Conrad Hilton, the founder of the Hilton Hotel chain, had no
way of envisioning the images his name would conjure up when the new millennium
rolled around. But now, almost 90 years since he founded his first hotel in
Cisco Texas, his great-granddaughter, Paris Hilton, is changing the face of the
Hilton name forever.
Born February 17, 1981, Paris Whitney Hilton grew up living
among America’s elite. After a childhood spent romping around the halls of the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the location of her family’s New York suite, Hilton
shunned the rigors of college and set out to make a career of being famous.
Her first step toward actualizing her dream was to make her
face known by modeling. Paris being Paris, she was able to find work modeling
for GQ, FM, and Vanity Fair. Although the exposure contributed to her first
mentions on Page Six, in the beginning it was the combination of her last name
with her burgeoning sex appeal that helped her to become known to those living outside
the upper echelons of the Hamptons and Beverly Hills.
As Paris made her way through a slew of Hollywood rumors
about her private life, including tales of flings with Leonardo DiCaprio, Nick
Carter, Edward Furlong, and Oscar de la Hoya, she began to accumulate name
recognition among the plebeians outside the limelight. Paris represented the
life that none but a select few will ever have the chance to live. She was
fantastically wealthy, beautiful, and came equipped with an attitude that told
the world that she didn’t care what you thought about her—just as long as it
was her you were indeed thinking about.
In 2003, Paris made her first big steps into the public eye
with the reality television program “The Simple Life.” Along with her BFF and fellow
heiress, Nicole Richie, Paris took on the challenges of rural life with an
attitude and flare that captivated audiences across America. “The Simple Life” took off, and
three more seasons were taped.
As 2006 unfolds, it appears that regardless of your opinion
of her, Paris has been victorious in her mission to become famous. She makes
headlines with nearly everything she does. From being ranked the worst dog
owner to rumors that she has been cast for the title role of Mother Theresa,
Paris Hilton has shown that anything to do with her will eventually become
known to the rest of us. Paris has reached that last plateau of fame—the one where
anything she does becomes a headline because anything to do with Paris is news by itself.