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Hooker with a Heart of Gold
 "You know, Jill, you remind me of my mother. She was the biggest whore in Alameda and the finest woman that ever lived. Whoever my father was, for an hour or for a month — he must have been a happy man."
— Cheyenne, Once Upon a Time in the West
Any sex worker (prostitute, stripper, porn actor, etc) who has some baseline goodness, often a woman who becomes a love interest for a main character. Underneath the sex kitten exterior lies a very kind and good-natured flower. If they doesn't get killed off by an angry pimp or other villain, you can typically expect their past to either be quickly forgotten or be mentioned/alluded to constantly. This is a common trait of characters in the "street-walker" category — they are generally poor and desperate, have gone through the most embittering experiences, and frequently have debilitating drug addictions that wreak havoc on their looks and their personalities. Not that you can tell, of course, as Hollywood hookers tend to be gorgeous and never suffer from meth bugs or malnutrition. This trope is Older Than Feudalism, dating all the way back to Aspasia note Who may or may not have been one in real life. with Pericles. Contrast with the Gold Digger; compare with The High-Class Call Girl and Ethical Slut. In The Wild West, this character is properly called a "Soiled Dove". If they're a mother, that child will be a Son of a Whore. If Asian, they may also be an Asian Hooker Stereotype. Is liable to become a Heroic Seductress under certain circumstances. And possibly a Miss Kitty. This trope is only about prostitutes and other professional sex workers. For people who have casual sex for the pleasure of it rather than for money, see instead Good Bad Girl and Ethical Slut. However, the tropes can overlap when it comes to the more benevolent forms of sex work or full-scale Unproblematic Prostitution. Both are liable to be against any form of sex work that is exploitative and/or emotionally damaging, but might consider some forms relatively safe and thus approve of them. Occasionally, those who have actually been damaged by prostitution may still fit this trope. Expect a Broken Bird who needs to be shown true kindness to bring out their golden heart underneath bitter exteriors. This is a character type that shows up in a lot of Christian fiction. Can be done extremely well (a la Francine Rivers) or not. Some may take pity on a protagonist and offer them a place in This Bed of Rose's.


Myth & Religion

Alternative Title(s): Tart With A Heart, Soiled Dove, Porn Star With A Heart Of Gold
