From high fashion runways to the high street, bows are making a powerful comeback, becoming more than just an accessory. Explore how this seemingly simple item is challenging gender norms, sparking controversy, and even signaling hidden desires.
Bows are experiencing an unprecedented resurgence in fashion and culture, evolving from a simple accessory to a significant statement. This article delves into the phenomenon, highlighting their prominent role in upcoming adaptations like Emerald Fennell’s 'Wuthering Heights,' where they serve as a plot device and a visual motif. Beyond the screen, bows have sparked public debate, as seen with rugby player Georgia Evans facing online trolls for wearing pink bows, leading to a massive show of solidarity. In 2025, bows are presented as bold, central elements in designs by luxury brands like Marc Jacobs and Dior, and are ubiquitous on the high street, leading some to dub it the 'bow-pocalypse.' This trend signifies a broader cultural shift, as women embrace 'girlishness' not as weakness but as a source of pride and intellectual rigor, moving away from the need to dress like men to be taken seriously. Designers like Sandy Liang, Chopova Lowena, and Simone Rocha use bows as a subversive code, creating an ironic twist when placed in unexpected contexts. Historically, bows were worn by Croatian soldiers and later popularized by aristocratic men for status, with Marie Antoinette cementing their place as a strategic fashion item. Today, men like Andrew Garfield and Harry Styles wear bows to challenge gender binaries. While bows offer practical functionality for designers like Cecilie Bahnsen, allowing for adjustable garments, their deeper meaning often hints at eroticism and a playful invitation to 'untie me!' From signaling softness (Kate Garraway) to representing a complex interplay of femininity, power, and desire, the bow is proving to be one of fashion's most loaded and fascinating accessories.
