by Ian W.

Created on: September 06, 2007

Paris Hilton is not a celebrity. She is in fact, a celebutante, which means that she gained fame due to Internet porn tapes and family recognition. True, the Hiltons could not have hoped to get as much media attention on their own (after all, how juicy is the legacy of hotel moguls without the "youthful indiscretions of their child), but that does not mean that Paris should have such a media emphasis.

Paris is a prime example of a celebrity created by the media. For some reason (I still do not understand it) she and Nicole Richie were given their own reality series in the form of the Simple Life, and shortly before the first episode of that show aired we were made aware of the now infamous sex tape. This created her celebrity, but that does not mean her celebrity is valid. In fact, I argue, without the sex tape the Simple Life tanks and we only hear about Paris on such specials as VH1's "where are they now?" but because of the sex tape she was sent to instant celebrity status. What, I ask, has she done to deserve this fascination in the media. She gave us sex on the Internet, tennis skirts, and not much else. Sure, there are those out there who will say that she's a musician, but I dare anyone to actually say they listen to and enjoy her so called music. Also, her fashion line will be referenced in the reasons why she should garner media attention, but I ask if anyone puts Paris on the same page as a fashion icon like Gucci, for example.

If, when the sex tape came out, the media had ignored it (like they should have considering the other truly important things going on in the world, the War in Iraq as one example) this question would not be an issue. But the media decided thar Paris Hilton was prime news, and as a result we've had to endure over four years of the annoying "hotel heiress" as a prime news subject.

Like Anna Nicole Smith, Paris Hilton's celebrity is solely dependent upon media coverage, and if they would stop talking about her, the majority of Americans would stop caring about her. She had done nothing to warrant such attention except for being a flawed human being, and if that's what it takes to become a celebrity, why aren't I all over the television and the tabloids?

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