"Paris and Nicky Hilton? Those girls will show up to the opening of a phone book. It's like a big joke"
About this Quote
The insult lands because it’s so specific it feels effortless: Paris and Nicky Hilton don’t just attend events, they’ll turn up for the grand unveiling of a phone book. Rachel Perry uses that deadpan exaggeration to collapse an entire celebrity ecosystem into one gag - attention as a reflex, publicity as an addiction, “openings” as meaningless rituals that still somehow generate headlines.
The intent is twofold: to puncture the Hilton-brand mystique and to signal Perry’s own position as someone close enough to the scene to mock it. The line flatters the audience’s skepticism. You’re invited to share the knowing eye-roll, to feel in on the joke that the red carpet has become a treadmill where being seen matters more than what’s being seen.
The subtext is sharper than simple shade. It’s a critique of early-2000s socialite celebrity (and the media that fed it) where presence itself is the product. A phone book opening is the perfect prop: aggressively boring, obsolete even, yet still “openable.” Perry implies the content is irrelevant; the cameras are the point. Calling it “a big joke” isn’t just about the sisters - it’s about the whole arrangement, a circular economy in which fame manufactures events that manufacture fame.
Context matters: this kind of quip thrived in an era when tabloids and entertainment shows needed constant novelty, and socialites supplied it by treating nightlife, charity galas, and brand launches as interchangeable stages. Perry’s line turns that churn into a punchline - and, quietly, an indictment.
The intent is twofold: to puncture the Hilton-brand mystique and to signal Perry’s own position as someone close enough to the scene to mock it. The line flatters the audience’s skepticism. You’re invited to share the knowing eye-roll, to feel in on the joke that the red carpet has become a treadmill where being seen matters more than what’s being seen.
The subtext is sharper than simple shade. It’s a critique of early-2000s socialite celebrity (and the media that fed it) where presence itself is the product. A phone book opening is the perfect prop: aggressively boring, obsolete even, yet still “openable.” Perry implies the content is irrelevant; the cameras are the point. Calling it “a big joke” isn’t just about the sisters - it’s about the whole arrangement, a circular economy in which fame manufactures events that manufacture fame.
Context matters: this kind of quip thrived in an era when tabloids and entertainment shows needed constant novelty, and socialites supplied it by treating nightlife, charity galas, and brand launches as interchangeable stages. Perry’s line turns that churn into a punchline - and, quietly, an indictment.
Quote Details
| Topic | Sarcastic |
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