There's a lot of hype about the new site PornStar Academie, not only because it's the first reality site/contest of its kind, but because it's the first adult site that is not targeted solely towards men.

"It shows that the mainstream population is slowly ... starting to get used to the whole idea of sex, sexuality, and yes ... even porn."

For those of you not familiar with the Pornstar Academie concept, it's based on the highly successful Star Academie; a Quebecer version of American Idol. If you aren't familiar with American Idol, which rock did you just crawl out from under? The contest proceeds the same way most reality shows on television do, the contestants have tasks & tests to get through as the audience watches all their trials and tribulations. Based on how they perform each week, votes are collected through the members section of the site. Whittling down the group every week until a head to head (pardon the pun) competition is imminent at the very end.

Why would anyone put themselves through such mind-boggling humiliation in front of millions and millions of surfers?

Browsing through the profiles of the finalists you learn quite quickly that for many it is a long time fantasy of theirs to be a porn star. For others who have a past in strip clubs, namely the women participants it seems like the next logical step. A career in the adult biz may not be the easiest job to come home and announce to mom and pop, but it definitely pays.

With the situation of the online adult industry continually in blossoming mode, it's a career choice whose nectar definitely smells sweeter than most desk jobs these days. Hearing the mating call of this industry are the young Québecois adults who have simply been eating up the media coverage of PornStar Academie.

Front page coverage in local papers, television, and online has definitely helped the integration of this fragile subject into the general public. It's no surprise that over 700 applications for auditions for the site were received by the site's producers. The city of Montréal – already renowned for its strip clubs, and growing recognition for its adult industry – is home to the production of the Academie, not to mention the epicenter of all the media coverage. The infectious vibe has even permeated France.

The French media have started paying close attention to this site not solely because it is entirely bilingual, but because the French Pornstar Academie enthusiasts will be able to vote for the contestants via SMS.

The true mold-breaking aspect of this reality site is that it not only has unprecedented potential to be promoted by webmasters, but that women – a previously barely targeted audience – can now be marketed to. The finalists of the Academie that are still to be determined will be 5 women and most importantly 5 men. Speaking from personal opinion, some of these men are the stuff fantasies are made of.

The site is completely even and fair for all participants to allow everyone to have a good chance, but this opens the door so discreetly to a new market: women. This is totally the kind of site that either a man or woman would follow initially by being bit by the “reality show bug”, yet follow for sex appeal. Proof that this concept can and will actually be accepted by women, is the mainstream media coverage it has been nourished by. Mainstream websites have published front page features about the Academie under the veil of it being a “new concept”.

The general public – obviously represented half by women – has actually accepted this very well.

Being a resident of Montreal, I can tell you first hand that Pornstar Academie has become the new buzz word on the street. Friends of mine that normally turn red at the thought of porn have started talking to me about it, and asking questions. What does this signify? Well it shows that the mainstream population is slowly, ever so slowly starting to get used to the whole idea of sex, sexuality, and yes eventually even porn.

It's nice to know about this as a woman albeit it is also great to know this being a webmaster. Not only is this a very aggressive step in the right direction of finding a product that we can promote towards women, but it's also going to perform outstandingly with male customers too.

This new twist not only creates new opportunities for website concepts, but it also breaks down language barriers now welcoming French speaking customers into your new target zone, and also additionally adding women to your client target. Is this the first big shove that the industry needed to start producing more accessible content and sites? Perhaps. Imitations and copycats will follow without question, but hopefully they will just add more flow into the same vein of the industry.