Economic Crash? We'll Always Have Paris

Paris Hilton is preparing to launch the fifth - yes, FIFTH - addition to her "fragrance empire." The newest scent is called Fairy Dust.

It has never seemed quite right that some one like Paris Hilton, famous for exactly nothing, could manage to parlay her particular brand of dopey elitism into a film and TV career, a recording contract, two book deals, a footwear line, a clothing brand, and a fragrance line, not to mention a healthy promotional career including a chain of namesake nightclubs.

But it used to be easier to write off her success as a fluke creation of capricious investment and rampant overconsumption.

Now, watching Hilton carry on unfazed, adding more products to her brand empire, while more substantial businesses crumble into dust, makes us die a little bit inside.

While the recession may not have spoiled the heiress's fun yet, you might notice a change in Paris's image this time around. In the past Hilton has flaunted a pretty steamy persona in print and on film (remember those raunchy Carl's Jr. car wash ads? Or a certain internet video, perhaps?).

In ads for Fairy Dust, however, Paris appears downright whimsical...almost innocent. Which, like pretty much everything else these days, is confusing for those of us who have come to count on her trashiness.

Liz Gunnison

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