Paris Hilton's 'Confessions'
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-09-21 08:43

Celebrity socialite Paris Hilton, who shot to infamy after a raunchy sex video of her flooded the Internet, now is teaching girls how to behave and let their "inner heiress out."

Paris Hilton shows off her book prior to a signing at a Valencia, California Walmart.

The 23-year-old Hilton dishes out her pearls of party-life wisdom in a 178-page book, "Confessions of an Heiress," published this month by Fireside, which is more scrapbook than memoir, with pictures outnumbering paragraphs.

"It's just a look inside my life," says the heiress to the hotel fortune, who suggests a weekend in St-Tropez in the south of France for beating the blues.

"It's about my friends and dating tips and do's and don'ts of dressing. It's kind of like a girls' guide. It's pretty interesting. It was hard, but it was a really fun project," Hilton told Reuters in a recent interview.

Setting herself up as a jet-set role model might strike some as the height of chutzpah. But America worships a different kind of celebrity these days.

"In the old days, you were a celebrity because you were good at something," says Robert Thompson, professor of media and popular culture at Syracuse University, about the society girl who went from gossip-page fodder to TV stardom with the Fox series "The Simple Life," after her sexcapade.

"Now there is a whole new subset of celebrities who are being created essentially for the sake of being famous. For someone known for being a beautiful party girl, a video like that is like a promotional device. I think it did wonders for that series."

Playing to the Hilt

Now one thing is certain -- Hilton is a hot property and she's playing it to the hilt. Besides her book, the former model has launched a jewelry line, and applied to trademark her name and copyright a tiara logo. She plans to put the Paris Hilton brand on clothes, perfumes, makeup and shoes.

In the old days, you were a celebrity because you were good at something. Now there is a whole new subset of celebrities who are being created essentially for the sake of being famous. -- Robert Thompson, Syracuse University

And that's not all. The slender blonde is recording a pop-rock album, spreading her acting wings with a role in a remake of the horror film classic, "House of Wax," and filming a National Lampoon movie comedy, "Pledge This!"

"It's all about taking charge and branding yourself," Hilton said. "I think we're living in a moment when having a career, especially a really glamorous one, is very sexy."

Born with a platinum spoon in her mouth, Hilton reveals tidbits about life in the supersonic lane in her 'memoir' but does not ignore the less fortunate.

"People act differently toward you when you've got jewelry on your head," she notes about her fondness for tiaras. "Always act like you're wearing an invisible crown. I do."

Common Touch

Hilton hopes to pass on some of her fashion magic to common folk with her jewelry collection. It features belly chains, earrings, bracelets and anklets -- accessories she uses in the skimpy "slut wear" style she favors -- and is available at Amazon .com, priced from $15 to $95.

"With my line I try to use what I like and make it affordable," she said. "So anyone can look like an heiress."

Despite the book title's promise, it is a bit light in the confessions department.

Among the biggest revelations is what she "desperately" hates about her body: "I have size 11 feet" she reveals, noting that stilettos make her feet look smaller.

Conspicuously absent is a detailed account of exactly how her sex romp video made it onto the Internet despite Hilton's insistence it had been made strictly for personal use.

"Everyone does crazy stuff when they're young, but if you're an heiress, you have even more opportunities to mess up," is about as far as she goes on the subject.

Media professor Thompson says Hilton's success is not entirely a matter of dumb luck, noting she uses a "naivety which she plays like a finely tuned instrument," and crediting her with being "as savvy about how celebrity works in modern culture as (pop artist Andy) Warhol."

Like Warhol, Hilton elevates the everyday and banal to new heights, such as her tips on how to snag a "hot guy."

"Guys do not want girls who are too nice to them, or girls they can walk all over and get too easily. Every guy wants to be with a woman who thinks like an heiress," Hilton says.

Of course, it helps to actually be an heiress.

"It doesn't hurt to act rich as well as hot. I've found it to be a fairly unbeatable combination."

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