bows and hair

bows and hair

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.