Thursday, April 19, 2012

Why Rock The Bow Tie?

Courtesy of Mountain and Sackett.  Check their ties out!
Those of you who know me know that I more often than not will wear a bow tie for work, events, etc. However, I do seem to be one of the few men out there that still wear these bad boys. So why rock the bow tie?

Here are a few reasons:
  1. They look amazing and my Cutie Pie thinks that I look sexy in them. Your special lady may too. 
  2. Not only are they unique, but when worn correctly they also look professional. 
  3. No long dangling string thing from your neck. This keeps your tie from encountering hazardous things like soup bowls, fires and paper shredders. There's also no need to bring some fancy do-dad clip to keep your tie close to you so that you don't get pulled into a shredder and die or tickle your patient's belly while you're examining them. 
  4. Nice bow ties are cheaper than nice straight neck ties. Seriously how much silk do they waste on those long dangly things that you can't even see most of from underneath your jacket or coat?
Photo originally from paper-cuts.net

But on a more serious note I learned to love the bow tie from my grandfather. Pop Pop, wore bow ties to everything and looked great in them. Even after he retired, he still wore them to most functions and for his many Barber Shop performances. I can think of few people that looked more distinguished yet also approachable than Pop Pop rocking one of his many bow ties. In fact I'm guessing that he had over 100 by the time he passed away almost 9 years ago.

Many of the nicest ones were given to me by my parents and grandmother from Pop Pop's collection as they knew that I liked bow ties, but didn't have any of my own and they were something of Pop Pop's that I could not only treasure and remember him by, but also make good use of.

And indeed I have treasured them and they have done everything from attend weddings, to perform on stage to see patients in the clinic. So on top of the above reasons I also get to wear them because I consider them a special tradition that Pop Pop passed on to me (though I have a few of my own ones now too besides the ones that were given to me from Pop Pop's collection).

Plus as an added tip to fellow medical students, if you can pull off the bow tie well, it will encourage your patients too that you are professional and know what you're doing. You may not and it may be the first time you've ever done that exam that you're seeing them for, but it can go a long way to calm and encourage them that they are being seen by a professional.

Here's a good link to learn how to tie one (it's just like tying your shoes, literally) at Art of Manliness. (Also a good website to read often anyway)

But in any case I love my bow ties and I hope that one day you other men out there will love them too. The world needs more bow tie wearers, so why not rock one sometime soon?