In today's day and age we are infatuated with the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Just take a look at the latest TV schedule, you will see a who's who of America's wealthiest in their own reality show. We absolutely love to hate them and hate to love them, but for some reason we just keep coming back for more. One of the most well-known celebrities today is none other than rich girl-turned-reality show superstar, Paris Hilton.

So, like many of you I ask myself what the big deal is with this Paris Hilton chick? Well, she is the granddaughter of the world-famous Hilton family. Think of it this way, every time you, your family, or anyone you know stays at a Hilton hotel, you are helping to put money in Paris Hilton's pocket. Of course, Paris has done some work of her own, if you count her various modeling jobs, movie cameos, and that hit reality show "The Simple Life." Most recently Paris has been caught up in a media storm revolving around a sex tape involving the heiress that "accidentally" leaked on the Internet. If Paris' goal was to be known she has certainly surpassed that feat with flying colors. If she wanted to be loved, admired or envied, well... that's a different story. Paris Hilton is loved and hated for that matter, but either way she has become a household name and a celebrity we have all become very familiar with.

I recently hit the streets to get the scoop on what the general opinion of Paris was. Here is what they said.

William McEvilly, 19, college student, holds a more critical opinion of Paris Hilton. At first when asked to comment, he hesitated and admitted talking about people like her just makes him mad. But, trash talking about famous people is something we all love to do, and hear. He went on to say that, "she's a spoiled, rich wh*** who was created by tabloid magazines and America's disgusting obsession with the wealthy and the beautiful." The daughter of a very wealthy hotel owner being spoiled? No way! Inheriting more money than most of us will see in a lifetime is something she didn't have to work very hard to do. However, on the contrary, Paris Hilton can also be seen as her very own entrepreneur. She might have millions without doing a days worth of work, but she did manage to become one of the most talked about people in our media obsessed world. Now, that must have caused her to break a sweat. Paris is her own self-promoter with her endless partying and knack for attracting attention, she has developed a business approach to her self-popularity. Can't we give her props for that? William still thinks that "she's worthless" because "she's famous for partying all the time and letting a video of herself get on the Internet."

Christine Conway, 18, college student, takes a more defensive stand. "I don't think it matters if Paris is a spoiled child of a wealthy family. We can't blame her for having a lot of money and being exposed to a life where she never has to work or worry about anything. It was how she was raised. as a result she only knows a life of luxury and parties and being loved." She makes a good point. Not many of us could turn out to be a modest millionaire despite being raised as a princess. And, how many of us say we hate her when we are actually jealous of her? The only worry she has is how many birthday parties to have this year. Her 21st birthday was well known. she had a party in a different country and city for a couple of weeks. Tough to beat; leave it to Paris Hilton though to beat her own record. Christine continues to argue that "people are too critical. Why would we care if a certain individual is a professional partier? She has money and she's using it in a way that most of us would. She is an attractive young girl who parties, shops and has fun. Isn't that what most young girls do? Paris Hilton just takes this to a more extreme level."

Abi Morez, 43, school teacher, says that Paris Hilton angers her more than anything. "I used to think that other pop stars were over the edge. When I heard of Paris Hilton becoming a well-known celebrity due to a show that runs on, FOX, it made me a little bit more worried. Too many kids look up to these girls and want to be like them. She has a sex tape for Gods sake. Not even Britney Spears went that far, I don't think anyway." And, if you thought Britney Spears exposed young girls to too much sexiness, you may have been mistaken. Paris has sex written all over her, more so than a copy of Playboy. its obvious how a school teacher can become apprehensive about Paris. Who wouldn't after seeing a tall, skinny blond parade around a farm in a bikini top and a skirt barely long enough to cover her back? We might see the next few generations following this example. "It worries me that girls who look like they don't eat are becoming the icons for girls."

Mike Heyman, 28, tattoo artist, puts it simply when he says, "Paris Hilton is a sex symbol. Back to the days of Marilyn Monroe or Madonna, girls who have physical attractiveness and a daring taste to push the limits of society are great. I can understand why people are not approving of her, but don't you think that's what she wants? She wants to create havoc in the world's of people who like things safe and sound. It's more fun that way. It's more fun for her audience that way too! If you ask me she's not that pretty, she's too skinny and mousy, but that's not what matters. she's aggressive and independent."

Paris Hilton may be the next generation of the scandalous female celebrities like Madonna. They have a sex appeal, are great at attracting attention and are the best at making people talk. She has made the world talk and that's exactly what she wanted. The gossip and discussion of this one individual may not all be good, but in this case it's safe to say that quantity is more important than quality anyway.

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