Clara Bow, an "It Girl" who Reveled in Her Strength

Clara (Bow, the original "It Girl" of Hollywood,) portrayed the quintessential flapper - wild and free, dancing and happy, surrounded by men. She was also one of the first women to play strong characters in Hollywood - nobody messed with Clara and it was obvious that she would not stand meekly by and let a man run her life. She was fast becoming the role model of flappers across the country.

In 1925, author Elinor Glyn was placed under contract at Paramount Pictures to write, develop and supervise productions. She was writing a short novel titled "IT" which was published a year later. In the novel, Glyn described "IT" as "that strange magnetism which attracts both sexes. 'It' is a purely virile quality, belonging to a strong character. (The possessor of It) must be entirely unself-conscious and full of self-confidence, indifferent to the effect he or she is producing, and uninfluenced by others. There must be physical attraction, but beauty is unnecessary. Conceit or self-consciousness destroys 'It' immediately."

Source: http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/historical_hollywood/75233