Clara Bow, known as the “It” girl, starred in the 1927 silent film “It.” She plays Betty Lou Spence, a lively shop assistant whose charisma attracts the attention of wealthy store owner Cyrus Waltham Jr.
The film was directed by Clarence G. Badger and based on a story by Elinor Glyn. In the film’s opening explanation, “it” means a magnetic quality that draws people toward someone. Bow’s performance made that idea part of popular culture and transformed her into one of the defining stars of the Jazz Age.
“It” premiered in Los Angeles on January 14, 1927, and reached the general public in February. Its success helped establish Bow as a major Paramount star and linked her image with the modern, independent flapper archetype.
A common mix-up is to treat “It girl” as a later celebrity phrase unrelated to the film. The expression became widely popular because of Bow’s role. The film was considered lost for years until a nitrate copy was found in Prague in the 1960s, and it entered the U.S. National Film Registry in 2001.