Shoppers are just realising the bow on the front of knickers from Primark, ASDA, Tesco and New Look isn't just for decoration

Take a quick look inside shops like Primark, ASDA, New Look or Tesco's underwear section, and you're bound to find some pairs of knickers with a pretty little bow on the front. Some people love them, while others find the bows unneccessary.

But why do so many pairs of pants have a bow on them? Obviously, they look nice, but are they really necessary?

According to Reddit, there are a number of reasons behind the bow – and shoppers have been surprised to discover them. Posting on the social media site, a person asked: “Why do so many panties have that little bow on the centre front? Where did the tradition come from?"

READ MORE: Aldi in hot water with shoppers over 'shameless' 90p bakery item a year after M&S cake row

And, in response, another noted: "As for the roots of the tradition? It comes from pre-elastic days, when your underthings were held in place by a bit of ribbon threaded through the eyelet lace at the tops. “The little bow is where you tied that ribbon, and of course it's in the front because that's the easiest place to do something like that."

So, historically we would have tied the bow to keep our pants from falling down. And, according to Tyla , there’s another reason behind the bow.

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.

On Facebook, one person commented: "It helps you to realize what way they go on," while another noted: "I like the bow it tells me got them on the right way have put them on inside out before now." Others were surprised by the idea, on Reddit someone said: "This is very interesting." and another noted: "Holy s*it, that's an awesome answer."

A jokester