24 Hours with Paris Hilton: She Isn’t the Dumb Blonde You Think You Know

The Paris Hilton you think you know isn’t the real Paris. “I’m not a dumb blonde. I was just very good at pretending to be one,” Hilton told Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott. She writes about this and more in ‘Paris: The Memoir’ (Dey Street Books, March 14). “A lot of what I did with this character was just a trauma response to all the abuse that I went through as a teenager.” Placed in the controversial Provo Canyon School, a mental health treatment center for girls, Paris writes candidly about the abuse she suffered. “When I was coming out of Provo, I definitely modeled my character on Marilyn Monroe.” When you know this about Paris, you begin to understand so much about her. Now a new wife and mother—“I didn’t even know what love was until I met this baby”—Paris, who says she always felt “judged” and “alone” as a young woman, is ready to share her story on her terms. “I’ve lived this crazy, amazing life, but there’s also been so many hard times, and I just wanted to put it all out there because I’m proud of the woman that I am today and everything that I’ve been through. I’m a bada**.” Visit ParisHilton.com to learn more about the memoir.  Visit Newsweek.com to learn more about the podcasts we offer and to catch up on the latest news. While you’re there, subscribe to Newsweek’s ‘For the Culture newsletter. Follow H. Alan Scott on everything at @HAlanScott. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.