These days, it seems as though influencers can be made or broken in a split second. Platforms such as TikTok provide everyone access to wide audiences and brand deals from the comfort of the couch. However, in the early 2000s, this was very much not the case, meaning celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian, who previously worked as the former’s assistant, had to rely on tried and true channels to garner and maintain relevance in the cultural zeitgeist. Hilton, a socialite, entrepreneur, and heiress to the Hilton Hotel chain fortune, rose to prominence in the New York social scene after first attracting tabloid attention in the late 1990s.
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Paris Hilton’s Rise
It should be no surprise that Paris Hilton had such access to high-value social status due to her financial backing. When the star was just 19 years old, she signed to Donald Trump’s modeling agency. Shortly thereafter, she shot photos for Vanity Fair with acclaimed photographer David LaChappelle. She then gained notoriety as “New York’s Leading IT Girl” and engaged in romances with such notable figures as Leonardo DiCaprio and professional boxer Oscar De La Hoya. As her star continued to rise, Hilton appeared in feature films such as Zoolander and The Cat In The Hat.
Though Paris Hilton was well known within the circle of New York socialites, she became a household name in 2003. This was due to the leaked sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon. The tape was roughly 4 minutes in length and circulated the internet with the title One Night In Paris. To this day, some theorize that Hilton publicized the tape on purpose as a branding technique. However, the heiress claims that she never intended the video to be seen by the public. Of course, only weeks after the tape’s release, Hilton catapulted to worldwide fame.
Reality Television And Book Deals
Weeks after her sex tape was released to the public, Paris Hilton joined forces with her friend and fellow socialite Nicole Ritchie to develop the series The Simple Life on Fox. The series focused on the pair as they attempted to perform menial tasks and basic blue-collar jobs. The stars would often fail to perform the tasks to humorous effect, illustrating their hyper-privileged lives. The show was an enormous success and ran for 5 seasons.
Just one year after The Simple Life began airing, Paris Hilton ventured into the world of prose, releasing the book Confessions Of An Heiress in May 2004. The book was panned as a vapid and self-serving venture by critics of the time. Despite critical backlash, it garnered a cult following, eventually landing on the New York Times best-seller list.
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Continued Success And Other Ventures
While other influencers may be tempted to rest on their laurels, Hilton expanded into several prudent entertainment markets. In the years since her meteoric rise to fame, Hilton began a music career, performed as a DJ, and created and starred in many television programs. She continued to appear in blockbuster films and even started a podcast in 2021. No matter how the general public feels about the controversial socialite, there’s no denying that Paris Hilton is a pop culture icon whose mark on the world will not be soon forgotten.
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