March 14th welcomed the Paris Hilton autobiography “Paris: The Memoir” to bookstores across the country. The simplistic book title is a direct reflection of the way she has largely lived her life, simple and without a care in the world. Ironic, as “The Simple Life” was the name of her tv show with fellow socialite Nicole Richie.
The duo was just two of many “celebrities” in LA during the late 90s-early 2000s who were only famous for being famous. With no real accolades to themselves, they would use their family names as connections, and their fortunes to make opportunities happen. They would often be seen with other celebrities who were famous for actually having talent like Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan.
A photo featuring Paris with Britney and Lindsey was called “The Holy Trinity” by gossip columnists at the time, a name that has stuck through the years.
What those writers didn’t know is what Paris talked about in the book. From being raped at 15, to having an abortion in her 20s, to the ripples her sex tape caused for her family and career, Paris tackles it all. What seems to be underrepresented there is the connection between Paris with her tape and Kim Kardashian having a tape of her own “leaked” a few years later. Considering Kim was working as her assistant at the time, it was obvious what had happened.
Nevertheless, Paris also talks about the double standards at the time. “We expected girls to be sexualized and then condemned for their sexuality. Punished for both silence and speaking out, told we should accept responsibility for our choices, and then called crazy or stupid or slutty if we didn’t live by the rules other people chose for us.”
An introspective like this is stating the obvious, but it’s also something that was never really talked about at the time. While the times have changed, this topic is still largely left undiscussed, and it is unfair to the women going through it. Thankfully, many have refused to play that game, and are instead sending our girls much better messages.
