May 9 2007: Why Paris Isn’t All Bad
Filed under Media
I know that many people have a problem with Paris Hilton. I can see why - “oh, she’s just a fake blonde Barbie doll who got famous off a sex tape and her last name”.
Yeah, perhaps that’s how she first got started. But the sex tape was a private tape that was distributed after the relationship broke up. That type of thing could happen to anyone - I personally know that some of the things I’ve done with former partners may one day come out on the Internet. The important thing is, she didn’t disappear after the tape. She didn’t try to hide from her mistakes, she stood up and admitted that she’d done things in her past that she should have kept under wraps better. She sued for a percentage of profits from the DVD (hey, if you can’t beat them, join them, and make a fortune out of it!), then moved on from that, and made herself into a brand name.
Don’t think she’s just a party girl with no discernable talent. How many party girls do you know who’ve released bestselling books, a chart-climbing album and single, modelled for numerous fashion labels, created her own record label, made several movies, released perfume lines, starred in her TV show, producing their own cartoon series, designed purses and jewellery and represented a chain of nightclubs? She’s not just a pretty heiress. Sure, she might stand to inherit $30 million from the family business, but she’s independently earned approximately $16.5 million since 2004. She’s an astute businesswoman - the Paris Hilton brand name brings in almost $7 million a year, and she has nowhere to go but up.
I’m not saying that we should be encouraging young girls to look up to her. Her personal choices leave a lot to be desired, I fully recognise that fact. However, she’s not all bad. Any young entrepreneur could do a lot worse than to look to Paris Hilton as an astute business and marketing model.
ALSO: I think some of my comments on your sites have been marked as spam. I’ve been submitting comments, but then I don’t see them after I hit the button. Mar1 checked her spam list, and my comments were there, so if you think I might have commented, can you check comments in moderation? I don’t know why this is suddenly happening…
1I spoke to her boyfriend. He gets a thumbs up of approval from me…everyone be nice to Ty!
20 Responses to “Why Paris Isn’t All Bad”
Leave a Reply
I reserve the right to edit or delete your comment as I see fit, though I only delete comments from anonymous commenters, or people with multiple aliases. Using a genuine name/email combination will ensure that your comment is approved.
Well if you look it from that point of view, she’s pretty smart girl (I assume that she has something between her ears). And I guess people respect her in a way too (or at least her money). It’s bit easier to do what ever you want when you have bottomless wallet behind already before you start.
Hanna on May 9 2007 #
Maybe she has just has an incredibly good behind-the-scenes group of people, e.g. managers, PR agents, personal assistants etc?
Reply: Even so, she’s still the one who has to sign the dotted line to put her name to a product. She’s incredibly self-aware…she knows she’s becoming an icon for lavishness, and so she’s making a brand out of it. It requires street smarts to be able to turn a situation like that to one’s own advantage.
Belinda on May 9 2007 #
I guess we can’t argue she isn’t smart, but she can be a little careless sometimes. What about the 45 days in jail she received a few days ago? It seems very much like a plea for attention…
Ramsha on May 9 2007 #
You are officially the first person I know to stick up for Paris Hilton.
Read her book? I started it, but in true Jordie fashion, didn’t finish.
Jordie on May 9 2007 #
Poor Ty — I’m trying to convince him to blog, but he wouldn’t even NEED an about page because all my blog buddies would know enough about him, ha. Thanks for the link, w00t.
I cant help it — I still dont like her… I can’t help but think that her name helped with all her accomplishments.
marMARmar on May 9 2007 #
I have always had a certain amount of respect for Paris. I’m not one of those people who gives a damn about the mistakes that celebrities make. Seriously, we all make mistakes. We should be forgiving to those who have to face the entire world when their mistakes come out. I agree with you. I wouldn’t encourage any young girl to look to Paris as a role model, but I think in some ways, she can be a role model for older women.
