Paris Hilton seeks to unveil new sides to herself in ‘Infinite Icon’

Paris Hilton is known for being a socialite, reality TV star, model, and occasional actor. Now the 44-year-old American wants to show audiences she can be a musician and activist, too. “Infinite Icon: A Virtual Memoir,” arrives in theatres on Jan.30, following Hilton as she records her 2024 electro-pop album “Infinite Icon” and prepares for a one-time performance at the Hollywood Palladium. She said she wants to show a more serious side to herself than the bubbly blonde persona she was known for when she first became famous in the late 1990s.

“In the beginning, I developed this persona and character, I think, as an armor or shield,” she said at her home in Beverly Hills. “I had just been through so much trauma in my life and then getting the first reality show with ‘The Simple Life’ and then playing that character on and on — you know, I didn’t realize I’d have to do it for five seasons straight — and then the whole world just got to know me in that way,” she added. While the media personality said that she believes that her playful persona will always be a part of her, she now wants to show a more mature side. That includes her campaigning for greater federal oversight of youth care programs.

Hilton, the great-granddaughter of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton, has spoken out about the emotional and physical abuse she endured when she was placed in residential youth treatment facilities as a teen. She has also been working with congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to push for passage of the Defiance Act, which would improve rights for those affected by deep-fake pornography. “I knew that I had to stand up and use my voice,” Hilton said, highlighting how her campaigning had contributed to 15 state laws and two federal bills. Her activism was “the most meaningful work of her life,” Hilton added.

Meanwhile, Paris has opened up on her emotional battles. She has compared her rejection sensitivity dysphoria to having “a demon in your mind”. She initially diagnosed with ADHD in her late 20s before finding out she had RSD, which is an extreme emotional response to either real or perceived criticism or rejection, reports ‘Female First UK’.

She told Dear Media’s podcast “The Him and Her Show,” “It’s basically, like, any thought of a negative perception, if you think someone is being rude or you feel something. You will feel it like it’s physical pain and it’s not even real. It’s kind of just this, almost like a demon in your mind that is, like, saying negative self-talk to you”.

She shared, “I’ve been through so many things in my life and especially in the 2000s, just everything I was going through with the media. I’m obsessed with learning more about it and spreading the message, because I want people to know that it doesn’t have to be something that holds them back in life; it could be something that they can harness as a superpower.”

Agencies