Tying a bowtie was something my grandfather could do

[Model35mech]

He was born in 1889

Being able to tie a bow tie is NOT a characteristic Boomer Skill, no matter what the MSN aggregator says.

What kind of cultural ignorance is really promoted by digital media providers in the interest of promoting ageism in the under 50's?

Being able to spin a rolodex to find an alphabetically ordered name card is a skill?????

I think any gen Z could do this if they choose to, but they have different and potentially better tools to do it. At least until Putin's electromagnetic pulse fries all the chips. But then, at that point, who's going to be available to pick up a call?

[sdfernando]

1. Not sure what prompted this OP, but I took it upon myself

to learn how to tie a bowtie. It isn't really that hard but getting it to fit snugly can be a challenge. I like the way the tie looks and lays over the clip-on or pre-tied ones. As an amateur musician I have to wear formal clothes or tuxes quite often...so it is a skill I find useful.

And yes, I agree with you that any Gen Z could do it if they chose to. Yes, there are better and faster tools available to do a wide variety of things. My personal view is it is not always a good thing.

[Aristus]

2. I'm Gen X, and I can tie a bow tie, and know four different ways to tie a necktie.

I not only own my own tuxedo, I own two, and three dinner jackets, as well. I haven't worn a clip-on anything since I was ten years old.

Someone once told me, if you can't be good-looking, be well-dressed.

I think it was my mother...

[Model35mech]

3. Bowties were great for guys with messy jobs

No long tie tails to drag into the food prep, or the dissection tray for a preserved fetal pig. BTW these two things aren't closely associated in time and place.

I never bothered learning to tie a necktie. I just treated like tying the latigo strap on a horse saddle. A wrap around the back and shoot the tails over the top and into the just made wrap... pull to snug.

It never had the nice neat creases of 4-in-hand, but it got me past my Dept Chair, and the Academic Dean.

[FHRRK]

4. I was on a bus to a formal wedding last year

One of the kids had a bit too much to drink prior to jumping on the bus and untied his bow tie. I tried to help, no luck, went to other gentlemen my age to try and help, all 50 year olds plus, no luck. A twenty-six year old came back and saved the day.

[Model35mech]

5. Sounds right to me. It's something some guys learn to do.

And AI apparently thinks it's old fashioned vs a special and rather narrowly known skill.

I tied a lot of ties when I came out of basic. Much of my platoon could knot a more common necktie. Class-A's don't cha know?

[TlalocW]

6. When COVID hit

I came up with a list of things to teach myself like learning to blow a bubble with gum, etc. Tying a bowtie was one.

I've since forgotten how.

[Model35mech]

7. Don't feel bad. Forgetting stuff is most of my Bucket List

I've lived across "interesting times" most of that life's 'fashion/trendy stuff' deserve to forgotten.

I knew things weren't going to be pretty when my University's library threw out their Biological Abstracts which spanned 135 year and they put in a Starbucks sales counter in the space. Although I've always been deleting from my member, I turned toward serious forgetting to deal with the way that loss hit me. They "digitized" searches, but didn't bother subscribing to things I used. It resulted in me having to make a 70 mile trip to Madison to plumb the past of my discipline.