Paris Hilton turns 41 this today, and we’re celebrating by diving into her birth chart.
The Heiress has given us iconic pop culture moments since she burst on the scene in the early 2000s and starred on “The Simple Life” with her bestie Nicole Richie. Famous for being famous, Hilton has since evolved in the public eye, inhabiting many iterations: international DJ, fledgling home cook, perfecter of the head tilt and the only person we’d trust declaring, “That’s hot.”
Sun in Aquarius
Born Feb. 17, 1981, Paris is an avant-garde Aquarius with a limelight loving Leo moon. I consider Aquarians proof positive that life exists on other planets as these folks are undoubtedly space aliens sent from a galaxy far, far away, where cheekbones are high, humanitarian ideals are prized and emotions are kept in glass containers.
Here on Earth, they inhabit worlds of their own making, as Hilton did for her 2021 wedding to Carter Reum, curating a “Paris World” carnival for guests at the Santa Monica Pier. Wondering what the internal fantasy life of the average Aquarius looks like? Queue up Hilton’s “Come Alive” music video wherein our girl parades through a bedazzled, candy colored universe like a My Little Pony humanoid. Weird is the only way for this member of the zodiac, and thank the gods of glitter for that.
Aquarius is the master of possibilities, and true to form, Hilton, who has tried her hand at a cooking show and memoir writing, is never afraid to try or to fail. Her turn as one of the highest paid DJs in the world is a fitting expression of her Aquarian nature, elevated above but surrounded by the sweaty hum of humanity.
Ruled in part by disruptive punk-rock planet Uranus, Aquarians are natural innovators, instigators and influencers and Hilton is no exception. Haters be damned, the woman invented the art of being famous for being famous, put velour tracksuits on the map, gave Kim Kardashian a career that beget an empire, pioneered the selfie and paved the pornographic way for all celebrity sex tapes that followed.
Public persona, private pain
Aquarians often develop public personas that are disparate from, or even at odds with, their true selves. See fellow water bearer and man of 1,000 faces, The Weeknd. This is something of a defense mechanism that protects their authentic selves from the slings, arrows and glaring judgment of the stages and spaces they occupy. We see this quality exhibited in Hilton, who admits in her documentary “This Is Paris” that even the sound of her voice is different, and several octaves higher than her normal speech. “I’m so used to playing a character that it’s hard for me to be normal,” she says. “When cameras are around I turn into someone else.”
For Hilton, the development of her public persona was a response to the horrific abuse she said she suffered as a teen during her time at a the Provo Canyon congregate care facility for troubled youth, revealing in her documentary that the only thing she focused on was who she would be and what she would do when she was released.
Confinement is akin to torture for Aquarians and helps explain how and why Hilton was able to escape from a series of troubled youth facilities before being ultimately placed in the lockdown of Provo Canyon. Radical independence is of the utmost importance for Aquarians, and they are far more likely to inspire a trend than follow a crowd and revolt rather than conform.
Aquarians view reliance, emotional, social, financial or otherwise, as a threat to their selfhood. In her 2020 documentary, Paris revealed the driving force behind her punishing work ethic: She wanted to be a self-made billionaire. “I always saw money as freedom and independence, and not being controlled. And I think that’s why I just had that as my focus in life.” With a net worth of $300 million and 19 product lines and counting, she’s well on her way,
Recently, however, Hilton revealed she is seeking a different kind of abundance, asserting her independence not through wealth but through the foundation of a family of her own. “Now that I am so incredibly happy and in love in my personal life I’m not really interested in billions anymore. I’m more interested in babies.” Hilton has been open about her journey with IVF, admitting that she opted for the reproductive path so that she can choose to have twins and determine the sex of her child. Futuristic family planning? Big time water-bearer vibes.
Magnanimous roll dog
Aquarius is the sign of the humanitarian. They care about people and cannot abide injustice or the abuse of power. They aren’t afraid to enter the fray, speak their minds or get proverbial dirt on their Lurex spacesuits. True to her sign, Hilton, a survivor of abuse, recently appeared before a congressional committee, sharing her story in support of the creation of a legal bill of rights for children being held in congregate-care facilities. As she revealed in her documentary, “I don’t know if my nightmares will ever go away, but I do know that there’s probably hundreds of thousands of kids who are going through the same thing right now and maybe if I can help stop their nightmares, it will help me stop mine.”
