What the hell is ‘Daddy porn’ and why are so many women watching it?

DADDY. It’s such a beautifully evocative word that more than likely transports you back to a time when you were a sweet, innocent girl under the care and tutelage of your big, strong, protective Papa. However, now “daddy” has taken on a whole different set of sexualised connotations.

You’ve no doubt read about women who get off on calling their husbands, partners and boyfriends, “Daddy,” in and out of the bedroom.

Now it has been revealed in porn site X-Hamster’s Trend Report 2018, that daddy was the number one searched term by women in America.

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Meanwhile, porn site Porn Hub found that women are 96 per cent more likely to search for Dad/Daddy compared to men. “The most popular search is ‘stepdad and daughter,’ followed by simply ‘daddy,’” says the Porn Hub report.

“We also found confirmation that ‘dad bod’ is indeed sexy, along with ‘black daddy,’ ‘big daddy’ and ‘hairy daddy.’ Even ‘DILF’ (the dad equivalent of MILF) makes an appearance, along with ‘call me daddy’ and ‘daddys little princess.’”

Daddy porn falls under the DD/lg (Daddy Dom/little girl) sub-genre.

A quick search on Pornhub found adult performers acting out a faux incest plot; women in their twenties with high-pitched voices saying “Daddy” until it sounded whiny to guys old enough to be their fathers and uncomfortably young-looking girls in schoolgirl outfits with hairy older men acting disturbingly inappropriate.

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So, what the hell is going on?

You can take a deep breath now because thankfully, it has got nothing to do with real-life fathers.

While the sexualisation of the word “daddy/Daddy” (the capitalisation is important in submissive/dominant relationships) has recently come into our collective sexual psyche, it’s nothing new in the BDSM community.

It was also a trope in 1970s porn, while the daddy relationship has existed forever in gay male culture and denotes an older man in a sexual relationship with a younger man, whose Daddy provides him with emotional and sexual guidance.

However, thankfully, it’s not about conjuring up images of your dear old dad (apologies in advance for making you feel a little nauseous there), it is about maintaining submission to a male authority figure for whom you have a great deal of affection.

According to sexologist Dr. Nikki Goldstein from the podcast Sex & Life, the whole concept of “daddy” makes women feel young and innocent.

“It conjures up a sexy little virginal girl being naughty who gives the daddy the authority,” she says. “However, it’s usually just a pet name, or used as an accolade to a man’s power and masculinity.”

OK, fair enough, but why are women getting into daddy porn now?

“When women search daddy porn, it taps into their idea of an exciting fantasy,” says Goldstein.

“It’s got the key elements. Being taboo and having an authority figure in charge are very normalised triggers. So you’ve got a taboo fantasy play that turns people on, plus you’ve also got the submission. Also, as the content is morally wrong and extreme, it feels naughty. Even if it is acting; so for some, it becomes sexy.”

However, just because women may get off on watching a scenario, or fantasise about having sex with a man in the same age bracket as their dad, doesn’t mean they’re going to play it out in real life.

“Ultimately, they are enjoying watching or fantasising about someone in charge,” says Goldstein.

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I spoke to Daisy, 39, a connoisseur of the genre and a lover of calling her partner “Daddy.” She says it has absolutely nothing to do with having father issues and everything to do with the power dynamics.

“I find a strong, loving male figure controlling me a huge turn on,” she says.

“When I’m with my Daddy (partner), I’m submissive, but there is safety in that. He can punish me, but I know it’s for my own good. When I watch daddy porn I’m turned on by the control.”

But there is also a possibility that this whole trend could just be pornographers pushing the boundaries for clicks.

“The trend in porn right now is to be continually kinkier and kinkier. The definition of kinky is doing something new and different. Age play porn (young/old and old/young) has become very popular. Porn companies are always looking for something different. If something is shocking, viewers are going to click on it. It’s simply porn click bait.’

Goldstein also says that she wouldn’t necessarily trust porn site statistics either.

“Porn companies are fantastic marketers for their products; they know what makes a good headline,” she cautions.

This article originally appeared on Whimn.com.au.