In 1927, the Paramount Studios film was planned as a special showcase for its popular star Clara Bow, and her performance introduced the term "it" to the cultural lexicon. She is widely credited with the invention of the "it girl" concept: although the slang predates her book and film, she was responsible for the term's impact on the culture of the 1920s. Glyn first rose to fame as the author of the scandalous 1907 bestseller Three Weeks. It can be a quality of the mind as well as a physical attraction. With It, you win all men if you are a woman and all women if you are a man. Some women'll stay in a man's memory if they once walk down a street." Įlinor Glyn, the notorious British novelist who wrote the book titled It and its subsequent screenplay, lectured: The terms "it boy" or "it man" are sometimes used to describe a male exhibiting similar traits.Īn early literary usage of it in this sense is found in a 1904 short story by Rudyard Kipling, which contains the line "'Tisn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. The Oxford English Dictionary distinguishes between the chiefly American usage of "a glamorous, vivacious, or sexually attractive actress, model, etc.", and the chiefly British usage of "a young, rich woman who has achieved celebrity because of her socialite lifestyle". Today, the term is used more to apply simply to fame and beauty. In the earlier usage, a woman was especially perceived as an "it girl" if she had achieved a high level of popularity without flaunting her sexuality. It gained further attention in 1927 with the popularity of the Paramount Studios film It, starring Clara Bow. The expression it girl originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th century. Poster for the film "It" (1927), starring Clara BowĪn " It girl" is an attractive young woman, who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging.
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