Paris Hilton shocked fans when she shared her experience of abuse while attending Provo Canyon School. It was on her 2020 docu-film This Is Paris. There, viewers got to know the reality star's struggles on and off camera, as well as her real voice... Yes, a deep voice that's far from the baby girl voice we all know. Fans were surprised by the change, as much as they were by the abuse claims. Hilton later explained that it was part of her efforts to reveal her true self — not "some airhead, but the businesswoman" she is. Apparently, the dumb blonde persona was all a facade. Here's the truth about the socialite's iconic act.
Paris Hilton Is Just 'Good At Pretending To Be A Dumb Blonde'
In an interview with Sunrise in September 2020, Hilton revealed that she'd been faking her dumb blonde act. "This entire time, I have been playing a character, so the world has never truly known who I am," she said. "The real me is someone who is actually brilliant. I'm not a dumb blonde, I'm just really good at pretending to be one." When asked about the differences between her and the character, she said: "There's so many differences. With the character, it's mostly kind of this blonde, bubbly, kind of Barbie airhead. And in real life, I'm the exact opposite."
The DJ also stated that she wanted people to see her as human, not just a public figure. "I think when people see the film, they're gonna see a completely different side," Hilton said of This Is Paris. "And they're gonna see I am a human and I do have feelings. And they're gonna understand me a lot more. I know there's so much more to me than what they thought." Fans responded well to the YouTube documentary. They also praised The Simple Life star for opening up and helping other victims of youth care abuse.
Paris Hilton Used Her Dumb Blonde Act To Protect Herself
Hilton's husband Carter Reum said that when they started going out, the reality star freaked out because he wanted to know the real her. During a confessional interview for their reality show Paris In Love, he revealed that Hilton used her dumb blonde character to protect herself from the public. "I felt like I was this kind of fantasy, Barbie-princess, fairy-mermaid unicorn," the businesswoman told Vogue of her act. "Even though I was playing into a character, I know most people aren't really like that. I just seemed like this free spirit even though nobody knew the other things I was going through, so I was almost like an escape for people."
Hilton added that as much as her character protected the real her, the media still got to her feelings. "I think the media would just use that and treat me like... [pauses] Sometimes I would feel like a punching bag," she said. "When people said things that hurt my feelings, in my mind I'd say, 'Paris, that’s you playing a character, that isn't you. Don’t feel bad when people are saying things because people aren't talking about you, they’re talking about what they think you are.' That mindset protected me because I'd already been so exposed and the whole world already had all these preconceived notions about me."
What Paris Hilton Wants To Be Remembered For
Hilton doesn't want to be "remembered for some airhead, but the businesswoman" she is. That's the main reason she released her 2020 docu-film. "I'm very proud of all my accomplishments and I feel that there's just been so many misconceptions about me," she told Sunrise. "I wanted to show people who I really was." The multi-millionaire also told Vogue that showing her real self has allowed her not to feel "stuck" anymore — contrary to what she stated in the film: "I created this brand and this persona and this character, and I've been stuck with her ever since."
Still, she admitted that it took a lot of courage to reach that point. "When I filmed that scene, I really did feel that way," the Cooking with Paris star told Vogue. "After really telling my story and just coming clean with everything, I feel like I'm not stuck anymore. I think even people who only ever judged me from the headlines will reconsider things they might've said about me in the past, which is exciting because I love proving people wrong. I can't wait for people to meet the real Paris."