Hey! Its me! In a bow tie!
For Father’s Day about two years ago, my wife and kids gave me a couple bow ties.
I proceeded to not wear them for several months, largely because I never remembered during the week to learn to tie a bow tie and, in the rush of getting my family getting itself ready to go to church, I never had time Sunday mornings. Eventually, though, I learned to tie a bow tie (thanks internet!). From there, well, it’s not like I’ve never gone back—I have a great collection of neckties, and I enjoy wearing them occasionally—but more often than not, I choose one of my bow ties.[fn1]
Growing up, I’m almost entirely sure I never saw anybody at church wearing a bow tie.[fn2] Similarly, I never saw it at BYU or for the several years I lived in New York.
That said, it turns out, I’m not entirely unique in my sartorial choices, at least in my ward. There are three of us who wear bow ties substantially every Sunday. There are another two or three men who wear them frequently, and another handful who wear them occasionally. One of our three young men always wears a bow tie.[fn3]
The sheer volume of bow ties (relative to other places I’ve lived, at least) got me thinking: is this just a Chicago thing? Is it an emerging thing? Or is it not even a thing? And the best way, it seems to me, to figure this out is through a completely unscientific internet poll. So here it is:
[fn1] It’s not just church—days I teach, I wear a suit and tie, and usually that tie’s a bow tie. In fact, some days I have to pick one of my kids up from school and take her straight to her climbing practice. I’m usually the only person who shows up at the gym in a bow tie.
[fn2] Except the day after Prom, I assume.
[fn3] A couple of our primary kids wear bow ties too—my son among them—but I don’t know that bow ties on little kids are entirely unique—I vaguely remember having a clip-on bow tie when I was like 6.