Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981)[3][4] is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Los Angeles, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. She first attracted tabloid attention in the late 1990s for her presence in NYC's social scene, ventured into fashion modeling in 2000, and was proclaimed "New York's leading It Girl" in 2001.[3] The reality television series The Simple Life (2003–2007), in which she co-starred with her friend Nicole Richie, and a leaked 2003 sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, later released as 1 Night in Paris (2004), catapulted her to global fame.
Not to be confused with Perez Hilton.
Paris Hilton
- Media personality
- businesswoman
- socialite
1996–present
2
Vocals
Hilton's media ventures have included films, television series, advertisement campaigns, books, an album, standalone singles, podcasts, and video games.[5] She achieved two New York Times Best Sellers with Confessions of an Heiress (2004) and Paris: The Memoir (2023), and a global top-10 hit with "Stars Are Blind" (2006); pursued film acting in House of Wax (2005) and Repo! the Genetic Opera (2008); ventured back into reality television with Paris Hilton's My New BFF (2008–2009), The World According to Paris (2011), Cooking with Paris (2021), and Paris in Love (2021–present); and was the subject of the documentary This Is Paris (2020). She has performed as a disc jockey since 2012.[6]
A polarizing and ubiquitous public figure, Hilton is said to have influenced the revival of the "famous for being famous" phenomenon throughout the 2000s.[7] Critics indeed suggest that she exemplifies the celebutante —a household name through inherited wealth and lavish lifestyle. Forbes included her in its Celebrity 100 in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and ranked her as the most "overexposed" celebrity in 2006 and 2008. Hilton has parlayed her media fame into numerous business endeavors. Under her company, she has produced content for broadcast media, launched a variety of product lines, and opened a chain of self-branded boutiques worldwide, as well as an urban beach club in the Philippines. Her perfume line alone has brought in over US$2.5 billion in revenue, as of 2020.[8][9][10]
Career
Social scene and modeling (1996–2002)
With mother Kathy and sister Nicky, Hilton modeled as a child at charity events,[30] graced the May 4, 1988, cover of the weekly magazine Beverly Hills 213,[31] and made an uncredited appearance in the fantasy film Wishman (1992).
After relocating to NYC in 1996, Hilton developed a reputation as a socialite through appearances at nightclubs and high-profile events. She has recalled getting offers to show up in nightclubs as early as she was 16,[32][33][34] when she obtained a counterfeited identity document in order to gain access to events. Her antics and late-night persona soon started attracting the spotlight from local tabloids. After becoming familiar with Paris and Nicky's social circle, Jason Binn, publisher of Hamptons magazine, stated: "They're little stars. They've become names. To them it's like a job. I believe they wake up every morning and say, 'O.K., where am I supposed to be tonight?'."[35]
That lifestyle conflicted with her family's conservative background and proved too "rebellious" for the young Paris, whose parents sent her to a series of boarding schools until she turned 18. Hilton resumed public appearances shortly afterwards, and attended the NYC premiere of Cruel Intentions in March 1999 with Nicky.[36] A New Yorker profile by Bob Morris, published in October that year, described her and her sister as "the littlest socialites in town [...] Without even a smile, they can breeze past the velvet ropes at Moomba or get a seat at Le Bilboquet".[37] Businessman George J. Maloof Jr., for instance, flew Hilton in his private jet and paid her to attend the Palms Casino Resort opening in Las Vegas in November 2001.[32][38][39][40][41]
Public image
Reception
A particularly polarizing figure since rising to fame, Hilton has often been the subject of harsh criticism.[281] Writing for The New York Times in 2003, John Leland opined: "In a ravenous celebrity culture, Ms. Hilton's rise shows how far celebrity itself has been devalued".[281]
A 2006 poll conducted by the Associated Press and AOL concluded that Hilton was the second-Worst Celebrity Role Model, behind Britney Spears.[282] According to a June 2007 Gallup poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans (63%) felt very unsympathetic toward her,[283] and a November 2007 online survey of children conducted by E-Poll Market Research ranked her among the most unfriendly celebrities among children.[284] The 2007 Guinness World Records named her the world's "most overrated celebrity",[285][286] and Forbes ranked her as the most "overexposed" in 2006 and 2008.[287][288] The latter stated in 2008 that "65% of the U.S. population would use the term 'overexposed' to describe Hilton [...] To put that in perspective, most celebrities average between 3% and 7% on the E-Poll celebrity index during the peak of their careers".[289] In the Forbes list, she also ranked second, fifth and eight in 2007, 2012, and 2014 respectively.[290][291][292] A 2011 Ipsos poll concluded that she was the most unpopular celebrity with Americans (with 60 percent of respondents viewing her unfavorably).[293]
Despite the noticeable public disapproval, Hilton was among the most popular searches on various web browsers (such as Google, AOL and Lycos) between 2004 and 2008.[294][295] In 2004, she was named one of the "10 Most Fascinating People", according to Barbara Walters' annual primetime special ("Paris' Most Shocking Moments").[296] Forbes included her in its Celebrity 100, which ranks the highest-paid celebrities, in 2004, 2005, and 2006. She ranked 59th, 23rd, 34th, and 35th in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women poll in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2012, respectively,[297][298][299] and was 20th and 38th on Maxim magazine's Hot 100 list in 2005 and 2006.[300][301] She has been included among the "50 Most Popular Women on the Web" by Google in 2010,[302] the "100 Hottest Women of All Time" by Men's Health in 2011,[303] the "50 Most Influential People in the NFT Industry" by Fortune in 2021,[304] and the "40 Most Powerful Women on Reality TV" by Variety in 2023.[305]