“But Isn’t This Wrong, Stepdaddy?” by Jacky St. James

The fauxcest genre isn’t new to the adult world. Incest was popularized back in the 80s when Kirdy Stevens directed Taboo, starring Kay Parker. The film became one of the highest grossing (and most popular) adult films to date. It was a carefully molded storyline about a mother finding solace in a brief sexual affair with her son after her marriage (to his father) falls apart. A mother and her son. Not a mother and her stepson.

Taboo was shot over 30 years ago, but considering all of the “you’re not my REAL daddy” talk and legal mumbo jumbo appearing during the opening credits of most fauxcest films, you would think we’ve digressed back to Puritanical times. Now, in 2014, most fauxcest scenes begin with a very adamant disclaimer drilling into viewer’s brains that this particular porno they’re watching is a fantasy. It isn’t reality. That the performers aren’t actually related. That the performers are of legal age. That the performers are consenting. Let me tell you, nothing gives people a boner like a disclaimer.

The story can never depict actual incest, it must always involve steps. Stepfathers, stepmothers, stepbrothers, stepsisters – so long as none of them are playing blood relatives. They are unrelated in real life and they must be unrelated in their fantasy lives. That’s the unwritten rule.

After several pornographers served time in prison on obscenity charges (Max Hardcore, Rob Black, Lizzy Borden among them) much of what has been produced within the industry has been dialed back (at least in the DVD arena) and disclaimers are there to reiterate full consent, legality, and to remind people that what they are watching isn’t real life. When people are watching pornography, does a gray area really exist where the viewer wonders, “Wow, is that woman really his Mommy?”

It certainly raises the question, if it’s all just a fantasy and every person is a legal and consenting participant, then why must  censored? Should society dictate what is too obscene for someone to fantasize about (again, if all parties are legal, consenting, and willing adults)?

Regardless of the strict guidelines adult studios are adhering to, there’s still great fauxcest out there that might just allow those who dig the genre to suspend disbelief for a few minutes. My recommendations are Digital Sin’s Our Father, Keep it in the Family (AVN’s 2015 Winner for Best Taboo Relations Film), and Family Business.

About Jacky St. James

Jacky St. James is an award winning writer and director for New Sensations.

She is known for creating a wide range of films, from romantic comedies to edgier all-sex releases, with her most acclaimed titles being: The Submission of Emma Marx, Torn, and Our Father. 

Throughout her career in adult, she has been an advocate of couple's-oriented pornography and has been featured in several popular mainstream publications including Salon, Jezebel, Slate, The Huffington Post, and others. St. James shares pictures, clips, and stories about her successes and debacles as a woman working within the adult industry on her website, missjackystjames.com.