Product Description

Paris Hilton has a lifestyle most girls dream about. Her name is on everyone's lips -- but can she help it if she was born rich and privileged? Now, with a sly sense of humor and a big wink at her media image, Paris lets you in for a sneak peek at the life of a real, live heiress/model/actress/singer/it-girl and tells you how anyone can live a fairy-tale life like hers.

"If you follow your own plans and dreams and you don't let anyone talk you out of them, then you'll start to get the hang of being an heiress....All you need after that is a good handbag, a great pose, and very high heels, and you're on your way. (Long blond hair doesn't hurt, either.)"

In her fabulous and very tongue-in-cheek -- and chic -- guide, you'll discover Paris's twenty-three rules for How to Be an Heiress (Never have only one cell phone when you can have many), Paris's list of Twelve Things an Heiress Would Never Do (Go out the night after the Oscars), and Three Things Most People Think Heiresses Shouldn't Do, But I Think They Should (Go out with broke guys). Paris also shares private information such as her memories of growing up with her sister, Nicky, and family photos; her favorite designers and her unique beauty secrets; what a night out with Paris is like; her personal gallery of fashion don'ts; and behind-the-scenes stories from both installments of her hit television series, The Simple Life. Of course no book by Paris would be complete without her pet teacup Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, and in these pages, the best-dressed dog in the world shares pages from her own secret diary.

Featuring more than three hundred fabulous color photos of Paris, Confessions of an Heiress is a look at life from the unique perspective of a young woman who has the whole world at her stiletto-clad feet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #44418 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09
• Released on: 2004-09-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Heiress, socialite, model, actress, singer and media darling Hilton loves her life, knows how to get what she wants and matter-of-factly explains how anyone can be a glamorous, fun-loving, tiara-wearing heiress just like her. Bursting with photos of Hilton in trademark poses or with friends and family, her "confessions" are hardly scandalous, other than divulging that her hair is (gasp) naturally curly, she reveals few intimate details about herself, coyly referring to a famous scandal that once plagued her as "something I wasn't too proud of", but they display an energetic and earnest young woman fiercely loyal to her family and closest friends and determined to enjoy herself no matter what the consequences. Lightheartedly describing the "Paris Diet" (eat as much chocolate as you can, eat popcorn at night, never take diet pills) and admitting "I'm really bad about washing my face and using skin products," Hilton's indulgent and sometimes reckless lifestyle might not be sensible for everyone, but her advice to "channel your own inner heiress, create your own image, and project an extreme sense of confidence" is an empowering message for young women. Though much of the book consists of laundry lists of her favorite designers, body products, hair stylists, cities, etc., Hilton endears herself to readers by being the first to critique herself, even dedicating a chapter to photos of her fashion mistakes, and by encouraging aspiring heiresses, or girls who want to feel like one, to "always act like you're wearing an invisible crown. I do. And it's always worked for me."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
Paul Marciano, co-CEO and creative director of GUESS?From the moment I met Paris, I knew she had something special that would make her much more than a typical young socialite. She exudes a charisma rarely seen. You never know what to expect from her next. This book is a depiction of that Paris.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter One: How to be an Heiress

A lot of people seem to have the wrong idea about me. In fact, pretty much everything I read about myself is totally ridiculous. Newspapers and magazines write that I'm spoiled and privileged, and that all I do is dance on tabletops and party with my friends. They think I instantly became famous because I was born into a rich, well-known family, and everything has come so easily to me. They like to think everything they read about me in the tabloids is true. Well, you can't always believe what you read, right? So I've finally decided to give you a sneak peek into my very hyped life -- so you can know the real me.

I haven't bothered to correct what's been written about me so far because, well, gossips believe whatever they want anyway. The people I care about know the real me. If I'm happy with who I am, what difference does it make?

And that's the bottom line for me. While the stuff printed about me over the last few years is amusing and makes me laugh, I've finally decided to let the world know: Okay, I get it. Everyone can have fun with my image because I like to have fun with it too. My friends know that while I like my lifestyle, I don't take it -- or my media image -- all that seriously. I do take my family seriously. I take my dog, Tinkerbell, seriously. I take my work seriously. But I don't take myself all that seriously.

Now, I have to confess to you: Despite what you've read, being a famous heiress is not that easy. It is, of course, fun and exciting, and it comes in handy for air travel. But look around you, and in the gossip columns: Not every heiress is famous. Or fun. There are a lot of boring heiresses out there. What a waste, I say! These are people who are so afraid of what other people might think or write about them, they don't take advantage of all the possibilities that being an heiress hands you on a silver platter. They think there's a prescribed way of "being an heiress" that you're supposed to conform to. It involves wearing white gloves, big hats, and pearls, having some dowdy debut or a coming-out party, and going to fancy, snobby all-girl colleges -- boring, old-fashioned stuff like that.