One of my favorite shows is The Girls Next Door (about Hugh Hefner’s girlfriends). In the one episode, his one girlfriend Kendra was looking into buying property. After she made a huge investment she’s said, “My first investment was my boobs, my second would be this property.” I respect Kendra because she is blatantly honest.
Reply: Agreed. It’s about making the best of what you have, and getting what you can out of it. It’s no different to what everyone does in every day life - it’s just that non-celebrities don’t have as much to start off with. I’ll eat my furry hat if anyone can honestly say that they wouldn’t take the chance to be as wealthy and famous with as many business prospects as Paris.
Kimmie on May 9 2007 #
Regardless, I like people to earn their money themselves and not use their parents wealth and name as their claim to fame. I like them to be talented. Without her parents she would be a nobody.
I don’t dislike her as some people do, and I don’t think she’s all that bad.
Reply: If you think about it in those terms though, you’d have to cut out half the movie industry as they’d used family ties to get into the business. Would Jake or Maggie had made it as far as they have if they didn’t piggyback on each other’s successes? Would Angelina have become an actress if her father wasn’t Jon Voight? Would Drew Barrymore be an actress if her entire family wasn’t in the business? In any business, not just entertainment, the more connections you have, the bigger chance you have of succeeding. Why don’t we lambast those actors and actresses for capitalising on their family’s connections? Why only Paris?
Nowadays celebrity isn’t about talent. It’s about personality and public persona (Drew = wild child turnd good, Angelina = goth chick turned holier-than-thou ambassador, etc) rather than anything else.
Amber on May 9 2007 #
There are all sorts of idiots out there who have released bestselling books, albums, made films, etc — doesn’t make her smart and it certainly doesn’t make her special. All it means is that there are a lot of not-so-well-educated people out there willing to buy her products (which, considering how easily people are swayed into buying things, doesn’t say much.)
She’s a spoilt, irritating bimbo and I can only hope this spell in jail will help her grow up a little.
Reply: I’m not saying you’re not right in those points…I’m saying it takes business acumen to do what she does. Sure, she’s selling to those who might not be incredibly well educated. But the point is, she’s managed to pinpoint that demographic as one who generally have money to spend on idolising their favourite celebrity - and made a fortune out of it, doing it before any other female star recognised tweenies as the ones to sell to as they have the most disposable income.
Jem on May 9 2007 #
I don’t really care how much money she’s made on her own, I still don’t like her. So she makes money out of being a partygirl, like Jem says, that doesn’t make her special or extraordinary. It’s only because her surname is Hilton. If it weren’t she wouldn’t have been able to do any of those things, nobody would want her. She’s a popular name, no talent needed to sell her stuff. If my name was Paris Hilton and I gained popularity through a sex tape scandal I could sell whatever I wanted too.
I think she’s a menace to society. Coz even though she may be smart in turning her own name into a multi-million dollar business, she makes money out of acting stupid, spoilt, irresponsible and reckless. Nothing role model worthy about her, and yet her popularity has made her young teens’ idol which is sickening to me.
Reply: Yeah, the key word in the second paragraph is acting. I’m not convinced that she’s entirely like what she’s portrayed as. She knows, as all media observers know, that the more outrageous you are, the more column inches get devoted to you. The more column inches devoted to you, the more publicity and recognition for your brand you’ll receive, and as a result, the more money you’ll receive.
Sure, she’s capitalising on the fact that she’s a Hilton. But how’s that any different to someone capitalising on the fact that they’re pretty, charming, smart, athletic? It’s all a part of who we are and what we’re given as our lot at birth, and everyone have the right to use whatever they have to their best advantage.
Kat on May 9 2007 #
Someone called me an Asian Paris Hilton once - They thought I was spoilt. I actually don’t mind Paris Hilton so much. If I was rich I’d probably be like her too.
One thing I don’t get is why she has to drink drive. Damnit if I was that rich I’d just get a driver.
Mish on May 9 2007 #
I don’t like any actresses actually lol. I actually dont even bother watching MTV.
