History Main / SingleMomStripper

* ''{{Watchmen}}'': In the {{flashback}}s, Rorschach's mother is a single mom prostitute. Perhaps an InvertedTrope, in that she ''hates'' him because he inadvertently drives away business. The woman living in the next apartment from him in the present is also a prostitute, but successfully keeps her secret from her children. Rorschach doesn't kill her because he thinks this makes her a better mother than he ever had.

* ''{{Watchmen}}'': In the {{flashback}}s, Rorschach's mother is a single mom prostitute. Perhaps an InvertedTrope, in that she ''hates'' him and her other kids because they drive away business.
** A better example is the woman living in the next apartment from him, in the "present" (i.e., 1985).
*** Who successfully keeps her secret from her children, earning mercy from Rorschach because, apparently, he judges her a better mother than he ever had.
*** Or he just remembered the trauma he went through knowing what his mother did, and wanted to spare the children that knowledge.

* ''[[Lieutenant Matthew Scott StargateUniverse]]'' [[spoiler: has an ex who turns out to be this.]]

* Cher's "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves" is about the daughter of a Single Mom Stripper who becomes one herself. Unless there's another reason people would be throwing money at a dancer.

* Sort of the premise of ''ZackAndMiriMakeAPorno'' (they don't have any kids, but they do do it to make ends meet).

* Note to [[KidsAreCruel cruel kids]]: Do not tease Michael Myers of ''{{Halloween}}'' fame about how his mom is a pole dancer.

* Michael's mother in the 2007 Rob Zombie remake of {{Halloween}}

[[AC:RealLife]]
* Sadly, it's pretty common in real life.
** You mean "Awesomely" it's pretty common in real life! (Supporting single moms one dollar at a time!

* Frederico in SixFeetUnder had an affair with a stripper who was a single mom. He didn't really have that much sex with her, as much as he just bought her lots of nice things she never asked for in the first place.

* This trope proves to be a godsend for, Godai, the male lead of the manga, ''MaisonIkkoku''. The young man was trained in early childhood education and hoping to work in a elementary school, until he was laid off and the only work he could find was a strip joint. After a humiliating period as a street barker, things turned around when one of the dancers, who is a single mother who couldn't afford daycare, was forced to bring her toddler to work. In this situation, Godai is ordered to take care of the child safely out of sight in the back and does so well that the other dancers, predominately single mothers themselves, ask him to take care of their kids. Pretty soon, Godai is running an excellent daycare centre at the strip joint and is deeply valued by the rest of the staff.

* In ''{{Les Miserables}}'' Fantine is a woman who was a {{Star Crossed Lovers}} but was abandoned. She tries to stay pure but later turns to prostitution to be able to send money to care for her child.

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* Nako Nakarai's mother in {{Bokruano}} is this. Unusually she was a prosititue before she had her daughter but genuinely loves her.

* Sonya in ''Literature/CrimeAndPunishment'' is technically a [[HookerWithAHeart prostitute]] but fits this trope because she is [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan single]] and does it to provide for her family.

* Sonya in ''Literature/CrimeAndPunishment''

* Vivica Fox's character in ''IndependenceDay''. Unlike most examples however, she does it by choice (being in a long-term relationship with a well-to-do soldier) and the film deserves credit for not making her any less sympathetic.

->What would you do when your son's at home?\\

is to sleep with a man for a little bit of money?
-->-"What Would You Do", by City High (actually about a prostitute but the video features a stripper)

TruthInTelevision, by the way. Usually leads to becoming a HookerWithAHeartOfGold. Lends itself to the UnfortunateImplications that ''all'' women with sex-related jobs are put-upon victims and that none could actually choose, much less enjoy it. Compare with JustifiedCriminal.

* Arlene [=McKinney=] in ''Pay It Forward''.