When the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) decided to implement a ratings system in November 1968, its purpose was to easily communicate to parents whether a flick would be fun for the whole family… or earn them a visit from child protective services.īut it didn't take long for the adult industry to join the party and co-opt the salacious-sounding X - then take it two steps further by adopting a XXX rating for its spiciest titles.īecause the MPAA neglected to trademark its ratings system (opening the door to that aforementioned porn penetration), rather than compete with or take on the adult industry to bring the X rating back to its original purpose, they dropped it altogether. While the phrase 'rated X' likely conjures up images of the kind of movie to which Travis Bickle might squire a date, the rating's original intention had little to do with the pornography that eventually came to define it.