Following the example of the British documentary series »Mums Make Porn«, the German private broadcaster SAT.1 presented its own adaptation for the local audience. Naively cast mothers take a panicky look at today’s pornography, only to be given the task of creating a porno that they themselves would approve of. As in Great Britain, the format created a barrage of unreflective anti-porn headlines in the national press and tabloids.
What the British already had to go through in 2019 is currently making its entrance into Germany’s media landscape: the controversially discussed documentary series »Mums Make Porn« was broadcast on German free TV in two episodes.
The concept of the show, which has been adapted by Redseven, involves interviewing several concerned mothers about their attitudes towards pornography and then familiarizing them with the stylistic devices and approaches of current independent porn. In the original pitch by British inventors Firecracker TV, it said: »Five mothers cast, wrote, produced and directed a porn movie that they would show to their own children to teach them a healthy attitude towards sex and relationships.«
SAT.1 advertised its two-episode docu like this: »The mission to produce a porno film that gives a realistic picture of sex turns out to be harder than expected. Not only the development of a storyline and the search for suitable actors becomes a challenge for the five mothers. The question of what ‘normal’ sex is – and what isn’t – also creates momentum. A visit to Erika Lust, award-winning pioneer of feminist porn, in Barcelona is intended to resolve the differences and provide inspiration.«
Despite the conversation with porn producer Erika Lust, the format fails because of its sensationalist approach. At the heart of the format is an attitude hostile to the numerous niches and fetishes of contemporary pornography, which only accepts the normative, traditional and heterosexual image of a supposedly »healthy sexuality«.
This is evident from the horrified, predictable reactions of mothers when they watch pornography, which was pre-selected according to the principle of shocking people outside the industry to the maximum extent possible and reproducing the old legend of violent, misogynist mainstream porn.
Gender issues, fetishes, kink, non-heterosexual, non-monogamous forms of sexuality are at least implicitly presented as abnormal and dangerous. The fact that kitschy filters and expensive lighting are used during the mommy-approved porn only adds to the fact that the reality of the format differs greatly from the mothers’ claim to want to educate about sexuality.
SAT.1 wants to show excerpts of the film »Vanilla X«, produced by the mothers, after the second episode. The excited headlines in the media were as dull as they were predictable: Mothers producing sex films for their children. Thus the format unmasks itself for what it is: clickbaiting on the back of an industry that is already suffering from stigmata and misrepresentations.
You can find more information on the channel’s website.