Some Sons Of Anarchy Fans Take Issue With The Lack Of Vest Personalization

FX's "Sons of Anarchy" would never be accused of being perfectly authentic. That isn't to say the gritty biker series isn't a spectacular immersion into a heightened world. That is arguably why it is so entertaining to revisit the fictional town of Charming, California. Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) is the eventual President of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original and gets into all sorts of shenanigans, from combatting Irish gangs to white nationalists. His character is also an apparent reference to the titular character of "Hamlet." After JT's (Nicholas Guest) death, Jax learns through the power of writing that his father's desires for the club never came to fruition despite his best efforts. 

After struggling against the tide of what his savage mother Gemma (Katey Sagal) wants, Jax eventually comes to learn that his father was murdered by his own family. All set against a Northern California biker club backdrop, outlandish concepts such as these tend to stray far outside the lines of reality. Though Hunnam made an effort to pay homage to a real-life biker, the same cannot be said for the rest of the series. 

One of the most treasured possessions of a Sons of Anarchy biker is their leather vest. The uniform for the club has a top rocker notating the club name and a bottom rocker identifying their charter. It is rare to see a member without this article of clothing, so much so that Opie (Ryan Hurst) even referred to it in his wedding vows to Lyla (Winter Ave Zoli). The vests are part of the members' identities, making some fans on Reddit question why the vests look so similar. Adding patches is a big way to personalize the vests. Jax went from Vice President to President, while others have the hard-won Men of Mayhem patches. These patches designate which members have sacrificed for the club. 

"Jax is the only member to have any kind of custom patches. The gun scythes on his collar. The SAMCRO side rocker. The memorial patch for Opie" listed u/MotoPun414. The Redditor continued, noting that while some of the vests varied, it was only for a select few of the bikers. "Piney had his denim vest, and Bobby has the white fringe. But other than that, everyone's got the same vest." U/Huskeyofcali agreed that they had always found this odd. Many patches were inconsistent, such as Bobby's identifying him as treasurer. But there is something to be said for being the devil's advocate, and other Redditors offered a contrasting angle to the issue. 

Real-life M.C.s are as notorious as they are sticklers for rules. Hells Angels is one of the most well-known clubs and counted some "Sons of Anarchy" actors among their ranks in real life. The series is a happy-go-lucky version of the real thing. Particularly when it comes to patches, the Hells Angels have to follow specific rules. Patches have high honor and are treated with the utmost respect. Any defacement of the patch is sacrilege. With this in mind, it may make sense why the Sons are so uniform with the one exception. One Redditor pointed out that Jax standing out among his brothers is logical.

"I always took it as Jax being the new blood, whilst everyone is very uniform," mused u/Legitimate-Health-29. "Jax, like JT, had bigger, grander ideas for the club; someone like Chibbs would be quite formal with his background, not go beyond what i[s] normally there; Tigg is an army man, again, uniform." Viewers watch "Sons of Anarchy" through Jax's perspective. His heartbreak over the death of Opie motivated him to commemorate his fallen brother with a specific patch. We get insight into the interior lives of other characters, but not to the extent of the President. Adding patches to their vests would not hold as much emotional weight as it does for Jax.