Have you seen the viral bow trend going around? People around the world have been adding bows to everything from their hair, to the loops in their shoes, down to a little bow on an iced coffee!

The bow trend started in late 2023 mainly shown on TikTok. The inspiration for the trend came from the fashion designer Simone Rocha who showcased bows on her runway models in very unique ways. Adding bows on her model’s outfits, earrings, shoes, and faces! The bows have spread from hundreds of thousands of TikTok videos all over the internet and the day to day life! Many have fallen into the lure of the love of a little bow, me being one of them!

Did you know the 21st-century take on the bow is very different from the bow of the past?

The University Of Sydney says, “The hair bow was originally gender-specific to adult males in Europe throughout the 1700s when men adorned their hair with bows to show they were prosperous and extravagant.”

Women and men both wore bows during this period with men wearing them more but over time men wore them less and less and for women, it became a staple in fashion. How bows were originally designed for men to show their class level has now become a way for women to show their feminine side is quite the switch up!

The bow style that has taken the world by storm is called a Coquette Bow. A Coquette Bow is inspired by Balletcore, Princesses, and Pink Parisian. Each has a different type of aesthetic. In other words a very feminine dainty bow.

A book from my childhood called Eloise In The Plaza, by Kay Thompson and originally published in 1955, sparks a key memory and love of bows for me. Eloise In The Plaza was turned into a movie on April 27th, 2003. Eloise, the main character, is a very energetic, pink-obsessed, bow-loving, matchmaking 6-year-old girl who lives in The Plaza Hotel in New York City with her nanny, pug dog named Weenie, and turtle Skipperdee. She is depicted as a little girl in a white shirt, black skirt, blonde hair, and you probably guessed it a big pink bow in her hair. When I was all I wanted was to be her and live in New York City and have that little bow in her hair… plus I related to her to the point of her being a tad mischievous.

These little bows not only add a touch of charm to our outfits but also serve as tiny reminders of the joy found in life’s simple pleasures. Here’s to the small, cute, and joyous bows that brighten our world, one knot at a time.