Moms Gone Wild - Vanity Fair, November 2007

[Mira]

According to this article, the Hiltons aren't quite as rich as they would have the public believe...

Moms Gone Wild
by Judith Newman for Vanity Fair, November 2007

Sure, mothers always get blamed for everything. But—as a look at the women behind Paris, Lindsay, and Britney reveals—if your child is your meal ticket and career booster, it's hard to be the parent she needs.

I'm on the phone with Lynne Spears, Britney's mother, when my five-year-old grabs a wad of cash, waves good-bye, and disappears into the elevator.
Lynne and Britney Spears.

"See?" says Spears as she listens to me scream at my son. "It's not so easy, is it? You can't even get your five-year-old to listen to you."

True, my son had not yet publicly flashed his crotch, vomited in his limo, wiped up dog poop with a $6,700 Zac Posen gown, or accused me of forcing him into rehab. But her point is a good one. Mothers take a lot of hits.

Some are unfair. Some are not.

This year the mothers of Hollywood's wild girls—Paris, Lindsay, and Britney—have found themselves almost as much a part of the tabloid circus as the daughters themselves.

A recent cover of Life & Style magazine featured photographs of Britney and Lynne and spewed, i hate you, mama! On June 28, Britney reportedly presented her mother with a letter warning her to keep away from Britney's two kids if she was abusing prescription pain medication. Apparently Britney has rethought the premise behind the book she co-authored with Lynne in 2000, Britney Spears' Heart to Heart, a mutual lovefest between mother and daughter. Dina Lohan, frequently seen living la vida loca with her troubled daughter, has been pitching reality shows, and once told Star magazine that Lindsay's friends called her mother "the white Oprah" because they all told her about their problems. And then there is Kathy Hilton, Paris's mother. Kathy sobbed when Paris was sentenced to jail for driving with a suspended license, calling the 23-day stint "Paris-cide." When Paris was released, her mother came to pick her up, seated at the open window of an S.U.V. in full hair and makeup as the cameras flashed. Kathy Hilton appeared ready for her close-up.

"All these crazy daughters and their mothers!" says Janice Min, editor in chief of Us Weekly. "These girls have one thing in common: troubled childhoods." (Mysteriously, the stage fathers tend to get more of a free pass: Joe Simpson does not get a lot of criticism for running the lives of daughters Jessica and Ashlee.)

There are plenty of stars whose mothers are their constant companions and succor; Justin Timberlake and Leo DiCaprio, to name two, escort their moms to big events all the time. But they don't make good copy. More intriguing are the parents who seem hell-bent on helping their children realize their dreams. But what dreams? And whose?

If ever there was a woman to make Gypsy Rose Lee look shy and unassuming, it's Kathleen Elizabeth Avanzino Richards Hilton. Hilton was herself the daughter of a stage mother, the pretty, vivacious Kathy Dugan, known to everyone as Big Kathy. Dugan, writes Jerry Oppenheimer in his 2006 book, House of Hilton,the goal. was an Irish Catholic high-school dropout who grew up in Manhasset, Long Island, eventually marrying four times. She told her daughters again and again that marrying rich wasn't a goal; it was it was the goal.

Paris and Kathy Hilton

From the time Big Kathy's children were infants, they were in the spotlight. Little Kathy was only a small child when she started modeling. Eventually Big Kathy moved to L.A. to help boost her daughters' careers. While sisters Kim Richards and Kyle Richards are working as actresses today (Kyle in frequent TV gigs and Kim most recently as Christina Ricci's mother in Black Snake Moan), Big Kathy's namesake snared only a few bit parts, on shows such as The Rockford Files and Happy Days. "Of course Kathy wanted to be a star," says Hollywood party cougar and Hilton friend Nikki Haskell. "Who didn't?"

Kathy never got her big break, but she did find her Prince Charming. According to Oppenheimer, she had known Ricky Hilton—the sixth child of eight born to Barron Hilton—since they were teenagers, and they began dating seriously in 1978. Rick was a sweet University of Denver party boy. (Not that the entrepreneurial Hilton spirit was dead within him: he was known for throwing fabulous parties at the Denver Hilton and charging students 20 bucks a head.) Soon he was smitten with Kathy, and the two were married in Beverly Hills on November 24, 1979. They have, by all accounts, a very loving marriage (Rick is known to call his wife "Mommy," the New York Post noted in 2005), though whether that love is shared by the extended Hilton family is questionable.

In 1981, Kathy had Paris, whom she nicknamed "Star." From infancy, says Oppenheimer, mother and grandmother told the angelically pretty little girl that she would be bigger than Marilyn Monroe, bigger than Princess Di. All she needed was a little boost. (Kathy Hilton did not respond to V.F.'s requests for comment.)

