MSNBC host Tucker Carlson learned only gradually of the bow tie's capacity to repulse, and by then it was too late; changing his look now would seem like weakness," the New York Times says in a long story about bow ties. But Carlson said there was an upside to all the abuse he has taken:

"It's good training for TV. The problem with TV is, if you start to think about how other people perceive you, you'll go insane. When you wear a bow tie, you have to turn off the part of the brain that cares about other people's perceptions."