C3 — Famous For Being Famous : Paris Hilton
To make gold out of every opportunity, and one’s name a brand in itself, is what the American psyche is all about. Paris Hilton is thus, the ideal ambassador of the American dream. Apart from making selfies, a ‘thing,’ this matriarch is a former TV star, fashion sensation, model, DJ, perfume tzar, socialite and, is now referred to as the ‘American meme’. The heiress turned the stuffy New York social scene upside-down in the early 2000s, setting not only every fashion and lifestyle trend at the time, but also defining what it meant to be an ‘influencer’ before we even had a word for it.
Being a celebrity paid to be herself, Hilton became a world wide sensation without ever needing a fancy social marketing team, or any publicist in general. All she did was, to live a life larger than anyone else could imagine, and making sure that all and sundry get to feel her flamboyance. She made a brand out of her name, by simply projecting herself in an ostentatious manner, and making the common man feeling the need to live a life like her’s. Her extravagant public appearances have made the critiques call her, a ‘celebutante,’ more than a celebrity, as her fame preceded her debut performance itself. In 2003, a sex tape with Hilton and her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, later released as 1 Night in Paris, was leaked to the public. Released only three weeks before the premiere of the reality television series The Simple Life, in which she starred alongside her long-time friend Nicole Richie, the sex tape became a media sensation. Keeping our moral book aside, it can surely be agreed upon, that this American artefact was best aware about the tactics of self-propaganda, a notion which America as a nation can closely associate to.
Hilton remains a zeitgeist of not only the 2000s, but also an icon or a ‘golden calf’ as the critiques would say, to upcoming ‘celebrity entrepreneurs,’ with a Kardashian ruling the internet, and a Trump ruling the entire political space in general. Kendall Jenner, a much celebrated pop culture model, recreated Paris Hilton’s 21st birthday look consisting of a shimmering silver chainmail halter dress, rhinestone choker, and tiara, for her own celebration. Hilton took it as an ultimate compliment, reinforcing the fact that her fashion statements are evident in the pop culture as well. This queen of Coachella was famous for her bold and quirky selection of clothes, and possesses legal rights on the catchphrase “thats’ hot”. Her home is basically a museum of herself, with a placard reading “Princess Paris” welcoming the visitors to her vanity. She also possesses a well-furnished two storied dog house mansion, which became a great hit on all social media platforms.Her net worth in 2018 is $300 million which includes her empire of 50 stores, 19 product lines, and sales from 23 different fragrances exceeding $2.5 billion. Her massive territory on the world market, thus make her a phenomenon in herself.
Despite being born with a silver spoon, her personal fame is quite unique and noteworthy. Her mother is a socialite and former actress; her father, Richard Howard “Rick” Hilton, is a businessman, and her great-grandfather, Conrad Hilton, the most influential member of the family, is the founder of the world-renowned Hilton Hotels. For a person to become an artefact, one must be globally acclaimed, with a well distinguished identity, leaving an everlasting impact on all the generations to follow. Thus, Paris Hilton truly checks all the boxes of becoming an American artefact. Much like the American dream, her entrepreneurial skills and flamboyant attitude, have set ideals of a perfect life for many people across the globe.
