# What do you think of a guy wearing a bowtie? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2003, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054 "2003-07-17T03:41:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lao\_Tsu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lao\_Tsu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lao_Tsu)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/41 "2003-07-17T21:30:37Z")
Is it a pretied bow tie? Pretied bow tie ==== Looser Traditional bow tie, tied well. All the positive attributes others have listed in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/42 "2003-07-17T21:31:23Z")
A Dork - Who can’t tie a Windsor Knot. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/43 "2003-07-17T23:25:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cher3 \* > So, wearing a bow tie is craving attention/personal inadequacy/pseudoeccentrism, but tattoos and piercings are expressions of rugged individualism? I like the way you think. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/44 "2003-07-17T23:41:59Z")
With the exception of a tuxedo in an appropriate setting, I’m gonna have to go with “total dork”, although “goofus” is also a distinct possibility. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/45 "2003-07-17T23:43:09Z")
The professor I worked for in grad school _always_ always wore bow ties. He was an astonishingly vain, condescending, pompous jackass. Consequently, when I see a man in a bow tie I have to suppress the twitching that starts just below my left eye and stifle the urge to kick him really hard in the shins. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/46 "2003-07-18T03:10:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cher3 \* > \*\*So, wearing a bow tie is craving attention/personal inadequacy/pseudoeccentrism, but tattoos and piercings are expressions of rugged individualism? \*\* Tattoos don’t look goofy until you’re at least 30, whereas bowties are goofy all the time. Same with piercings, I’d say. Though my thought when I see someone with a piercing: “Ouch.” ---
**Author:** ![Davebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Davebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Davebear)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/47 "2003-07-18T16:42:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Isabelle \* > \*\*If he is only wearing a bowtie I would call him “sexy” \ \*\* Hmmm. I may need to rethink my attitude about bowties. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalhoun \* > \*\*Bow-tie. My ass! \*\* Now, _there’s_ an interesting use for bowties. 😃 Actually, there _are_ some people on whom a bowtie works, like the oversized Rex Harrison mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, there a lot more on whom they _don’t_ work, no matter how persistent those people are. Usually, they just look contrived, or slapped on as an afterthought ---
**Author:** ![Hecubis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ec9cab/32.png) [@Hecubis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hecubis)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/48 "2003-07-18T17:32:48Z")
From one of my favorite movies, _State and Main_ **Doc Wilson: It’s the truth that you should never trust anybody who wears a bow tie. Cravat’s supposed to point down to accentuate the genitals. Why’d you wanna trust somebody whose tie points out to accentuate his ears?** As for my opinion, you have to be either looking to be different or not giving a rat’s ass how people perceive you. Both of which are not necessarily bad things. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/49 "2003-07-19T00:52:29Z")
My dad wears bow ties maybe 60% of his tie-wearing time. He’s a 49-year old psychiatrist geek. I think it makes him look adorable, and different. He loves wearing them, and loves buying them even more. Go ahead and insult the noble bow-tie wearer! I know he is a man of worth and taste! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/50 "2003-07-19T02:48:52Z")
Generally, I think it makes a guy look like he’s just trying too hard. There are a few guys who do look good in them. Tucker Carlson isn’t one of them. (But it sure was funny when he had to eat Hillary’s shoe!) ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/51 "2003-07-19T18:07:26Z")
Outside of formal situations it makes the wearer look like a total dork but not for the traditional reasons. Like Green Bean said, they’re trying too fricking hard. You don’t need a bowtie to tell others that you’re intelligent and slightly eccentric; you need brains and a unique approach to using them. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/52 "2003-07-19T19:21:19Z")
I salute anyone who makes the effort to look pulled-together in any way, shape or form. So many people look like bums it’s pathetic. God forbid you leave the house looking half-decent. When I see a guy wearing a bowtie I think the same thing I think when I see a guy wearing a dress hat (fedora, etc): “Why don’t more guys do that?” ---
**Author:** ![Marsie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Marsie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marsie)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054/53 "2003-07-20T03:58:44Z")
My husband is a professor and he looks delicious in a bow tie! He also has this jacket with suede patches on the elbows and wire rimmed glasses and…(sigh), I think I’ll go in the next room and give him a big smooch! Smart is extremely sexy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-a-guy-wearing-a-bowtie/189054.md?page=2)