I totally disagree. There is no sin worse in life than being boring -- and nothing worse than letting other people tell you what to do. I was one of the few heiresses to walk the runway as a model. A lot of people thought that was shocking. Why did I do it? Was it a desperate cry for attention, like the papers said? Hardly. It's not like I need any more attention. Did I do it for money? Of course not. Modeling doesn't pay that well, anyway, unless you're Gisele or Cindy Crawford, or, like Patti Hansen, you get to marry a rock star. I did it because it was fun.

Well, suddenly, everyone got all freaked out. It seems modeling wasn't on the list of socially acceptable activities for heiresses. Then, a year later, every other socialite started walking the runway. Now you can't keep them off the runway. Now there are model agents in New York and L.A. who specialize in getting socialites jobs as models. And if I hadn't pursued it, it might never have happened. I mean, if I didn't do it, who would have? By being brave -- and channeling my "inner heiress" -- I created a new opportunity for young heiresses.

That is what being an heiress means to me: being in charge. After all, if you have money and certain advantages, no one should be in charge of your life but you. Especially after the age of twenty-one. I'm twenty-three now, but in a lot of ways, I always took matters into my own hands. I knew I wanted to be a model, actress, and singer from a pretty young age, so I told my parents, and they could tell I was serious. In so many ways, being an heiress is really all in your head. If you follow your own plans and dreams and you don't let anyone talk you out of them, then you'll start to get the hang of being an heiress. It's all about feeling entitled, which seems, for some weird reason, to make a very big impression -- a good one. And who's more empowered than an heiress? Heiresses are born with privileges. If you walk into a room and know you're the most exciting person in the room because...you are, then you're feeling like an heiress. All you need after that is a good handbag, a great pose, and very high heels, and you're on your way. (Long blond hair doesn't hurt, either.)

The best way for me to tell everyone how to act and feel like an heiress is by doing this book. First of all, the book parties will be really fun! But beyond that, I want to put it out there that if you can channel your own inner heiress, create your own image, and project an extreme sense of confidence -- even if you don't really feel it every moment -- people will treat you differently. Sure, heiresses are born with privileges. But if an heiress doesn't project natural-born superconfidence, no one is going to take her seriously or put her on the pedestal she deserves to be on. Put yourself on your own pedestal, and then everybody else will, too. Always act like you're on camera, and the spotlight's on you. Always behave like you are the center of attention. Always act like you're wearing an invisible crown. I do. And it's always worked for me.

And try adding a little attitude to your normal behavior. For instance, if you expect people to do things for you, they will. If you act like a doormat, no one will lift a finger for you. That does not mean you should ever be mean, or snobby. A true heiress is never mean to anyone -- except a girl who steals her boyfriend. An heiress should be a little above it all, but sweet. She can afford to be kind because she's well bred and never in a hurry. And she shouldn't go around spilling her guts to everyone. Have some secrets, I say. Secrets are very important assets if you're going to be an heiress.

Even if you have no secrets -- and everyone does -- you've got to make people think that you do. If people read a few tidbits about you in Vanity Fair or on "Page Six," they instantly want to know more. They will want to know everything about you. If there's one thing I've learned, it's this: People need to believe your life is better than theirs.

After all, everyone needs a fantasy. Okay, maybe I don't, but most rich people want something they can't have. If they have one Rolls-Royce, they fantasize about having two. If they have a closet full of Chanel, they want a closet full of Gucci.

I'm a fantasy to a lot of people. They want to think that I have more fun than they do, have fewer problems, wake up looking great, go to sleep looking great, can buy and eat anything in the world I want, and get any hot guy I want. They think I'm "Paris Barbie." (I take that as a compliment. Barbie is my total fashion icon!) No one wants to think that I have a normal life or problems. They prefer to imagine someone has the Perfect Life, and I guess mine seems like that to a lot of people. I've only been me, so I can't tell if my life is perfect or not.

The way I keep people wondering about me is to smile all the time and say as little as possible. Smile beautifully, smile big, smile confidently, and everyone thinks you've got all kinds of secret things going on. And that keeps them wanting more. And when they want more, you are automatically interesting. If you give too much away, no one needs to know anything else. You've given it all away -- and for free. And if you do that, well, you're never going to have any money. Or make any money. It's what they call "supply and demand."

So, while I'm going to reveal some of my secrets here, don't get your hopes up too high. I'll never reveal ALL of them. How tacky would that be? An heiress never reveals how much money she's worth, or her family's worth. An heiress hardly ever refers to money, period. An heiress never reveals how many guys she's dated, or...whatever. There are definitely a number of things an heiress won't talk about. You can imagine what they are. There's a big difference between being fun and provocative and being totally over-the-top and gross. An heiress knows how to tread that fine line -- in stilettos.

