‘This is Paris’: The Hilton Icon Explains Why Now Is the Time to Tell Her Truth (VIDEO)

One of the most famous Hilton properties is getting torn down. And no, it’s not a hotel.

It’s the image Paris Hilton has carefully crafted for herself over the past two decades. After a life in the spotlight bejeweled with scandalous headlines, reality shows, famous rivalries and myriad product lines, the original influencer has decided that it’s hot to be real for possibly the first time ever. And what lies behind the living Barbie vibe is heartbreaking.

In This is Paris, the YouTube Originals documentary directed by Alexandra Dean, The Simple Life star opens up about her often lonely existence, the public misconceptions about her family and her current gig as the world’s highest-paid female DJ. On the surface, one might be tempted to pass this off as a vanity piece orchestrated to add new luster to Hilton’s equally calculated persona. But minutes into the piece, it becomes clear that something else, something dark, is going on with this woman who has been both embraced and derided around the globe.

We sat down with Hilton back in January and found her to be refreshingly frank (and at times hilariously self-deprecating off-camera), as she talked about her haters, her catchphrases and how the film has “morphed into something so much deeper” than was originally imagined.

As the layers drop, Hilton admits in the film that “when I look around at my life, it’s like a cartoon…I have created this fantasy-world cartoon.” What drove her to develop the “Paris Hilton” most people recognize—the babydoll voice, the posing, the partying—all stems from an event in her past that is addressed late in the film.

Likening her selfie-taking brand to an emotional armor, Hilton says this is the first time she has discussed the situation with anyone, even her sister Nicky and mother Kathy (who both appear, along with her aunt Kyle Richards and two Kardashians). So no matter what you think you know about Paris Hilton, this may be the closest thing fans will get to the truth about who she really is. Or at least, who she is becoming. Because her revelations and hopes to move forward signal a potentially life-changing shift for the star, as well as a lot of other young women this documentary may help.

This is Paris, Documentary Premiere, Monday, September 14, YouTube Originals