The History of Hair Bows

Hair ribbons have been around since Neolithic times and were often used to tie back the hair of both men and women. During many parts of the past, hair ribbons were worn often or even exclusively by men. For instance, from 1590 – 1650, men (though sometimes women, too) often grew a single long lock of hair and tied a ribbon in a bow or rosette on the end to represent their romantic love. Between 1600 – 1800, men would often court women by gifting them ribbons purchased at fairs so they could tie back their hair or adorn their clothing. In the 1680s, a French noblewoman named Marie Angélique de Scorailles, Duchess of Fontanges, started a hair trend that involved a great deal of ribbons and bows; Marie Antoinette later took the style to new heights with her signature adorned pouf. These trends caused hair bows and similar adornments to be associated with royalty. But in the late 1700s, the first Industrial Revolution allowed for the mass production of ribbon, so by the end of the 1700s, hair bows were worn by a far greater number of women, since they were less expensive and more accessible. As a consequence of this, bows became a significant trend in the 1800s and were fashion accessories during both the Recency and Victorian periods. In the late 1800s, both male and female children often wore small bows to pin back their hair, but around the turn of the century, bows became an almost exclusively female accessory. The size of bows also increased around this time — in fact, women of all ages began to wear larger bows in their hair. In the 1940s and 1950s, bows were worn as symbols of femininity (think Rosie the Riveter — both strong and feminine). They were also reportedly worn in different ways by high school girls to signify relationship status or interest. As the century progressed, hair bows were often used to signify youth, innocence, and wholesomeness in pop culture (think Dorothy’s blue hair bow in The Wizard of Oz). In the 1980s, Madonna famously subverted this entrenched association with her stage and music video outfits, which often incorporated bows in unexpected ways. While hair bows have always been relatively popular among women, they became a bona fide fashion trend in the late aughts and early 2010s, in large part because Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf regularly wore them. Celebrities like Zooey Deschanel and Lady Gaga also fueled the trend, and in the late 2010s, celebrity JoJo Siwa became well-known for her colorful hair bows, too. In 2023, hair bows once again had a fashion moment. It’s clear that these accessories have a long, storied history and will never truly go out of style.