NEW YORK — Adult film star Jenna Jameson is attempting to complete her crossover into the mainstream by targeting-of all people-women, with a flurry of licensed apparel, barware and fragrances.

On its own, the move is not significant-porn “stars” have tried moving up the marketing ladder ever since actress Traci Lords left the top shelf and went legit.

But the extension of the Jameson brand is just one of a number of recent examples in which marketers have continued to test the border between taste and decency even as the culture continues its backlash against risqué content.

For instance, Indy Racing League driver Danica Patrick has been signed by domain-name registrar GoDaddy.com, best known for its racy Super Bowl ads, and she recently appeared in a bikini for FHM magazine.

And Savannah Samson launched a wine, Sogno Uno, last year, which received a 91 rating from famed critic Robert Parker. “Wine lovers will be delighted and appalled in equal measure,” wrote Decanter magazine.

In fact, GoDaddy and e-retailer Bluefly, both of whom have used sex to sell, are back with new creative despite their battles with network censors.

Their efforts go against the conservative climate spawned by Janet Jackson’s “nipplegate” incident during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXXVIII in February 2004, which continues to put a damper on ads and products regarded as too hot. “We still live in a repressed media culture where a nipple is exposed and the FCC and Congress go nuts,” said John Stauber, executive director at the Center for Media and Democracy, Madison, Wis.

Jameson has largely reformulated her racy career into mainstream success. She starred in an online ad for adidas, has been a guest host on E!, and saw her book, How to Make Love like a Porn Star, spend 16 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list. However, finding distribution for Jameson products is “one major battle after the next,” said Michael Hermann, CEO at Wicked Cow Entertainment, New York. There have been victories with such retailers as Spencers, Virgin and Tower Records. “We have 10-15 different SKUs heading into mid-tier retailers,” he said.

Jameson will not allow the items in adult or down-market stores, as her goal is to get products into top-tier retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue. Her high-end handbags, lingerie and footwear are coming, and by year’s end she’ll have apparel at Colette boutiques. Jameson, with her perfume still to be named, is targeting “young educated women.” Hermann said 40% of her fans are women, “which gives us a head start.”

“The world has accepted everything I’ve done so far, so I can’t see why this won’t work,” said Jameson. “The proof is increasingly in the pudding, and I’m a great cook.”

Bluefly unveiled an ad last October, via McCaffery Gottlieb & Lane, New York, that showed a woman who couldn’t find anything to wear to a party, so she went naked. The spot (and supporting print) led to a series of “butt-crack meetings” between the company and network censors to determine how low the camera could go, said Melissa Payner, CEO at Bluefly. The end result was that some stations aired the original version and others a sedate version that showed less of the woman from behind.

“It’s OK to watch Desperate Housewives, but what you’re watching between [shows is policed]. It’s crazy,” said Payner.

Bluefly’s new spot broke last week after battles with the networks. It shows a young, married couple preparing to go to a concert, which they forego in favor of having sex. The original version follows them into the bedroom, where they get undressed and start making love. The full version can be seen on the Internet; shorter, more nuanced versions are on TV.

Consumers noticed Bluefly after the first ad, as sales at its Web site shot up 46%, said Payner.

GoDaddy also knows about censors and getting exposure. The company will feature Patrick in a TV spot “early next year. [Patrick] is sexy, hot, edgy and fun, and everybody knows her,” said CEO Bob Parsons.

GoDaddy ran a spot during Super Bowl XXXIX that was a parody on the censorship hearings that followed Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” the year before. It showed model Candice Michelle having trouble with the straps of her T-shirt as she testifies before a Congressional committee. It ran once, then was pulled.

For most consumers, however, there is still a line between the porn world and the rest of pop culture. The question is, can Jameson cross it successfully, and draw in women at the same time?

Bluefly’s Payner thinks she has a chance, saying, “Jenna’s intriguing to women. She’s a bad girl gone good.”