History Main / HookerWithaHeartofGold

* ''Series/TippingTheVelvet'': Nan becomes a kind prostitute, although she technically works as a rent ''[[SweetPollyOliver boy]]''. Regardless, she stays her sweet self.

* Alex Cameron's "Far from Born Again" is an ode to female independent sex workers, painting them in this way. Avoiding the typical [[CondescendingCompassion "sympathetic"]] stigmas that they were forced into it by some kind of burden, Cameron describes them [[EthicalSlut as simply honest, dedicated workers in a gruelling industry]] that [[AcceptableProfessionalTargets faces unfair scrutiny]], and that they're deserving of pride and respect for their hustle.

* Sanjouno Haruhime of ''LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'' was disowned by her clan and ended up being sold as a prostitute. Despite this, she's extremely sweet and gentle, always radiating an aura of innocence. [[spoiler:In fact, she's so terrible as a prostitute, she's not aware that she's still a virgin, due to always fainting before her customer even touched her.]]

* Yan from the ''WesternAnimation/LoveDeathAndRobots'' episode "Good Hunting" follows this. Though she was forced into sexual slavery, she nonetheless maintains her morals. Most notably, she only goes on a killing spree in order to avenge women who were sexually assaulted by the Englishman.

* In the second episode of the ''Anime/WeissKreuz'' series, Yohji Kudo meets and befriends the prostitute Maki, who betrays her pimp for him and ends up dead because of it. Yohji later kills the pimp both to avenge her and because the pimp was one of the targets of Weiss' original mission; meeting poor Maki just made the pimp seem that much more despicable, so he enjoys it more than he would have otherwise.
* Karen Kasumi from ''Manga/{{X1999}}''. She never becomes a love interest for any of the main characters, though it's strongly hinted that Karen does have feelings for [[NiceGuy Aoki]], but doesn't act on them because he's married (or in the TV series, recently divorced). She has a tragic past involving cults and parental abuse, and then she's a motherly figure for the younger Seals [[spoiler: and in the manga, ''for one of the Angels'' - driving him to pull an HeroicSacrifice for her sake.]]

* ''Series/{{Lucifer|2016}}'': Variant. Lucifer mentions that porn stars are exceptionally rare in Hell, which he attributes to all the "good work" they do on Earth.
* In the ''Series/MastersOfHorror'' episode "Imprint", the prostitute Komomo is explicitly described as this. She lingers on to the promise Christopher made to take her away from her hard life. [[spoiler:Which makes it all the more tragic that he murdered her in his insanity.]]

This trope is OlderThanFeudalism, dating all the way back to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspasia Aspasia]][[note]]Who may or may not have been one in real life.[[/note]] with Pericles.

* In ''$30'', a short film contained in the collection [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265101/ Boys Life 3]], a young gay man is forced by his father to have sex with a prostitute. Luckly for him, the girl had a heart of gold and pretended to [[TheImmodestOrgasm climax]]. The father [[HappilyEverAfter bit it and everybody got what they wanted.]]

* ''Series/TheWhiteLotus'': Lucia's a kind, cheerful young woman who's also a prostitute. Subverted in the end: she cons his family out of 50,000 euros by putting on a "wounded bird" act, knowing Albie would fall for it hook line and sinker.

* ''Series/TheWhiteLotus'': Lucia's a kind, cheerful young woman who's also a prostitute.

* Sanjouno Haruhime of ''LightNovel/IsItWrongToTryToPickUpGirlsInADungeon'' was disowned by her clan and ended up being sold as a prostitute. Despite this, she's extremely sweet and gentle, always radiating an aura of innocence. [[spoiler:In fact, she's so terrible as a prostitute, she's not aware that she's still a virgin, due to always fainting before her customer even touched her.]]

* ''LightNovel/TheStoryOfSaiunkoku'' has Kochou, the head courtesan of the capital's best brothel, who serves as a close friend and CoolBigSis to the protagonist Shuurei.
* Ryuuji's mother Yasuko in ''LightNovel/ToraDora'' acts like this trope, but like Miko Nakarai she isn't a hooker, just a late night bar hostess -- which in some aspects is perceived as pretty much the same in Japan. Aside from that, she's a very kind-hearted person and loves her son a lot.

* Belle Watling, the madam with a heart of gold, in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'', who always has clear moral insight, strangely enough, and donates generously to the cause. (Other characters of this type named Belle are probably [[MeaningfulName allusions to her]].) The [[LiteraryNecrophilia authorized sequel]] ''Rhett Butler's People'' makes her even more sympathetic by revealing that she fell in love with Rhett and had his child.

* The {{josei}} manga ''Manga/OiranChirashi'' is about a FishOutOfTemporalWater young woman named Haru, who has to become a HighClassCallGirl to survive in the [[RedLightDistrict Yoshiwara]] of the Tokugawa shogunate. She's shown as initially naive, at times way too sensitive to do her work well [[BeautifulAllAlong despite her beautiful looks]], and showing compassion towards those in trouble - like when she [[spoiler: tries to help an IllGirl prostitute but fails, and is emotionally crushed when she learns that the girl died and wasn't even given a proper burial.]]

** [[SonOfAWhore Yahiko's]] IllGirl mother was this before she died, and when an enemy tries to use his mother's profession as a slur against Yahiko [[ShutUpHannibal he replies that he's proud to be her son]] since she did everything she could to take care of him.

* ''Daylight2013'': Ray was convicted years ago of the murder of the prostitute Rosita, but he says that she was nothing but kind to him, and he has nothing but fond memories of her.

Contrast with the GoldDigger and PredatoryProstitute; compare with the HighClassCallGirl and EthicalSlut. In TheWildWest, this character is properly called a "Soiled Dove". In 1950s Westerns, due to Bowlderization, whores may be depicted as dance hall girls and showgirls. If they're a mother, that child will be a SonOfAWhore. If Asian, they may also be an AsianHookerStereotype. Is liable to become a HeroicSeductress under certain circumstances. And possibly a MissKitty. A SingleMomStripper is often one of these.

* [[Literature/TheBible Rahab]], a supposed harlot who lived in Jericho and kept two Hebrew scouts from being discovered by the city guards. This allowed them to return and relay their information to Joshua, which led to the capture of the city. Rahab, for her kindness, was spared by the conquerors. The city of Jericho was pretty much doomed anyway since Joshua and his army had strict orders to level it. Rahab saved herself -- and her entire extended family -- the only way she could. The New Testament implies that she became an actress of Jesus, while Judaism traditionally says that she married Joshua.

* Yuki, one of the main characters of ''Manga/AcidTown'' fits neatly into this troupe; [[spoiler: At age eleven, the death of Yuki's mother forced him to result to prostitution to feed himself and his baby brother.]]