Paris Hilton is not a poet, shame she doesn’t know it

craig2 says:

06:56am | 01/03/12

No SteveKAG: I will not get off her back, you will wait your turn and wait till I finish…...........

asdf says:

07:01am | 01/03/12

Totally agree. She has used her name to her advantage very well, made a career out of it and subsequently has a lot nicer stuff than most of us. Good on her.

KTA says:

09:21am | 01/03/12

Personally, I think they are criticised because they got their “fame” from releasing a sex tape. Paris Hilton is famous for being in a green, night-vision tinged sex tape which she said she didn’t release, but then made copious amounts of money off. Kim Kardashian is famous for being in a sex tape with a B-List (at best) rapper and getting urinated on in said sex tape.

I’d rather eat two minute noodles for the rest of my life than be known for being a fame chasing, money hungry p*rn star.

Drafnel says:

09:54am | 01/03/12

Steve, she gets lambasted because everyone knows how she became famous and it has nothing to do with talent, hard work, business smarts, intelligence or any of the other things that are normally required. She used a scandal mechanism and completely trashed her family name to get into the press (face it: no-one had heard of her before her sex tape, and no-one would have heard of her without it). Her “artistic” and “business” ventures since then have been so mediocre in quality that they would have failed dismally were it not for her notoriety.

She’s lambasted because she has never shown anything like the sort of talent or business sense of many honest, hard-working people who struggle to make ends meet. In short, she beat the game because she “cheated”, not because she played it well.

And the Kardashians are very obviously just trying to follow her path.

“Just doing their stuff”? Yes. And just reaping the derision of the entire World, which is fair and just payment for their efforts.

Scotchfinger says:

09:58am | 01/03/12

I am sure her father the hotelier is proud as punch. What dad wouldn’t want the whole world to be able to watch their little princess giving a blow-j*b in a grainy little video? Or perhaps it’s her earning ability that he’s most proud of. Must be a strange, strange family…

Rachel says:

11:00am | 01/03/12

She is lambasted because people are jealous. They think they are better than her, therefore it isn’t fair that she is more successful than they. Maybe they’re right, but I don’t think that makes it OK for people to disparage her for taking advantage of her opportunities.
Anyone who is still focussing on her sex tape is just using it as an excuse to feel superior, which sickens me. It was years ago, it was released without her permission. As far as I’m concerned, in that instance she was a victim and if you are putting her down for it, that makes you as and as the offender.

Scotchfinger says:

11:27am | 01/03/12

@Rachel, very true. But it does suggest she has poor taste in men.

kitteh says:

12:14pm | 01/03/12

Why the bad reviews? Because the product is poor. She can’t sing or act or write or design perfume, and it shows. All her earnings come down to the skills of her marketing and development staff - and yes, that includes the (consenting) release of the sex tapes. Besdies, if she were really the ‘clever businesswoman’ she was touted as being, she would have considerably more in her portfolio by now - half a million for appearing at a party? She certainly doesn’t need to do much, so the ‘hardworking’ tag she sometimes gives herself doesn’t stick either.

Why the contempt? Because she is reinforcing an outdated and potentially dangerous stereotype. If we get the idea that acting as a stupid sex object (and let’s face it, one look at those sex tapes and it’s clear she’s bored - her sexualtiy has nothing to do with genuine passion) is ‘empowerment’, we’re being fooled. I’m experienced enough to see through it; is the average 11-year-old?

Why the outright loathing? Because she’s destructive. She is not an animal lover - she got a new dog when the first one got too heavy to carry, reinforcing the idea of animals being commodified. Her ‘brand’ is based entirely on conspicuous consumption in a world facing environmental meltdown and financial disaster. You may argue that she doesn’t actively espouse these things, but she stands as a symbol for them. She willingly represents the idea that being ‘hot’ - not beautiful, not kind, not educated, not talented, not hardworking - makes for a worthwhile life.

Luckily, her star is fading - at 30, she’s getting a bit long in the tooth for her shallow target audience. The ‘Drunk Text’ track shows she’s not making any effort to grow up and develop, so hopefully she will go away soon. But there’s always a replacement, isn’t there? If we want to address this, we need to reinforce the idea that what you do is equally as important as being successful at it.

Luckily, most people have enough depth and character to understand this. There are many, many young women (and men) researching cancer therapies, teaching in disadvantaged communities, nursing the elderly, and restoring native bushland - and they would rather eat 2 minute noodles than show their genitals for a Gucci handbag. Next time you need a doctor or counsellor, you should be very, very grateful for their lack of self-absorption.

Cookie Monster says:

12:25pm | 01/03/12

Rachel - are you wagging high school again! Sssshh the grown-ups are talking.

Scotchfinger says:

01:11pm | 01/03/12

@Kitteh - you’re a right on all points, apart from the claim that most people aren’t fooled by Ms Hilton’s dubious image. Marketing yourself as basically a rich, dopey corporate sex toy is seen by today’s kiddies as the ultimate rebellion: if life hands you lemons, make lemonade. I am sure the deeper questions trouble her smooth, botoxed brow not one iota. As you point out, even in bed she acts like a porn star; and who raises their eyebrows at that anymore?

Audra Blue says:

10:01pm | 01/03/12

She gets lambasted because she can’t actually do anything.  She didn’t blend the perfume herself, specialists did it for her.  She can’t sing, she can’t, hell, she can’t even give a decent blow job.  She looked disinterested most of the time.  Talk about a starfish.

And yet the unwashed masses worship her.  Can’t for the life of me understand why.  But I suppose there are lots of people who worship mediocrity and aspire to it.

Kika says:

10:59am | 01/03/12

= the Bogan Queens…. like Jordan (aka Katie Price) is the Chav Queen over in the UK.

As long as bogan and chavs aspire to look like and live the way these girls do they will always be popular.

Fred says:

01:14pm | 01/03/12

I think the average idiot decided they’d fantasise about being rich for no skills, and no work, something most of the rich have actually done since forever.

It’s a shame because if they spent what little brain cells they have on working out how the rich are screwing them then them and the rest of us could be better off.

Emma says:

07:19am | 01/03/12

Did you notice how she can do only one pose and one smile? “There is a camera? Wait…” Hand on hip and smile…

ShamWow says:

08:26am | 01/03/12

Blue Steel

Mahhrat says:

09:18am | 01/03/12

@Emma, and yet it works.  Being a one-trick person is fine, if the trick is good enough.

Bruce says:

08:03am | 01/03/12

Yep ! Sold millions, and the introduction to music and song writing which changed global culture.  Any music artist would have given there left foot to have an introductory hit like this one.

Wynston Cruso says:

11:21am | 01/03/12

I honestly thought people had, and I just assumed she was dead because it was better that way. If extraterrestrials came in peace to Earth, only to discover we were harboring this freak, it would take them a total of approximately ‘fuck you’ seconds to change their minds and death-ray the shit out of us all, which we’d completely deserve. Also I don’t care for her at all. I’m going back to pretending she’s dead.

iansand says:

09:31am | 01/03/12

A Gina Rinehart sex tape is not something about which I wish to think.

Damn.  Now I have.

stephen says:

09:44am | 01/03/12

Yeah it’s called take me down to the bean-bag.