Paris Hilton opens up about being sexually assaulted. Image Source: People
Paris Hilton opens up about being sexually assaulted.
Paris Hilton, an American TV personality, appeared in Glamour's February digital cover issue, where she opened up about being sexually assaulted and attempting to shed her "dumb blonde" persona.
During the interview, Paris stated that she believes she is a warrior, fighter, courageous, and badass because she's been through enough. Paris Hilton disclosed she had been abused during her two years at Provo Canyon School in Utah, a place known for its schools for troubled youths. The TV personality was also a target of a leaked sex tape and Hollywood's overall misogynistic attitude toward women in the early 2000s.
Paris told Emily Maddick that she was 15 years old when she was tricked by her teacher, who took advantage of her. It was a feeling she repressed for many years. He would call her, flirt with her, and attempt to convince her that she was a mature woman, she claims. She goes on to say that he did entice her outside her house and then into his car one night, and they started kissing before her parents arrived.
The hotel heiress went on to say that she can't imagine what would happen if her parents hadn't shown up because the teacher panicked and decided to drive through Bel Air at 100 miles per hour, which she remembers being terrified of. Paris asserted he ended up driving her back to Bel Air and told her to get out, and she headed back to her room, trying to pretend to sleep before her parents arrived. Paris Hilton acknowledged that she had not spoken about the event with her family until today, which she said had left her with an unwarranted sense of shame, which had strangely stuck with her.
Paris Hilton revealed that she was sent to reside with her maternal grandmother in Palm Springs, but she was brought back to LA on weekends and would communicate with these older individuals and provide them their pager numbers at Century City Mall. She continues by describing that one day they decided to invite them to their house where they were drinking berry wine coolers, while one of the guys was steadfast about forcing her to drink red wine, and while she did not drink, she did take one or two sips and started feeling lightheaded and woozy.
She recounted that she didn't know what he put in it, but she assumed it was roofie, and that she awoke a few hours afterward to discover that her friend had left, yet she was certain that something must have happened. Paris recalled seeing mental images of him on top of her, covering her mouth, and telling her she was dreaming. Paris Hilton stated that her first sexual encounter made her feel embarrassed, triggering her to withdraw.
Then there was the Provo Canyon School, where she revealed that she was force-fed drugs and was placed in solitary confinement after a girl reported her for not taking pills. Paris described how the staff carried her into the room, threw her in, took her clothes, and left her there for an unknown period, during which she cried and described blood on the walls, feces, urine, only a drain, and no windows. She also said that they had late-night gynecological exams.
Paris stated that she had blocked that circumstance from her memory, but after listening to the accounts of other people who survived, she began to have traumatic memories. Staff members would come in late in the evening and take specific girls and bring them into this room, she recalled. And they'd scream and cry, hold them down, four of them, men and women, and just put fingers... and do things to certain girls regularly. She admits to being one of those "certain girls."
The hotel heiress becomes emotional and admits that she was just a little girl when this happened, and she feels like they stole her childhood, and it's heartbreaking that something like this is still happening to many children today. She also stated that when she was released, she made a promise to herself that she would not speak about it, assuring herself that it had never happened to her, was not a part of her story, and was not who she is.
Paris believes they got away with it for so long because they instilled it in the children, making them feel ashamed and like bad people while emotionally and psychologically torturing them until they forgot who they were. Paris said that it was horrible that she held onto that shame for so long. Talking about the sex tape that came out in 2003, Paris said that when it came out, she was vilified and she was made to appear to be the bad guy, and no one was looking or seeing this grown man [Salomon]. Paris Hilton says that when walks into a room and sees people, it's always in the back of Paris' mind.
During the conversation, Paris Hilton said that now she feels the most empowered when she is doing her advocacy work and knowing that she can be the hero she always needed when she was a little girl.