Chien Yee on May 9 2007 #
Yeah your comment was marked as spam. I got an email notification about it… and somehow (?) it got unmarked and I can see it now!
You know, I used to have a *little* respect for Paris Hilton, for the reasons you’ve said. (Her ability to “sell” her image and make heaps of money doing so.) But her latest incident just shows what type of attitude she has. Can it be called amoral? Why does she think she’s above the law? And WTF is with that defence of “I don’t read my mail”? That is just… argh. dumb.
I seriously doubt 45 days in jail will change that attitude, but HA! I’m sorry… Paris totally deserved it! :D
kat on May 9 2007 #
That is her demographic and just look at the kind of thing she’s putting out there for them. You may not encourage young girls to look up to her, but they do and she’s making money out of it, and what can they get from her? Nothing. Tweenies don’t see the business side of it, they’ll see the glamour, the act and that’s it. They’re not yet smart enough to figure these things for themselves and filter the acting Paris from the real one.
And that’s the thing though, why does she have to act stupid to get money? I think it’s insulting to women and young girls to give the message that the way to make a name for yourself is to act like a total ditz. That’s why I don’t like her and never will.
Bah! Menace to society, that’s what she is.
Reply: I think society highly underestimates exactly how much tweens understand. They’re not the same as we were at their age - they’re more media savvy than we give them credit for. Taking my brother as an example (sure, he’s male and not her target market, but he’s at that age), he recognises more media tools and tricks than anyone would believe. Tweens are as a whole acutely aware of their surroundings.
The ones who buy into the Paris Hilton brand are the ones who still believe that every girl can be a princess. They’ll be the ones who’ve only recently given up playing with Barbies - admiring Paris Hilton is just the next step in believing in fairy tales and happy endings. They’re hardly going to go out drinking and clubbing and making sex videos - they might try to emulate the way she looks, but how would that be any different to me as a kid wishing I was a Spice Girl?
George Brent is perhaps the male equivalent of Paris Hilton. Yet, on his deathbed after internal organ failure due to massive alcoholism, even the tributes in newspapers brushed over all that and painted him as a paragon of virtue because of his talent on the football field. He’s not the world’s best role model, but he was still held up as an idol for millions of soccer-loving little boys around the world.
Twenty years down the track and the little boys who idolised George Brent back then aren’t exactly raging alcoholics themselves now. Alcoholism figures have fallen in the past few decades. Give it twenty years and wait for these tweens to grow up. I can assure you that they’re not going to be affected by the persona that Paris Hilton projects. Let them have their dream while they’re still young.
Kat on May 9 2007 #
“I’m saying it takes business acumen to do what she does.” — and I agree with Belinda, I’m sure it’s all down to her marvelous (and probably very well paid) staff.
Jem on May 9 2007 #
That’s true. Everyone’s saying, “Oh Paris Hilton is so stupid, so ugly and she doesn’t have any talents”. They just don’ t seem to realise that Paris Hilton is a thinking, feeling human being.
Anastasia on May 10 2007 #
This is by far the worst argument I’ve seen on Paris Hilton. I don’t mean that by offense, but some of the things you said just make no sense to me.
First of all, just because she earns millions of dollars, doesn’t mean she’s a successful, “Astute businesswoman”- you’re kidding me, right?
Hey, if I had a family fortune and reputation behind me, with “Hilton” as a last name, and suddenly come out with a sex tape, I’d be making $16.5 million dollars too.
By the way, that TV show was actually a show that made fun of her because she is a slutty whore with an enormous family fortune.
And guess how she did this? Her family background and all that fortune they have bucketloads of are primarily responsible for all of this happening. You really think she did all of this by herself? I hardly think have people doing stuff for you and then putting your name on it is classified as being “a astute business and marketing model.”
Paris Hilton is a leech. She feeds off of her family’s wealth and none of the stuff she has “supposedly done on her own” would have never been possible without that type of background.
