Son of a Whore/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: A character who's mother is a prostitute (or similar sex worker).

  • Straight: Bob's mother Laura was a prostitute.
  • Exaggerated: Everyone in Bob's family is a prostitute.
  • Justified: Since Laura's profession involved her having sex with a lot of men, she was fertile at time of conception and no form of contraception is 100% reliable (if it was even used), it was reasonably likely that she would conceive at some point; Bob was the result.
    • Laura conceived Bob in a sexual encounter outside of 'business'; however, since she is still a sex worker, the stigma still hung around.
  • Inverted: During 'business', Bob impregnates Laura, a prostitute.
  • Subverted: Bob discovers evidence suggesting that Laura is his mother -- but a DNA test proves that she isn't.
    • Bob's mom is a prostitute, but he doesn't mind it.
  • Double Subverted: However, Bob's mother is actually Monica, another prostitute.
  • Parodied: Bob's conceiving and upbringing is played out as if it were a Leave It to Beaver style 1950s sitcom.
  • Deconstructed: Bob's parentage and upbringing has left him with several issues concerning women and sex (which, depending on whether was Laura was insufficiently attentive or even abusive towards Bob during his upbringing, may have resulted in severe psychological problems). He's been the subject of stigma throughout his life and has found it difficult to move beyond this.
  • Reconstructed: Laura is (depending on how old Bob is) either honest with Bob about what she does to support them or attempts to shield him from this knowledge as much as possible. Either way, she nevertheless attempts to be as supportive, caring and nurturing a parent towards him as possible.
  • Zig Zagged: ???
  • Averted: Laura does not become pregnant.
    • Bob's mother is not a prostitute.
  • Enforced: ???
  • Lampshaded: "Yeah, I was born in a brothel. Now we've sorted that out, anyone who has any smart comments about my mom's line of work better not raise them when I'm around."
  • Invoked: For reasons of his own (such as a prophecy of some kind), Bob's father specifically hires Laura with the intention of impregnating her; Bob is the result.
  • Exploited: Bob's parentage is a Berserk Button of his that anyone who wants to upset or provoke him uses.
  • Defied: Upon discovering she is pregnant, Laura gets an abortion.
    • Laura uses more effective contraception during 'business'.
  • Discussed: "Word from the wise -- do not mention how Bob's mother became pregnant around him. Or how she made money. In fact, steer clear of the subject of Bob's mom entirely if you don't want the crap kicked out of you."
  • Conversed: "Ever noticed how in these shows, if a prostitute ever has a kid that kid's going to be pretty messed up?"
  • Played For Laughs: Bob is totally oblivious to what his mother's 'profession' is, despite some pretty clear evidence and hints.
    • Bob is abandoned at birth. Later in his life Bob does business with Laura, only to discover that Laura is his mother, or worse; being completely oblivious of the fact while someone who knows the Awful Truth learns of the pickups.
  • Played For Drama: Having been given up for adoption, Bob has attempted to discover his birth mother, only to discover that Laura is a prostitute and abandoned him; he finds himself struggling to come to terms with this knowledge.
    • In addition to being a prostitute, Laura was also an abusive and neglectful drug addict, leaving Bob with significant psychological issues in later life.

You get back to Son of a Whore, you... well, yeah, you know.

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