Paris Hilton believes that she wouldn’t receive the same scandalous backlash today that she did for her infamous 2004 sex tape thanks to the rise of the #MeToo movement.
The socialite and former reality TV star sat down for an in-depth interview with the Los Angeles Times where she discussed her career as both a TV star and entrepreneur. When asked about her participation in a recent documentary about her life in the wake of the infamous sex tape, Hilton was grateful that the public seems to have changed.
“It’s not something that I would ever want to be known for,” she told the outlet.
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She added: “Back then, people were acting like I was the bad person or the villain … Today, if that happened, whoever did that to the person would be [vilified].”
Hilton participated in and helped produce the 2018 Netflix documentary “The American Meme.” In it, she discusses how she felt suicidal after her ex-boyfriend released the sex tape without her consent.
“I would never be who I could have been,” she said in the doc.
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When asked to elaborate on that statement, Hilton explained: “As a little girl, I always looked up to Princess Diana and women like that who I respected so much. And I felt that when that man put out that tape, it basically took that away from me because, for the rest of my life, people are going to judge me and think of me in a certain way just because of a private moment with someone that [I] trusted and loved.”
Since the release of “The American Meme,” Hilton says she’s been filming her own documentary that is expected to drop on YouTube in 2020.
“I now feel comfortable enough with myself to tell my story. I wasn’t really before,” she said, noting that advice from her parents stopped her from engaging with her own haters in the past. “My mom and my dad always told me, ‘Never dignify something with a response.’ Back then, there was no social media. So I couldn’t just go on there [and set the record straight] … I never stuck up for myself or said anything because my parents said, ‘You’re just going to draw more attention to something. Even if it’s a lie, just don’t pay attention to it. Your family and your friends know the real you.’”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
