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Hooker with a heart of gold
Per wikipedia,
The "hooker with a heart of gold" is a classic character archetype, portraying a courtesan or sex worker who embodies virtues like kindness, generosity, and integrity, despite her morally complex profession. This figure often serves as a contrast to societal expectations, highlighting her decency while addressing the circumstances that led to her occupation.
The character type is defined by morally positive traits, which are contrasted with the character's employment as a prostitute. The narrative will often provide extenuating circumstances for the character's prostitution, and emphasize her personal decency. Sometimes, the character will be a foil for another female character who reflects negative stereotypes of uptight or frigid women.[1] According to Nell Damon Galles, the character is "the good girl who made one too many bad decisions.
It was a common trope in older movies, and even the article says it peaked with the movie "Pretty Woman" ( Julia Roberts ). And Dostoevsky used have like obsession with this trope, and the major character in Crime and Punishment ( Sonya).
Is this just used to kinda sell the idea of protitutiton to masses? Make it normal/digestible in the eyes of society, which cultimated in the rise of the likes of OnlyFans?