Maximum Occupancy

Given some time to mull over The Woman in Me and Paris memoirs, I have some thoughts.

In general, I do not like to give reviews or opinions on memoirs, even if it is some major bullshit - what right do I have to call someone out on their lies. If anything, their lack of self awareness and the delusion it takes to write (or get a ghost writer to write) that down is not my battle to fight. I feel it is asking more of someone that they have to be willing to give, and as a reader and consumer if we do that then we are crossing into parasocial relationship territory.

I do feel that both stories were very aware of how they wanted to spin that they were wronged. We (society and the media) have gone back and forth with hatred and admiration in a way that is unfair. Paris Hilton’s and Britney Spear’s stories are very focused on their experience and how we were unaware of the circumstances and how we added to their victimization. I think they have every right to tell it, I believe what they wrote, and I enjoyed it and learned more about them as complex women and not characters. Yet it has to be said, the worst thing about the stories is that it is very white and privileged, they have yet to take the next leap to making sure other women (who are not white or rich) deserve better and they may be downplaying how substance abuse can be a result of their trauma.

While The Woman in Me is more unaware of maybe how alcohol and drug use negatively impacted her life, Paris Hilton does gives us a little more into how she is aware - only to pull back. The Woman in Me is more of a puff piece then I would like, which makes sense since Britney does not have the distance and time to reflect.

Paris has had more time, and while she does as the book goes on allude to her real fuckups that should be more closely examined (claims of racist slurs used, sexists slurs used, indifference to others) it is not fully there. I am not expecting her to be treated like Cersei made to walk with her shame, that is monstrous. When Paris Hilton does attempt remorse, the steps she starts are still admirable even if they fall short.

It is just that when Paris was talking about the bill she was working on, she is so antipolitics that she refuses to acknowledge parties. Even if her opinion is that they are all the same at this point, cause they are, this statement would given her more grace. But then she makes sure to drive home that the bill needs to speak to the wealthy individuals who are sending their kids to the camp, because they are the ones funding it. But she does not realize the irony that it could be at the exclusion of the foster children and children on state benefits who do find themselves in those and other similar hell holes, because there are not proper social resources and they have are making the largest group of undesirable others that society is trying to crush.

I guess with her activism, and other stars we idolize, it can’t be because they finally experienced something and now get it. It should be because, “ Oh shit if it could happen to me, what will happen to someone else in even worse circumstances?”

Love the name drops in both, and to be honest Paris does give more in her book that Britney does. But be aware she keeps trying to make sliving happen and it is definitely a way for her to plug all her past and current crap she is trying to sell. Paris brings up NFTs so many times that all it does is convince me that like BitCoin it is the scam of the future. I am going to keep my recession impacted dollar bills in my mattress thank you for very much. (Only to pull them out to buy Britney Spear’s Curious at Wal-Mart, it is the only celebrity perfume I have bought multiple times and makes me smell like the pop star tart I really wish I was.)