Why Women’s Undergarments Often Feature a Small Decorative Bow

A Practical Tool in the Dark
One of the most intriguing aspects of the underwear bow’s history involves lighting — or rather, the lack of it. Before the advent of electricity, people dressed in dim light, relying on candles, oil lamps, or even moonlight to navigate their homes.

Dressing in low light presented a practical problem: how could a person quickly tell the front of a garment from the back when visibility was limited?

The tiny bow solved this issue elegantly. By feel alone, women could identify the front of their drawers, corsets, or other undergarments without needing to rely on sight.

In this way, the bow was a tactile guide, a small but essential feature that made daily routines more manageable in environments that were often dark or poorly illuminated.