Recently, women across the world are participating in the trend of adding bows to their day to day lives as a tribute to their younger selves.
There has been a recent comeback of bows all over the internet. Women of all ages have been participating in this trend by incorporating bows into different aspects of their lives. Bows have been seen on girls’ shoes, backpacks, and hair. Bows are being used as a symbol of girlhood and appreciating your inner child.
“I think bows are a symbol of femininity, because they represent innocence and capture the essence of a girl’s childhood. As little girls, I think we’ve all universally experienced putting bows on our dolls or bows on our stuffed animals, because it added a feminine and innocent touch to our belongings. Our mothers, since we were young, used to put bows on our hair and it was a big part of our everyday style. Essentially, bows represent the little girls we are within, I also think, in a way, it represents the effort in reaching out to our younger selves now as adults,” said senior Alexandra G.
A bow is a decorative knot made by looping and tying a ribbon or fabric. It’s significant because it can add a stylish and charming touch to different clothes and accessories.
“I think that the obsession with bows could be a trend, however for some of us it represents more. I think that when we look at the current generations and we see young girls buying more adult products or dressing more adult-ish, we kind of think back to our childhood. However, when we do, we don’t see ourselves being the same way. So I think that bows are a way to connect to our younger selves when life was easier and when we didn’t have as much responsibility and adult-like problems that we have now,” said Alexandra G.
Bows have been used throughout history as a symbol of femininity, elegance, and celebration. They can make quite the statement or simply add a playful and whimsical element to an outfit or accessory.
“Part of growing up is realizing that we have to tear away the innocence that we used to have in our childhood when we didn’t have a care in the world. So when we connect ourselves to these inanimate objects, like bows, we kind of connect to who we were before, those moments where we had genuine happiness and find comfort in them,” said Alexandra G.
As women mature, they continue to find ways to keep a sense of their original feminine identity alive and thriving.
“I think people want to go back to a sense of childhood and the innocence and less stress that we had. Bows remind us of who we were.Well, I’ve got bows on my shoes and ear muffs and ribbon for my hair, and I enjoy it. I feel cute and that’s why I love the trend,” said senior Bridget S.
There are several ways women can incorporate bows into their lives such as adding them to their keychains or their water bottles.
“A way that I express my femininity on a day-to-day basis is by dressing my style and adding a feminine touch to it. For example, my favorite color is pink and it has always been since I was a child so I think that wearing pink clothing or having pink belongings, it’s just a way to express my femininity. I also decorate anything and everything with a more feminine style, whether it be my car, my backpack or my room. I also enjoy spending time with my friends and getting coffee. I love shopping and I love jewelry. I love doing my hair, I love doing my nails and with these little things I think that I express who I am, and display my femininity on a day to day basis.” said Alexandra G.
Although the obsession with bows and girlhood has been seen as a trend, it has been believed that bows are a timeless symbol that are here to stay for the long run.
“All trends fade in and out but I think trends that remind us of our youth and less stressful times will always be something people will gravitate towards. Other ways I express my femininity are through nails, my hair and my clothes. I love to be feminine and show the world that girls can do anything no matter what we do or don’t look like,” said Bridget S.
Girlhood isn’t just about comforting one’s younger self, it’s about transitioning into a woman without forgetting their roots.
“I think girlhood is about discovering who you are as a woman and how women are impacted by society. Women have always had a harder time in society so I think girlhood is understanding that dynamic and taking on these challenges together. Supporting one another and our little interest. It’s more acceptable for women to express their feelings and be open and find comfort in ourselves and our interests. I think a key factor of girlhood is embracing femininity and our ‘girly’ interests. I think a part of girlhood is growing up and taking our experiences and helping one another through societal pressures and challenges,” said senior Madison G.
This shift in embracing female maturity is manifesting confidence and power within the world. It is altering the standards for women and allowing a broader perspective.
“The difference between girlhood when I was younger and now is that now there is more of an emphasis on changing society to help girls and support girls regardless of what their interests are. In the past I think girls were more divided and only certain ideas were accepted but today girls embrace all our differences and how regardless we are all still women. Instead of bashing a certain type of women for not aligning with a certain narrative to change the narrative as a whole, today girls can enjoy these more ‘traditional’ women’s ideas without feeling bashed for going along with this typical idea of a woman. You can be any kind of woman and support feminism. Similarly I think there is an emphasis on empowering and acknowledging women’s struggles and to appreciate the small cute things that make us girls,” said Madison G.
Girlhood promotes unity amongst all. Despite its being a trend, bows allow women to preserve when faced with adversity through its constant reminder of what women represent.◼️
