I recently had some super quick written correspondence with Mish Way, a writer/reporter for VICE’s lady station, Broadly. Mish used our correspondence to inform her piece, “How Incest Porn Is Making a Comeback” (3/7/16).

You can read Mish’s work here — and enjoy the lesson on fauxcest (what’s actually being discussed in this piece) below!

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Mish Way/BrVICE: This whole incest article came about because of the new Full House porn parody called Fuller House – Note from DrCT: the porn parody title is “Full Holes” (“Fuller House” is the Netflix show) – I started thinking about incest in porn stories and how it becomes funny and acceptable in porn parody, but outside of that realm, it seems very taboo. Do you agree and if so, why do you think that is?

Note from DrCT: I think you may be conflating “incest porn” with fauxcest porn… Fauxcest porn is a currently popular porn genre that dances around sexually taboo family-type relationships. Fauxcest is often marked by step narratives (e.g. step-mother, step-siblings), by dialogue and other production elements that establish the fantasy relationship as non-incestuous (e.g. the title says “daddy” but the depiction establishes that the daddy is in fact a step-daddy), and/or by disclaimers that state some form of “Regardless of the narrative showcased, these performances being depicted by actors who are themselves unrelated.” Though there are a handful of examples where related performers are on screen together (see the Starr sisters and/or mother and daughter Desi and Elli Fox), the sex depictions are not generally focused between the related performers (e.g. mother and daughter are each having sex with a respective man partner, on screen together, but not interacting in a directly sex manner with one another)

DrCT’s response to question: Humor and comedy are complex. When considering narratives that are both comedic parody and may play with fauxcest (I assume “Full Holes” does this, I have not yet watched it), things get even more complicated. Fauxcest is currently a very popular genre that allows viewers to explore socially taboo fantasies and desires in a very guilt-free manner… Because the taboo itself in the depiction is, quite clearly, faux. Layer on top of that the humor that comes with a comedic parody, as well as the nostalgia that “Full Holes” may trigger, and what you have is a lighthearted tongue-in-cheek way for viewers to experience a narrative that they had probably always been thinking about.

 

Mish Way/BrVICE: Is it hard to gather statistics regarding consumers odd porn habits (like incest or bestiality fetishes)? Are people willing to talk about their private viewing habits?

DrCT: Our world continues to be very judgey about uncommon sex practices, but truthfully – as long as consent is involved, people’s sexual proclivities are not “odd” (just because something is unfamiliar doesn’t mean it’s odd). So in terms of gathering data about viewing practices, when a person is perceived as having “odd” tastes, they may certainly be unwilling to share information and insights. Further, if an adult content producer or provider gets the notion that their content is perceived as being “odd,” they too might be unwilling to share information. Layer on top of that the fact that many fact-finding institutions are themselves judging uncommon sexual proclivities via their unwillingness to support rigorous studies of said topics, and what you get is a space where gathering data is certainly challenging.

In my experience, however, people are more than happy to share their thoughts and practices – as long as they are feeling safe and not like they are being judged.

 

(pictured: from “Full Holes” via Broadly/VICE)

Well, what do you think about the comeback of “incest porn”?

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Get Exposure: A Sociologist Explores Sex, Society, and Adult Entertainment on Amazon and CT.com