Fact Check

Sex Lecture in the 1920s

Rumor: Photograph from the 1920s shows a group of women listening to a lecture about sex.

David Mikkelson

Published Jun 1, 2015

Claim:   A photograph from the 1920s shows a group of women listening to a lecture about sex.

FALSE

Example:   [Collected via Twitter, June 2015]




 

Origins:   On 31 May 2015, the Twitter account @OldPicsArchive posted a photograph showing a group of women and identified as depicting a "sex lecture in the 20s." Although the image does date from the 1920s, it does not capture a group of women listening to a lecture about sex. The picture is actually a still from the 1929 Clara Bow movie The Wild Party.

The Wild Party is not readily available for viewing on the Internet, but the scene featuring the above-displayed image can be glimpsed at the 30-second mark in the following excerpt:



Although what's shown here is not a real college lecture from the 1920s, the plot of the The Wild Party did deal with sexual themes:


The film focuses on an all-female college where the students are more interested in having fun and partying than studying. Stella Ames (Clara Bow) is the most popular student, with a loud mouth. When the young and attractive professor Gilmore 'Gil' (Fredric March) starts working there in anthropology, all the girls immediately feel attracted to him. Stella recognizes him as the man she once accidentally shared a bed with, thereby risking her reputation.

 

Last updated:   1 June 2015

By David Mikkelson

David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994.

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