Style

Put a Bow On It!

Wearing: H&M tights and beaded sweater, Forever 21 cutout skirt, Asos hair bow, Michael Kors bag, Nordstrom “Love” Bracelet (out of stock, but similar to this Kate Spade beauty), Urban Outfitters sunglasses, vintage jewelry, and a strange pair of knock off Tory Burch flats my mother picked up as a gift (Bory Turch?).

Fun fact: I own approximately 100 hair bows…maybe more. There is something so appealing about putting a bow on that caters to my feminine side or perhaps my 7-year-old inner self. Some may say I’m living in retrograde, but I can’t find a better way to complete a look. I reserve Sundays for errands — a day of tiresome tasks that I wish I could do from the comfort of my sheets behind the pages of whatever celebrity memoir I’m devouring. To brighten my last Sunday, I pulled out the big guns: a GARGANTUAN Asos rosette bow that makes me look like I’m smuggling your holiday gifts under my skin. Decked out like a present under a (palm) tree, I kept a sunny disposition. Through Miami traffic and voting poll lines, I smiled, played Toto’s “Africa,” and adjusted my bow with pride. This all sounds very melodramatic, but here are a few things I’ve learned in my 25 years of bow wearing that I feel are necessary for you to know:

1. Growing up as a bald baby who refused to grow hair until nearly 3 years old, bow headbands converted me from Jack to Jill in public settings. (There was a moment in time when my family ordered a customized photo of me as Kimberly the Pink Ranger from Power Rangers and sent along my photo. I was 5 years old with blunt bangs and an obvious androgynous gaze, leading me to receive a photo of my face pasted on the Red Ranger’s body. Blasphemy, right? I was missing a bow.)

2. All amazing things are packaged with a bow. New cars. New jewelry. Holiday gifts. Kate spade goodies.

3. You will literally get carded everywhere. In the midst of my quarter-life crisis, being mistaken for 20 isn’t all too bad.

4. By everywhere, I mean the public library. I was recently asked where my parents were so I could sign up for a library card.

5. And voting polls. And airports. I’m assumed to be a minor everywhere I go.

5. The world is nicer to you when you look like a fresh Christmas present.

6. Bows are feminine and fun. Even a more casual or boyish look can be paired with a hair bow and work wonders.

7. They are ultimately the lazy girls essential for doing hair (second to godly dry shampoo). If you fall in the category of girls who have pinned and failed at pulling off nearly 80 different styles on Pinterest (Fishtail what?), take advantage of a wondrous bow to make you look like you actually did something to your mane.

8. There are thousands of varieties. From leather to lace, there are “badass” bows, “sweetheart” bows, “sparkly” bows, “trying to get it together” bows, and more for every occasion.

9. There’s a multitude of amazing DIY projects featuring dainty bow to make yourself. Visit my Pinterest to find inspiration.

10. If there’s an emoji for it, you know its important.

Why limit bows to just our hair? Here’s my curated picks of some of my favorite looks to get wrapped up in.