"After my research I came away with sympathy for Paris," says Oppenheimer. "When she was a kid she thought about becoming a veterinarian. But she had no chance to do anything but what she has done." (For her part, Paris once told a reporter that her professional dreams changed when she realized she "could just buy a bunch of animals.")

"Kathy and Rick would host parties at these little clubs in New York, where they'd hand out flyers—something like 'Young and Rich Party hosted by Nicky and Paris Hilton,'" says Suzan Hughes, who was married to Herbalife founder Mark Hughes and is godmother to Kathy's younger son, Conrad IV. "You throw a great party, you get a celeb to show up—or you say that a celeb will show up—and when the camera crews come the celeb may not be there, but there's your gorgeous daughter, dancing on a table. That's how it all began."

Hilton observers all have their favorite story about Kathy's curious lack of appropriateness. For former Daily News gossip columnist Lloyd Grove, it was this: "When Paris went on Saturday Night Live after the release of her sex tape, in 2003, she did this bit with Jimmy Fallon where he wasn't allowed to discuss the sex scandal, but he asked her all these double-entendre questions about 'the Paris Hilton [Hotel],' like 'Is it hard to get into the Paris Hilton?,' 'I may need to go in the back entrance,' 'I'd love to have my balls held by the Paris Hilton,' etc., etc. And wouldn't you know, Kathy and Rick were there with their two young boys. Afterwards, Kathy was saying, 'Wasn't your sister great? Wasn't she funny?'—and these two boys, who were barely teenagers, had to listen to this whole thing about their sister being in a porn tape.… It was just so awful."

(click link for remainder of article)

Moms Gone Wild: Fame & Scandal: vanityfair.com

Lainey's Entertainment Update: Paris Hilton arranges photo opportunity for parents to meet Pizza Boy boyfriend

[mrs.v]

All the money in the world can't take away the fact they're trash.

[Dixie Normos]

What about the fathers? Or are we women to be the worlds scapegoats forever?

[Thalia]

The fathers should be held accountable too, but truthfully, in the cases of Paris, Britney and LiLo, I think that the mothers were the driving force behind objectification of their daughters. It's obvious that they're using their daughters as younger versions of themselves, living out their dreams of glamour and stardom vicariously through their kids. It's really disgusting, although no less gross than Joe Simpson and his profiteering approach to selling his daughters' sexualities.

[Nerissa]

OMG Lynne looks like Britney's younger sister on that pick! Really cute compared to her daughter "orange fingers"....

[Bijoux]

Kathy Hilton is one crazy bitch!

[CollegeStudent]

uhhh i can't believe rick was promoting paris during a funeral.....

[Beeyotch]

I just read the whole thing. Good article. And I'd been hearing rumors ever since Paris became well-known around her sex tape scandal, that the Hiltons weren't nearly as rich as they'd like to have everyone think.

Trash is just trash. Simple as that.

Although I'm glad that my opinion of Lynne Spears was validated--I don't think it's entirely her fault what Britney has become, I've always thought it was Britney who wanted to become the star, not Lynne who pushed her into it. I think she regrets some things and is dealing as best she can without causing additional damage.

She's made mistakes, but she's definitely no Dina Lohan or Kathy Hilton. I don't get the feeling she's living through her daughter like they are, at least not anymore.

[Mira]

^Word.

[CherryDarling]

double WORD^^

[Fluffy]

^^^me THREE!

[cmmdee]

Originally Posted by mrs.v

All the money in the world can't take away the fact they're trash.

ITA. All the money in the world can't buy class. Lord knows these girls are far from it.

[sparkly]

They need to buy some dignity and class with all their money. I'm so glad my mom wasn't like Kathy Hilton. Luckily they already had money, because Mrs. Hilton was setting up her young daughter to either be a star or a hooker.

[Mira]

After Kathy Hilton married the guy for his money (well, at least partly ) she probably found out there wasn't as much as she originally thought, hence the ambition.

[TonjaLasagna]

Anyone born into money knows there are just some things you never do; talk about your money, marry outside your financial circle, discuss your skeletons in public (if any of them come to light).

The Hiltons, Lohans and Spears clans violate these basic rules almost every day. If they
have money, they're certainly not old money.

~~~~~~~
On the flip side, Brooke Astor was the epitome of old money. Here's a peek into her life:
Besides loving dachshunds, the thrice-wed Mrs. Astor was well-known for her love of men.
"She had sexual relationships well into her '80s." She was proud of it. She prided herself on her figure. She did yoga every morning. She was very flirtatious. She used to say she went to sleep by counting her lovers. She had gay walkers accompany her to charity events, but she kept her boyfriends to herself."

Brooke Astor's dogs said to face rough fate in son Anthony Marshall's care