I’ve always hated that statement. That’s like saying, “hey, I acknowledge that this is wrong but I’m not going to serve justice- instead I’m going to be a greedy whore and earn more money off of it.”
Reply: Sure, she’s capitalised on her family name. But like I said in a reply to Amber, how is that different to other people capitalising on their family background (The Gyllenhaals, Barrymores, Jolies, Anistons, Simpsons, Trumps)? People have different things to capitalise upon - and for Paris, it happens to be her family name. You make the best of what you have. I’ll bite my tongue if you can honestly say that you yourself don’t capitalise on what you have. We’re doing it now just by owning sites - we’re capitalising on the fact that we’re wealthy enough to have an internet connection, buy a domain and hosting space, and use our coding smarts to put a website out to the world, so that we can get recognition for what we have. What we’re doing is just what she’s doing on a smaller scale.
What people don’t seem to realise is that she’s a person too. Sure she’s made mistakes. People make mistakes. Why are her mistakes judged more harshly than mine, or yours? Because she’s famous? Is that the only reason? If you (or any other person who dismisses her as a leech) was famous and the media took care to only report on the stupid things you’ve done, don’t you think that you’ll come across as an “idiot”, “moron”, “leech” etc.? In this day and age, it’s all about how the media presents her. Until you meet her one on one and talk to her, you can’t say that she’s an idiot, moron, leech.
Trisha on May 10 2007 #
Maybe she hires a marketing specialist who did all this.
Well in any case, I congratulate her effort to hire such a brilliant marketer for doing this. I wouldn’t mind making some extra cash if I were her, even though she’s already one of the richest heir in the world.
I just want a closet full of nice clothes, IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK FOR? Spare me $1,000 please, PLEASE :(
Reply: Actually in terms of heirs and heiresses around the world, she’s not wealthy at all. $30 million is nothing in inheritance terms among the jetset. Until you get into the nine figures, it doesn’t even count as a fortune. If you think about it in these terms…Reese Witherspoon can earn $30 million in three months by making one movie. Three months.
Jennii on May 10 2007 #
…Give me that 1k, and I will thrift like there’s no tomorrow.
Jennii on May 10 2007 #
I think if tweens and teens were as were aware you believe them to be, Paris Hilton wouldn’t work. Commercialism, capitalism and consumerism wouldn’t work. MySpace wouldn’t work :-P Kids wouldn’t be posting their phone numbers and home addresses. And knowing how to use the internet doesn’t make them media savvy, since they don’t really interact. They see what’s being fed to them and spit it back out as is, unprocessed. Majority anyway, and most likely her demographic which is why it works.
And I think the dreams of becoming a princess are being replaced with wanting to be a slut, or a whore, or a bitch, or whatever else Paris Hilton thinks is cool to call her friends.
We don’t have to wait 20 years to see the effects, there are 13 year olds on MySpace who post pictures of themselves in their underwear, in sexual poses. When we liked the Spice Girls there were no thoughts of sex, it’s very different now.
I don’t know George Brent, but from what you said, he had talent. I don’t think when Paris Hilton dies, any newspaper can avoid the opening line, “Paris Hilton, heiress to the Hilton hotels fortune, made her claim to fame with a sex tape scandal…” And she has no talent. Her name is not a talent. Reese Witherspoon can earn her fortune in 3 months because she has talent.
We could go on and on because I really don’t like Paris and everything she stands for, so how about we just agree to disagree? :-)
Kat on May 10 2007 #
Finally! Someone with enough guts (and brains!) to come up with a post like this. Yes, I agree. Of course Paris Hilton needs help in the partying area, but that isn’t all who she is. There’s millions of non-celebrity people in the world that party and some, of course, party worse than her. We get the party girl from her because that’s what the media gives us.
Angelina Jolie does all this charity, but no one ever mentioned that she practically stole Brad Pitt from Jennifer Aniston. I’m not saying she’s fully to blame, it takes two to cheat, but I’m saying we get what the media gives us. Some people they happen to favor over others.
Shaun on May 13 2007 #