Director Rex Ingram's directorial debut was Black Orchids (1917) made for Universal, but the studio thought it was too erotic and didn't support its release. When Ingram joined Metro, he used the story for that film as the story for this one. This film was also quite erotic but was done in a more subtle manner.
When Trifling Women became a worldwide financial success, Barbara La Marr's salary was raised to $6,500 a week and she became a worldwide superstar.
The unusual gondola-shaped bed was reused in several other, more famous films, including "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925), "Madame Dubarry," "Twentieth Century" and "Sunset Blvd."
A theme song, "Trifling Women" was composed by Louis (Lew) Breau and Ernst Luz, with lyrics by George Kershaw.