Talk:Hooker with a heart of gold
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There's a mention that "in early stories this character was often named Amanda", and yet, not a single example of such a character named Amanda... so is this even true? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.114.66.194 (talk) 14:03, 24 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Does Irma La Douce fit in here?
what about the character from the film 'Girl next door'?
Should there be a note on this page about stereotyping prostitutes as villainous in the first place? Also: Slack from Land of the Dead is not a good example, she is enslaved and never voluntarily a prostitute. Since slaves are not considered automatically villainous or callous, this fails to represent the idea very well. 24.33.28.52 06:29, 16 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Inara Serra should probably not be in this list. Her character is a companion, which is very carefully positioned as not being a prostitute. Her social standing is one of the upper class due to her profession, not a "fallen woman", so her graces are expected of her. Her educated mind and proper manners are in keeping with her upper class standing as a companion, so her "heart of gold" is in no way a contrast to her position in life. Compare her with the prostitutes in the same series who are on the list and who *are* considered fallen women (in fact, one is a former companion, IIRC, who failed and is now a lowly prostitute, thus being a "Hooker with a heart of gold"). 69.162.59.13 21:43, 25 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I was just coming here to say the same thing. Inara is, if anything, meant to subvert this character. The hooker with a heart of gold about the clashing ideas of low standing/an immoral lifestyle and virtuous character. Inara is pointedly not in low standing and the majority opinion of characters on the show (also the side the show seems to take, and invite its viewers to take) is that her work isn't immoral. The article says it's important that this character is being forced to do something bad in spite of being good. Inara is not being forced to be a hooker. She has no pimp. She is too well trained and connected to starve if she quit. It's her chosen career, and is presented as being in perfect harmony with her personality, not in contrast to it. She fits this stock character only if you look at the most literal interpretation of its name and ignore its actual purpose or definition. --67.110.213.167 (talk) 14:04, 28 November 2009 (UTC)[reply]
As far as I remember, the character Jasmine DuBrow in Independence Day is an exotic dancer, not a prostitute. If that's right, she does not belong on the list. ChrisWinter 17:50, 11 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Seeing no protest, I took Jasmine Dubrow off the list. I alphabetized the list, split the two names from Hot L Baltimore into separate entries, and edited the entry for Ilya (from Never on Sunday.) I also added two names: Mona Stangley and Suzie Wong; I think their hearts are sufficiently golden. I thought about adding Carmen, the gypsy of Bizet's opera, and her modern emulations (e.g. Carmen Jones.) But while she might be termed a hooker, I don't see her as having a heart of gold. ChrisWinter 22:40, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
1. Was Satine in "Moulin Rouge" a prostitute? Was she not actually a courtesan?
2. Did Iris in "Taxi Driver" have a heart of gold? I don't really remember her making any choices, she seemed passive, but I haven't seen the movie in awhile.
3. If Iris belongs, doesn't Violet from "Pretty Baby" belong as well?
The list is getting a bit long. I'd like to move it to another article or category. What do people think? --Eyrian 01:59, 2 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I don't think Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire belongs on this list. For one, she wasn't a prostitute -- she had just slept with a number of her students. Secondly, I wouldn't say she had "a heart of gold". I would say she had "issues".
The whole deal with Blanche is that she seems nice on the outside, but we later find out that she's a lot more troubled on the inside. That's the reverse of the hooker with a heart of gold, who seems troubled on the outside, but is nice on the inside.
Also, the hooker with a heart of gold tends to be a peripheral character -- not the main character like Blanche.
--I entirely agree; I hate her character primarily due to what she believes, on the inside. Also, she slept with people for reasons besides food or being forced into it. I could go on, but it would turn into a rant. Sliverqueen (talk) 10:23, 12 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Nicole Kidman's character is a hooker as well as a dancer, so I don't see why she's mentioned in the "not necessarily a hooker" section. 71.57.91.43 05:10, 24 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I have commented out most of the article. I think it might serve as a useful reference for constructing something new, but it just reads like a long list of unverified original research. I'd love to see some citations, but I'm insufficiently familiar with this sort of literature. Perhaps someone could take it upon themselves? --Eyrian 18:08, 8 August 2007 (UTC)
Back in May someone had objections to the list and removed it - this doesn't appear to have been discussed on the talk page, so I've reverted back to the May version. The existing version had been hacked down to a single worthless paragraph. I understand that people might have objections to such an article, but it's no good just reducing it to nothing - if the article's worth having, then the list has to be there, if it's not, then the article has to be removed.Palefire 23:41, 1 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]
"usually a prostitute who sells sex for cash or drugs, is in fact a kindly and internally wholesome person" in the first para suggests that it is unusual for a prostitute to be kind and wholesome. i find this derogitory towards them. someone address this please —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.13.88.255 (talk) 01:57, 8 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Does Bianca belong here? I don't recall Bianca being a prostitute or having a heart of gold... then again, I haven't read the complete play of Othello, just summaries. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.119.14.34 (talk) 04:34, 9 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
What's the origin of this expression? In what contexts is it used? Is it an academic term or a popular culture term? Is it only used in the english language? If so, in which countries? Has Please add information. - nekrorider189.146.11.52 (talk) 19:54, 8 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The expression may be linked to the fact that until relatively recently, and in the western world, prostitutes were the only source of sexual experience for males before (and sometimes even after) marriage. The prostitute could be considered as a "bad girl" girlfriend by men who wanted some type of emotional connection to the woman they were having sex with on a per pay basis. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Opusv5 (talk • contribs) 16:55, 2 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Hi there. This article was the first hit from my Google search with the terms "Unintentionally hilarious wikipedia articles". Just thought you'd like to know! Keep up the good work, guys. Colonel Mustard (talk) 09:20, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I believe she belongs her, she was a prostitute but her feelings and emotions (tender, hurt etc.) were often portrayed both in book and in the BBC series. 92.4.136.245 (talk) 23:21, 22 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Sofya Semyonovna -- 'Sonya' -- in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment not only exemplifies but, in a sense, *transcends* this character stock type. She is a devout Christian who was took up the oldest profession because of privation, desperation and . . . *compassion* for the sake and survival of her step-family. I say 'transcends' because she is akin to Christian martyrs who would sacrifice self for a Greater Cause.Violetta -- either in Dumas fils's novel or in Verdi's opera -- is not a 'hooker'. She is a courtesan which, for contemporary readers and modern society, can be translated into 'professional mistress'.182.188.238.74 (talk) 21:17, 20 July 2013 (UTC)Kersie[reply]
While not strictly a hooker, Savoy is a baseball groupie (named after the nickname given to such) who, along with "Crash" Davis, help shape Ebby LaLoosh into a Major League-level pitcher.
DaDoc540 (talk) 21:28, 10 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]
This seems to be a wonderfully written section, but there are no citations. PurpleChez (talk) 18:02, 10 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]
The writer Bret Harte is credited w/ introducing this trope to American literature. I found a couple of sources, but not sure about reliability. Anyone wish to comment on them? The first is from a Library of Congress project, which sounds reliable enough, but there's no writer credited, so no way to analyze authority. The second appears to be from an online course of some sort. Just Another Cringy Username (talk) 20:39, 18 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]