If you take anything from reading this post, please please understand that this is not at all what you are expecting. You’re thinking y2k bling and “that’s hot” and miniature dogs, but this story is so much darker than you could ever imagine.

If you’ve watched Paris’ documentary on YouTube, you learned that the Paris you saw on The Simple Life was a character that she created, baby voice and all, to keep herself separate from her media personality. She also covered her history with the troubled teen industry and some of the horrors that she endured while being institutionalized. I thought I had seen a whole new Paris Hilton after watching this documentary, but it still only scratched the surface. After reading her memoir, I realize how dark Paris’ life has really been, despite all the pink, sparkle, and glitter you might see.

Before reading her 2023 memoir, I went back to OG Paris to read Confessions Of An Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind The Pose and the accompanying guided notebook, Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All To Me. There are deep in the Paris character, but still fun and enjoyable to read. She overall promotes being yourself, taking fashion risks, and building a brand. Very Paris, and very cute.

And then came Paris: The Memoir. I was expecting a slightly more detailed version of her documentary with some of the typical celebrity memoir fluff. Honestly, I think the only fluff in the book exists as a result of press tours. (They’re often encouraged to read exerts or share the first chapter as a preview, and Paris would definitely not be comfortable reading 80% of this book out loud on a stage.) My expectations changed as soon as chapter two, where we go right into her being groomed by a teacher in 8th grade.

Things just get worse and worse and worse throughout the rest of Paris’ life. I actually don’t know how she’s able to forgive her parents, but I think she is so afraid of being ostracized from them again that she will attempt to bury that pain, which makes me sad for her. So the story in short is that due to ADHD and some bad behavior in teenage years, Paris was constantly being sent off. To her grandma’s at first, then to these troubled teen institutions that were literally founded by cults. They profit off of the idea of rehabilitating troubled teens, but really they are putting these kids in abusive cult environments. There is sexual and emotional abuse, physical abuse to the point of actual deaths, and so much shame instilled in the system they are forced to live in. The details are horrible, and you have to try to get through the book to really understand it all. But it’s horrific. Paris’ life continues to be a rollercoaster of privacy infringement, insane pressure from her family, and the inability to trust anyone at all. She finds solace in becoming so financially independent that she will never need anyone else again. Luckily, Paris’ story ends happy and with a lot of love, but what a road she had to take to get there.

If you are locked into this story by now, listen to a podcast produced by Paris called “Trapped In Treatment” where many experiences in these troubled teen schools are covered. Paris has also worked tirelessly to create legislation to ensure that these facilities are audited and cannot function as systems of child abuse, which is covered here as well. Paris also talks about things like this on her “I AM Paris” Podcast, as well as other details of her life and celebrity interviews. But if you want the silly, happy, fun and goofy Paris, go watch Cooking With Paris on Netflix and Paris In Love on Peacock.

Paris Hilton does not at all get the credit that she deserves for being the survivor and fighter that she is, and I am so grateful for the insight that she gave us into the most awful and vulnerable details of her life. Long slive the queen.

Thanks for reading.