by Bo Paul

Created on: September 17, 2008

We live in an era where the cult of celebrity seems to dominate our culture. From celebrity news programs on television to recent uses of "celebrity" as an epithet in political circles, it is a factor that all of us face daily. Some choose to use their status to bring to light issues they care about or try to ignore the hype around them and concentrate on their art or work. Then there are those who have become overrated due to the constant media exposure on a daily basis. If being overrated has a face, chances are it belongs to Paris Hilton.

In the past few years Paris has managed to arise seemingly out of nowhere to a life of reality TV shows, movie roles, and her picture on way too many magazines sold at supermarket checkout stands to count. This saturation and exposure may lead some to ask: why is Paris overrated?

Paris is overrated for a number of reasons. First, the media has a tendency to hold her up as a standard beacon for what is supposedly beautiful. While many people would consider her attractive, she unfortunately appears to have no depth to her at all, possessing a shallowness that has become almost symptomatic of current American culture. Combine this with the good fortune of being born into a wealthy family and it appears she has been able to coast through life in a manner that very few would be able to get away with.

Then there's the talent factor. In less than a decade Paris has been able to go from someone famous solely for being in the right place at the right time to have several TV shows (most notably The Simple Life with former best friend Nicole Richie and the new Paris' new BFF) as well as appear in several movies and guest roles on TV shows. Yes, there are those that say that someone who has worked hard and honed their craft has the right to enjoy their fame. The big glaring problem here is she seems to have no discernable talent. She can't really sing (even by manufactured pop music standards) and the movies she's appeared in are terrible. If Paris Hilton were anyone else, odds are she would've faded away from the public radar after about a year or so. However, due to her celebutante status and the tabloids obsession with celebrity she has managed to parlay what would've been 10 minutes of fame at best into a minor cottage industry.

At this point some people would say that Paris Hilton isn't the only celebutante who's been overexposed. These people may ask, "What about Britney, or Lindsay Lohan?" And they have a point as there are other

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