribbean" film star Johnny Depp.

The fictional boy wizard beat Depp to come first in a poll of 1,000 children asked to name their "Top Ten Faces with Specs Appeal" by Britain's College of Optometrists.

But when the children were asked to name people who made wearing glasses cool -- the actor who doffed his glasses to play the tottering Captain Jack Sparrow -- came first.

"In the past wearing glasses may have made you a source of amusement for playground bullies, with Harry Potter books and film stars like Johnny Depp at the forefront of popular culture, children can now wear their glasses with pride," College advisor Susan Blakeney said in a statement.

Boys found the young Hogwarts champion more stylish than girls, who revealed that Depp made them swoon most.

Sixty nine percent of the children between the ages of seven and 16 named Depp as their style guru and placed Potter second at 64 percent.

Depp's popularity soared among teenagers, with almost three-quarters of girls aged 13 to 16 voting for the film star as their glasses fashion icon.

Other people on the list included Elton John, Bill Gates, Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Britain's Queen Elizabeth and the groovy Austin Powers character created by comedian Mike Myers.