Paris Hilton was the original influencer, says Martha Hayes in the Telegraph. In the Noughties the “It girl” was famous for being famous. When she wasn’t filming reality TV show The Simple Life, she was clubbing and “carrying miniature dogs around in designer handbags”. It’s true, says Hilton: “I invented getting paid to party.”
And professional partying was lucrative. Today Hilton is worth an estimated $300m, and that’s before you count her family’s hotel fortune. On the back of her fame, she set about creating a business empire – she travelled 250 days a year to DJ and has launched 45 branded stores, 19 product lines and 27 perfumes. Not bad for a supposed airhead who speaks in a baby voice. “I invented this whole new persona – a Barbie doll with a perfect life,” she says. It came in handy. “When the media would talk negatively about me, I would just be, like, ‘That’s not even who I am.’ I’m the smart one because I made up this character and I’m laughing all the way to the bank.”
But Hilton is “so over” parties. Now 40, she lives in Beverly Hills with her (fourth) fiancé, tech entrepreneur Carter Milliken Reum, and their six dogs – Diamond Baby, Harajuku, Crypto, Ether, Slivington and Cutesie. In her spare time she hosts a cooking show on YouTube: a video of her making lasagne has been viewed 5.1 million times. It’s nice to wind down, says Hilton. “I have lived 10 million lifetimes. I’m ready for the real simple life.”