On “Salon Talks,” the original influencer opens up about motherhood, her deepest traumas and her ADHD “superpower”
If you predicted back in the velour hoodied early aughts that Paris Hilton would one day write a moving, brave and often very funny account of her life and of the era, congratulations, your day has arrived. If, like the rest of us, you couldn’t begin to imagine just how much was going on underneath that Von Dutch hat, let the pioneering influencer take you by surprise. Hilton’s “Paris: The Memoir” is the best book since Jennette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad My Mom Died” to explore the dark side of growing up in the spotlight and building an authentic life from the ashes of an unorthodox youth.
Hilton, who recently welcomed her first child, joined me on a recent episode of “Salon Talks.” In the candid conversation, we discussed why Hilton says ADHD is her “superpower” secret of success, why she’s speaking out about her deepest traumas and her ongoing campaign to make the “troubled teen” industry a thing of the past. Watch Hilton on “Salon Talks” here or read our conversation below.
You start early on in the book by describing what it feels like to have ADHD. You say it’s your “superpower.” ADHD is so often misdiagnosed, especially for girls and women. What was your experience like finally getting that diagnosis, and what do other people need to know so that they can recognize it and live with it?
I feel that there’s such a stigma behind it, and a lot of people aren’t aware of so many good things about it. In my career, I’ve always been ahead of my time, thinking outside the box and being an innovator and doing things and taking these risks. I really attribute that to my ADHD because I see it as a superpower. I feel that if you harness it in the right way, so much is possible. When I was a teenager, no one was talking about this. It’s an important thing for people to realize that you can become successful, and you can really focus and do big things in life.
I’m so in love with him.
You have talked about everything you went through to have a family and become a mother. I can only imagine how much it must mean to be facing this moment right now.
It means the world to me. I just feel so blessed, and he is everything to me. My heart is just bursting with so much love.
In just the short time since you have had this little boy in your life, has it changed how you think about your own parents and how they raised you?
Definitely. Now that I’m a mom, I feel so protective of my little boy. I just want to protect him from this sometimes scary world, so I can completely understand why my parents were very protective of me as a teenager. [My parents and I] have become so close, especially in the past couple of years since I’ve told my story. Our relationship has really healed from being able to speak about everything.
The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
