Paris Hilton Career
Categories: Celebs & Style
Paris Hilton has tried to market herself across many disciplines including acting, modeling, singer, author and more. Although lacking any real talent in any particular area her debutante skills have garnered recognition due to her willingness to use her sexuality (and a certain amount of business savvy) to further her career.
In 2001 she developed a reputation as a socialite, trying to brand herself as “New York’s leading It Girl” and tried to extend herself beyond the local news in New York City.
Her unusual combination of business savvy and sex has not gone unnoticed. According to Forbes Magazine, Paris Hilton earned approximately $2 million in 2003–2004, $6.5 million in 2004–2005, and $7 million in 2005–2006. Her profits no doubt continue to grow every year.
She started modeling as a child and by the age of 19 she signed with Donald Trump’s modeling agency, T Management. Paris Hilton has also worked with Ford Models in New York, Models 1 Agency in London, Nous Model Management in Los Angeles, and Premier Model Management in London, and has appeared in numerous advertising campaigns for Iceberg Vodka, GUESS, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior, and Marciano.
Paris Hilton first became well known through the television series The Simple Life. In November 2003, one week prior to the release of TV series however a four-year-old homemade sex video of Paris Hilton and then-boyfriend Rick Salomon was leaked on the Internet. It was soon released in DVD format as “1 Night in Paris”, despite legal action attempting to thwart it.
That video however is the biggest contributing factor to Paris Hilton’s career and why she is now a “tabloid star”. Paris Hilton sued her ex over the release of the tape and was awarded $400,000. She later claimed: “I never received a dime from (the video). It’s just dirty money and (Salomon) should give it all to some charity for the sexually abused or something.”
Like Monica Lewinsky however the sex scandal brought Paris Hilton infamy, but unlike Bill Clinton’s former intern Paris Hilton has managed to take that infamy and market it. Unlike Pamela Anderson and her own sex video, Paris Hilton used her new found tabloid fame to launch an empire. She is now one of the most sought after actresses and models in the world, launching her into the ranks of Oscar nominees and supermodels
The sex scandal also furthered the popularity of the Fox reality TV series “The Simple Life” in which she co-starred with Nicole Richie, the adopted daughter of Lionel Richie. The series ended up lasting three seasons, two longer than originally expected. The show was cancelled by Fox after a dispute between Hilton and Richie, but it was subsequently aired by E! Entertainment Television for the fourth and fifth seasons, with talks of a sixth season to follow.
She has also had numerous minor film roles and guest starred on the following TV shows and movies.
The O.C.
The George Lopez Show
Las Vegas
American Dreams
Veronica Mars
Zoolander (2001)
Nine Lives (2002)
Wonderland (2003)
The Cat In The Hat (2003)
The Hillz (2004)
Raising Helen (2004)
House of Wax (2005)
Pledge This! (2006)
Bottom’s Up (2006)
The Hottie and the Nottie (2008)
Repo! the Genetic Opera (2008)
My Name is Earl (2008)
Paris Hilton also appeared in several music videos, including “It Girl” by John Oates and “Just Lose It” by Eminem.
It is not her film or TV roles that make her famous however, it is just one more way she gains media attention. Paris Hilton thrives on controversy and media exposure, appearing in magazine advertisements and interviews. She has posed semi-nude for Maxim and numerous other men’s magazines. In women’s magazines like Elle Paris Hilton has exclaimed her happiness at being flat-chested and her puzzlement about women who want bigger breasts. She also declared herself the “iconic blonde of the decade”‘ and compared herself to Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe (a claim she later denied in the May 2007 issue of Harper’s Bazaar).
Paris Hilton will reportedly appear in the 2007 Guinness World Records as the world’s “Most Overrated Celebrity”. In a poll conducted by the Associated Press and AOL, Hilton was voted the “Second Worst Celebrity Role Model of 2006″, behind Britney Spears.
Her mass media appeal is such that just mentioning the words “Paris” and “Hilton” on the same page more than doubles the number of people who read the article online. Tabloid newspapers with Paris Hilton on the cover sell more often.
