From “Bimbo” To Businesswoman: How Paris Hilton Contradicted Tabloids To Build An Empire And Focus Her Platform On Philanthropy
On November 29, 2006, the New York Post ran a front-page story headlined “Bimbo Summit.” The picture behind the words? Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton sitting in the backseat of a car.
At the time, these were arguably the most powerful and sought-after women in entertainment.
Lindsey had just starred in Freaky Friday (2003), Mean Girls (2004), Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), and Herbie Fully Loaded (2005). Brittney had released five studio albums, embarked on four concert tours, and was working on her sixth discography, “Blackout.”
And finally, Paris Hilton was taking the world by storm as a pop culture icon. She was actively starring in her reality TV show, The Simple Life, while launching her acting career in films such as House of Wax and Pledge This!
Paris even released her first-ever studio album, entitled Paris, that same year– which included the hit song “Stars Are Blind.”
Yet, these bright, beautiful, and young businesswomen were given one ubiquitous label– bimbo. And it was not just by the New York Post.
In the early 2000s, and arguably still today, traditionally beautiful women were just not taken seriously. People just could not fathom the fact that the gorgeous girls on movie screens, concert stages, and magazine covers had anything going on upstairs.
And if you don’t believe me, just look at the Urban Dictionary definition of the word: “an attractive but empty-headed woman.” What an extremely limiting label to place on someone based on one insignificant trait– appearance.
Instagram; pictured above is Paris
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
But, while Lindsey Lohan and Brittney Spears received their own unfortunate shares of bimbo-esque labeling, nothing could compare to the “dumb blonde” archetype that Paris Hilton had to overcome.
Exactly how Paris Hilton was able to squash this small-minded expectation of smart, young women, though, was via a persistent and almost counterintuitive long game. She did the opposite of what people expected– she played into the trope and allowed the public’s fascination to catapult her to fame.
Meghan Markle recently invited Paris Hilton onto her podcast, Archetypes, to discuss this incredible feat. And the pop culture icon shared how after moving to New York, she could not seem to escape the tabloids.
“Just getting that label put on me of ‘party girl,’ ‘dumb blonde,’ you know, ‘spoiled,’ and ‘rich heiress,’ I mean, it was difficult– because a lot of the times, people would just make up or invent stories to make it more exciting,” Paris recalled.
And for a while, the media chatter surrounding her mere existence was just something that Paris tried to ignore. She tried not to look at page six, even though the derogatory comments were neverending.
Then, Paris revealed how she was sent away to a boarding school in Utah named Provo Canyon School by her parents at age sixteen. And that experience, despite being extremely abusive and distressing, lit a fire inside her.
Apparently, the Hiltons thought that Provo Canyon was going to help straighten her out. After all, the teen had just moved to New York, was thrust into the club scene, and was making headlines following nights of partying practically every other day.
According to Paris, though, the school did everything but nurture her emotional growth– beginning with the first day she arrived.
“As soon as I walked in, they brought me into a room with male and female staff and, like, three of the other students and had me take off all of my clothes and do a strip search in front of these people,” Paris recalled.
Then, every day afterward, Paris and the rest of the school’s students were broken down to a point where they began to question their worth in the first place.
“On a daily basis, it was all about really breaking you down, so you’re worthless. ‘No one loves you. You’re going to be nothing in life.’ They would just do that to all of us all day long,” Paris said.
She also remembers feeling like she was stuck in a movie, surrounded by zombies, and constantly thinking to herself, “Please just wake me up from this nightmare; please get me out of here.”
Following her year-long stay at Provo Canyon School, though, Paris did what few people could have expected from someone who suffered that abuse. She found it within herself to use the suffering as fuel to defy the odds.
“I just promised myself, ‘I am going to work so hard and become so successful that no one will ever be able to control me ever again,'” Paris shared.
And she did. Truly business-minded at heart, Paris looked past the surface-level implications of her “bimbo” status and leaned into what the name could offer her. Her end goal? Gaining enough notoriety to do whatever she pleased– whether that be DJ’ing at a club, designing clothes, writing a New York Times bestselling book, or capitalizing on her image to become a fervent entrepreneur.
Paris’ goal was far from purely self-serving, though. Instead, she has also used her platform to become an avid philanthropist. And the largest priority on her agenda is advocating against child abuse. While on Meghan Markle’s podcast, Paris shared how her most recent efforts in this fight include federal legislation.
“I am pushing for federal legislation and going to Washington D.C., and it’s just been so empowering to really turn my pain into a purpose,” she said.
As for why Paris thinks she was granted such a distressing period during childhood and was able to turn it into something impactful, she chalks it up to a greater power.
“I almost think that maybe God made me go through this so that one day, I could be the hero that I needed when I was a little girl and help save these children from having to go through the torture that myself and so many others went through,” Paris revealed.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe
The Son He Had From A One-Night Stand Wants Him To Pay For His College Education, But He Said No Way
While Talking About Her Wedding, She Accidentally Shaded Her Sister-In-Law’s Wedding Rules
More About:Chicks We Love
Read This Next