I've noticed that my girlfriends want to tell their friends everything. They need to talk about every tight T-shirt they buy, every carbohydrate they eat, every insecurity they have, every single thing a guy says to them. These girls have no secrets. So no one needs to talk behind their backs. They've spilled it all. I don't do that.

Rule Number One: Heiresses aren't needy. If an heiress is feeling a little insecure, she should go shopping. And if she still doesn't feel any better, she should go to Paris. Or Saint-Tropez. For the weekend, if necessary. Because there's always another fun place to visit, another set of fun people, another cute outfit waiting to be snapped up. There's no reason for an heiress to ever EVER be bored.

Rule Number Two: An heiress should never be too serious. Being too serious is very dull, and is a sign you have no imagination or personality. No one really wants to hang out with anyone too serious. An heiress is so confident -- and why shouldn't she be? -- that she should always be able to make fun of herself. First of all, if you make fun of yourself, no one gets upset when you make fun of other people. And if you make fun of yourself first, no one gets the urge to do it behind your back. You've taken all the power away from them -- AND made them laugh. It's a double whammy.

Here are my fail-safe instructions on how to be an heiress and live like you have a privileged life -- and I am serious about them. Most of them, anyway.

1 BE BORN INTO THE RIGHT FAMILY. Choose your chromosomes wisely. This may seem like ludicrous advice, but actually it isn't. If an heiress is in control of everything, why shouldn't she be in control of who she's born to? You know how everyone always says there are no accidents? Well, I believe you choose who you're born to. And if you do have the misfortune of being born into the wrong...

Customer Reviews

Paris Hilton
Entertaining, and full of pictures. This book is not meant as a serious read, but an enjoyable read, and in that sense it succeeds. Just as her recent political ads have. When a presumptive Presidential candidate featured Paris Hilton in one of their ads, she fired back. She should have mentioned the "Little" fact that Senator Hillary Clinton is the candidate that won more votes than any other Presidential Primary candidate in the History of America. Now thats Hot!

Guilty pleasure!
I hate to say this but I really like this book. It's like a guilty pleasure. More than a year ago, I found it at a book store in my favorite shopping mall and decided to take a peek in it. After a few pages, I found myself laughing and took this book home. When I finished it the first time, I thought "This is a really funny book. What kind of a person is this. Quite self-absorb. Still, it's really funny." Then, it was left on shelf. Anyway, yesterday I was bored, too lazy to find a new book, I picked it up hoping to get relax, instead I got to think hard about it. Really look behind the book, I think she's pretty smart. She doesn't seem to work that hard, just go out partying and maybe famous for being in a sex tape, but the girl's now really making money for going to a party, releasing purfumes, endorsing products, designing stuff, etc. Even having a record deal! What kind of a person will make money just to go to party and have some fun, which you're going to do that by yourself anyway? And hey! for many of you who don't like her, I think some of you already bought (aka giving her your money) her stuff, right? Something in the book are totally ridiculous like "choosing a family you are born into,... blah blah blah..." but some are pretty sharp. Of course, this is not "The Alchemist", but I don't think she'll feel embarass to say when she was young, she'd written something like this. Just give it a good laugh and a try. After all, it's just a guilty pleasure!

that's not HOT!
This book is a how-to on how to be an heiress. While some may argue that Paris Hilton only put her name on this work and didn't author it, I can assure you that she has penned it herself, like totally. It is overwhelmingly obvious that an experienced, educated writer did not type this up. She describes how one should behave and present herself when aspiring to become an heiress, even going so far as proclaiming that she believes everyone chooses their life on earth before they are born. She was smart enough to pick a life full of wealth, fame and privileges, why anything less? While I believe everyone does choose their life before birth... it is certainly not based upon anything materialistic or egocentric. Lessons to learn are the focal point, well, the only point. After all, what of those in poverty or places of violence, etc.?
Furthermore, I DO NOT understand how someone with hundreds of millions of dollars has absolutely NO intention of earning a college degree. This book reads like a how-to straight out of junior high. There are no misspellings or problems with grammar, capitalization or punctuation, of course, but search inside this book and see that the content is very immature for her age. Did she even graduate from high school? All of her career aspirations revolve around fame and admiration: acting, modeling, singing, writing a book on how to be like her, etc. Look at me, me, me, me!! That's HOT! Well, it's not so hot; what about a priceless college education and a degree no one can ever take away from you? If one looks at real royalty all over the globe, attaining an education is an absolute MUST. If I had as much money as she did I would attend classes until I died or ran out of things to study, whichever came first. College? AS IF!