In her newly released YouTube documentary ‘This is Paris’, Paris reveals a side to herself that even the most devout fans wouldn’t recognise.
Instead of the rich, spoiled party girl the public saw of her, the documentary breaks down the facade she built her empire on.
“I’m always… kind of… putting on this, you know, facade or just like happy and perfect life. Just had this plan, and then created this brand and this persona and this character and I’ve been stuck with her ever since”, she commented.
As the audience catches glimpses of her public persona crack, we begin to uncover the traumatic experiences she has endured throughout her life.
Although the advertising of the documentary promises to focus on the abuse she suffered in her teenage years, director Alexandra Dean doesn’t sensationalise the narrative around her experiences. Rather, the portrayal of Paris opening up about her abuse illustrates the emotional turmoil as well as her liberation by sharing this.
During her teenage years, Paris was sent to various boarding schools at the wish of her parents, all of which were allegedly abusive. However, it was her final boarding school Provo Canyon School in Utah where she experienced extreme trauma.
“I feel like a lot of the people who worked there got off on torturing children and seeing them naked,” she said. “They would prescribe everyone all these pills. I didn’t know what they were giving me. I would just feel so tired and numb”.
She continues to comment how she was sent into solitary confinement as a result of refusing to take the medication.
After speaking out on these incidents, she explains why she took her time addressing it publicly.
“I wanted to do something, but at the same time I didn’t want to hurt my brand,” she said. “I can’t have this be part of my business, and people won’t understand. But if I don’t do this it’s going to continue to happen and I’m going to continue being traumatized and think about it the rest of my life.”
The documentary depicts how these traumatic experiences have forever changed Paris, suffering with chronic insomnia and nightly nightmares of her abuse.
Paris also reflects upon the situations and scandals that have become a major part of how we collectively perceive her.
When discussing the sex tape scandal, she reveals how the “private moment of a teenage girl not in the right headspace” became a mechanism for ridicule and pointed out the disparities between her incident and how it would be perceived now.
The audience is also introduced to the workaholic side of Paris Hilton, who spends a large part of her time as a businesswoman, social media influencer and DJ.
Her overcommitment to her jobs, and never saying ‘no’ to any opportunities is displayed throughout the documentary, often at the cost of her love life and any down time. The passion she exudes about her DJing is infectious to the audience, Paris reflecting how this passion was born from her rebellious days as a “queen of the nightlife”.
The film is perhaps the first time Paris has ever been publicly portrayed as a complex, multifaceted woman, rather than a one-dimensional commodity. Although it was not originally set out to be such a personally exposing documentary, Paris allowed director Alexandra Dean to showcase this side of her after building rapport.
Paris also announced how she was in on the joke that it seemed the rest of the world was laughing at. She willingly exaggerated her persona to suit the brand she was trying to build up, admitting she is “not a dumb blonde. I’m just really good at pretending to be one”.
The Paris that is represented in the film seems to be a more authentic version of herself, and one that viewers will resonate with on a deep level. By opening up in this film, Paris has taken control of her own narrative for the first time, and a new chapter of her life appears to just be starting.
“I feel like this is the best point I’ve ever been in my life… It just made me feel like I wasn’t alone anymore,” she said.
You can watch ‘This is Paris’ here.
