A glance around the underwear sections of Primark, New Look, or Tesco will reveal several pairs of pants with a small bow on the front.
Although it might appear to be there to add a bit of decoration, the bow does in fact serve a practical purpose in the design of the garments.
There are actually several reasons behind the bow, which some shoppers have found surprising.
In a post on social media site Reddit, one user asked: "Why do so many panties have that little bow on the centre front? Where did the tradition come from?"
Another user replied: "As for the roots of the tradition? It comes from pre-elastic days, when your underthings were held in place by a bit of ribbon threaded through the eyelet lace at the tops.
Did you know what the bow is for? Let us know in the comments section.
“The little bow is where you tied that ribbon, and of course it's in the front because that's the easiest place to do something like that."
So, historically you would need to tie the bow at the front to prevent your pants from falling down.
But the reasons for the bow don't stop there, with another user suggesting that it is also a useful reminder of which side of the pants is the front, which can be handy if you're getting dressed in low light.
On Facebook, one person commented: "It helps you to realize what way they go on," while another noted: "I like the bow it tells me got them on the right way have put them on inside out before now."
Others found the idea surprising, with a Reddit user saying: "This is very interesting." and another noted: "Holy s*it, that's an awesome answer."
One person joked that they believed the bow was there because "I'm a present".
Nonetheless, not everyone was keen on the bow, with one woman commenting: "I've always found them a little pointless and annoying, rather than cute. Kind of like those packs of panties that come in nude, white, and black when you never want to wear the white ones."
Another added: "Every time I'm trying to find underwear to wear under something fitted that will show shapes, all I can find is underwear with little bows that I wasn't even aware of that will make an awkward little bump just above my lady parts."
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