Jacky St. James’ Extraordinary Rise To The Top

In a very short time Jacky St. James has proven herself to be one of the most in-demand—and best—directors in the adult world. Salon (link below) recently profiled this cheeky artist who balances a feminist sensibility with a wicked playfulness in her work that sets her apart from the rest of the pack. 

How do you grapple with the existence of pornography that can be perceived as degrading to women, or that is often criticized for being degrading to women?

I know that when we’re shooting a scene, the woman is fully empowered to make the decision to do that scene. It’s kind of taking away the power of being degraded by saying, “Yeah, I’m game for doing a fantasy where I’m thrown down on the bed and tied up and spanked,” or whatever. If a woman is saying, “I want to do that, that sounds like a blast,” then how is she really being degraded?

What is something that you have learned working in the porn industry that you feel you could not have learned anywhere else, in any other way, doing any other job?

It’s hard to say. I mean, there are things that I’ve learned with regard to sexuality. What surprised me most about working in adult is how accepted all different body types are. There’s so much lack of judgement happening and there’s so much confidence among the women in the industry. They’re stripping down their clothes, they’re walking around naked, not everyone has the most perfect body. There’s people with stretch marks and cellulite and scars, and everyone is beautiful. There’s something so inspiring about that. It’s so different to be working in an industry where everyone is celebrated, in different types of film.

What’s next for you?

I’m finishing “The Submission of Emma Marx II,” and then I’m working on a series about hot-wifing, which is basically husbands that enjoy having their wives have sex with other men. It’s people with very liberated views of sexuality who are very open. It’s not like a cuckold, it’s more like, “I love you so much that I don’t want to limit your sexual experiences.” It’s really fascinating to me. It’s not something that my brain can comprehend in my own personal life, but I think it’s so cool for people who have that ability to do that. There’s really no jealousy, it’s just two people saying, “We love each other, and let’s make the most out of this one life we have.”

Be sure to check out the full interview over at Salon.