PARIS: A MILLION MEANINGS IN A SINGLE NAME
Heiress. Party girl. Problem child. Selfie taker. Model. Reality star.
Self-created.
The labels attached to Paris Hilton.
Founder. Entrepreneur. Pop Culture Maker. Innovator. Survivor. Activist.
Daughter. Sister. Wife. Mother.
The roles Paris embraces as a fully realized woman.
Paris rose to prominence as an heiress to the Hilton hotel empire but cultivated
her fame and fortune as the IT Girl of the aughts, a time marked by the
burgeoning 24-hour entertainment news cycle and the advent of the celebrity
blog. Using her celebrity brand, Paris set in motion her innovative business
ventures, while being the constant target of tabloid culture that dismissively
wrote her off as “famous for being famous.” With tenacity, sharp business
acumen and grit, she built a global empire and, in the process, became a truly
modern icon beloved around the world.
Now, with courage, honesty, and humour, Paris Hilton is ready to take stock,
place it all in context and share her story with the world. Separating the
creation from the creator, the brand from the ambassador, Paris: The Memoir
strips away all we thought we knew about a celebrity icon, taking us back to a
privileged childhood lived through the lens of undiagnosed ADHD, a teenage
rebellion that triggered a panicked – and perilous – decision by her
parents. Led to believe they were saving their child's life, Paris's mother
and father had her kidnapped and saw her sent to a series of ‘emotional growth
boarding schools’, where she survived almost two years of verbal, physical and
sexual abuse. In the midst of a hell we now call the ‘troubled teen
industry’, Paris created a beautiful inner world where the ugliness couldn't
touch her. She came out, resolving to trust no-one but herself as she
transformed that fantasy world into a multibillion-dollar reality.
Recounting her perilous journey through pre-#MeToo sexual politics with
grace, dignity and just the right amount of sass. Paris: The Memoir tracks the
evolution of celebrity culture through the story of the figure at its leading
edge, full of defining moments and marquee names. Most important, Paris shows us
her path to peace while she challenges us to question our role in her story and
in our own.
Welcome to Paris.
