The expression “to have rose-colored glasses” means that someone has an overly optimistic, positively idealized perception of certain people, events or circumstances.
Origin of the expression with rose-colored glasses
This metaphor suggests that the person is looking through colored glass, thereby beautifying reality and ignoring or not noticing problems or negative aspects.
The colour pink is traditionally associated with gentleness, romance and a positive mood, which creates the image that everything appears in a “rosy”, i.e. pleasant, light.
Examples of the use of this phrase are:
1. A person who is newly in love might claim that their partner is perfect, even though friends and family perceive some obvious flaws or problems in the partner's behavior. Here, the person in love could be said to be "looking through rose-colored glasses."
2. A new employee might be so excited about the opportunities and work environment at their new company that they ignore any potential future challenges or problems at work. Again, you could say they are wearing “rose-colored glasses.”
Origin
The origin of this phrase is not entirely clear, but it probably arose from the tendency to see the world "in a pretty light" and the use of colored glasses to influence perception. In the past, people did indeed sometimes wear colored glasses to enhance their viewing experience or to create certain optical effects. Over time, the phrase evolved to take on a metaphorical meaning to describe a subjective, sugar-coated view of things.
Over time, the phrase “to have rose-colored glasses” has found a permanent place in the German vocabulary and is often used in everyday language to describe a naive, optimistic attitude.
Idiom in other languages
A similar image of "seeing through colored glasses" exists in other languages. For example, in English, the phrase "to see the world through rose-colored glasses" is used, which literally means the same thing. Similar expressions can be found in many other languages as well, describing someone's perception of the world in an exaggeratedly positive way. The exact color or accessory (e.g. glasses, lens, filter) may vary, but the concept of a distorted, positive view is widespread.