Clothing stockists from Primark to Asda and Tesco all have a good selection of underwear. And shoppers who venture down those aisles are guaranteed to find pants with a bow on the front.
But in a world of fashion design which means there are countless styles many have questioned why so many have the ribbon feature. And according to the Manchester Evening News the reason is not just down to them looking good.
Shoppers have been asking why on Reddit - and plenty of people have come back with answers. According to the site the tradition comes from pre-elastic days when undergarments were held together by ribbon threaded through eyelets at the top.
The ribbon stopped pants falling down - and saved the blushes of women of the day. Fastening the ribbon at the front made sense as it was the easiest place to do it.
But others say there are different reasons behind the bow. According to Tyla there is another historical reason for it.
It seems that before electricity, women would often have to get up before dawn and dress in the dark or by candlelight. And, it seems that many still use it for that reason. Commenters on Facebook said it showed them which way round they were putting on their pants.
And this was not just the wrong way round but inside out as well. So next time you wonder why there is often a bow on your panties - the answer lies in history.
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