People tell a lot of stories, and not all of them are true. How some of these stories spread far-and-wide and become established as urban myths, while others don’t make it beyond a small circle of friends is probably not well understood. Sometimes it seems like people just “take” to a particular story because it’s sensational, and they may get a sense of satisfaction or perhaps a feeling of importance by sharing something with someone else. Whatever the cause, some urban myths enjoy tremendous popularity, even being passed along by news media and other “official” sources on some occasions. The following 10 urban myths were particularly alarming to large segments of the population despite the fact that there is no evidence to suggest that they are factual.

1. Rainbow Parties

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These are parties that were supposedly organized by teens where girls wearing lipstick of various colors are “servicing” the boys which results in a rainbow-like residue of lipstick colors behind. This one even managed to make its way into the mainstream, and was mentioned on the very Popular Oprah Winfrey Show in 2003. Researchers were unable to find any evidence that these types of parties ever took place.