Hilton recently penned a heartfelt essay for the Time 100 Most Influential People list to her pal Britney Spears, perhaps seeing her own struggle reflected in the singer. “Despite the darkness that has surrounded her life, Britney embodies joy and shares the light of her beautiful heart, forever the superstar. So we stand by her and root for her as she turns pain into purpose, her unwavering spirit stronger than ever.” What a homie.
To Bitcoin and beyond
Future-focused is the modality of Aquarius, and it comes as no surprise that Hilton was spotted spinning records at a 2021 Bitcoin conference dressed in solid-gold cyborg regalia. She has also invested in startup companies and proven herself to be an early adopter and promoter of NFT’s explaining, “I see NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, as the future of the creator economy. Whether art or music or fashion or design, NFTs allow me to express myself and allow all creators to directly reach their audience, creating a new type of marketplace.” Leave it to an Aquarius to be on the cutting edge, and coin, of a new world order.
Moon in Leo
In astrology, the moon represents our emotional interiority and our relationship to our mothers. Leo moons crave praise and attention and fear apathy and irrelevance. Fittingly, Paris’ childhood nickname is “Star” and sister and intimate confidante Nicky Rothschild describes her as “addicted to drama,” a veritable hallmark of any major Leo placement. Born to shine, those with this moon are oxygenated by attention and are unafraid and utterly shameless in pursuit of it. Witness Hilton’s SIX wedding dresses and the fact that she’s never been photographed in the same thing twice.
Creative, enthusiastic and a little lazy, there’s a bit of an all-press-is-good-press modality to these folks. They like high-end finery and highfalutin folks, exhibited by Hilton’s shopping guide that includes caviar and feathered dog sweaters and her star-studded wedding reception which included reality TV regents alongside actual royalty, all dining on gold leaf potatoes. You can’t make this s – – t up, folks.
Typically, the mother figure for moon-in-Leo natives is a stately, beloved grand dame that either discouraged the attention-seeking behavior of their child or pushed them towards a version of success that would reflect well on the mother herself. The child is taught to carry themselves in a polished fashion with the belief that public perception and the projection of happiness are more important than the expression of personal truths. As Hilton explains about her time at Provo Canyon, “My parents were scared and they didn’t want their reputations to be ruined. I was sent away to be hidden.” Sister Nicky corroborates, admitting their parents are “the king and queen of sweeping everything under the rug.”
Predictably, trouble arises for the moon in Leo when they seek praise and validation from the masses rather than authenticity within themselves. It’s easy for them to mistake flattery for love, and attention for connection. Often, the moon in Leo native will find themselves in one-dimensional or destructive romantic relationships where their need for love attracts an unscrupulous partner who sees them as the means to an end. Leo is a hungry moon that must learn to nourish themselves before foraging for love in the wilderness of another.
Mars in Pisces
In astrology, Mars is the planet of action, aggression and sexuality. In essence, it represents our will. Mars-in-Pisces natives like Hilton are intuitive, sensitive and eternal champions of the underdog and the wounded bird. This placement explains Hilton’s love of creatures great and small, as she admits, “I like animals more than people.” Same Paris, same.
Mars in Pisces imbues natives with a go-with-the-flow sensibility that is often mistaken for passivity when, in fact, it’s measured response. We see this play out in Hilton who’s a bit of an oddball who doesn’t mind being laughed at. Whether she’s washing a Bentley while eating a burger, hyping the “White Chicks” sequel, announcing a faux bid for presidency, she’s ultimately in on the joke and holding the purse strings.
Deeply empathetic and easily wounded by the casual cruelty of others, Mars-in-Pisces folk often develop escapist tendencies to mitigate the hurt they feel and pain they observe. Hilton’s escapes have changed form throughout the years, from nightlife as a misunderstood teen, to a serious work grind as an unhappy adult.
Mercury in Aquarius
Mercury in Aquarius makes Hilton’s mind agile, quick and open to unusual possibilities. Alexandra Dean, who directed the heiress’ documentary, “This Is Paris,” was quick to note Hilton’s brilliance, comparing her to bombshell inventor Hedy Lamarr. “[Paris] is extremely intelligent and chronically underestimated. Her mind can be quicksilver, that’s part of why she architected the concept of insta-fame. Hedy changed the world and Paris did, too. Both of them were women with affectations and shields that blinds us to their intelligence.”
Hilton’s Mercury in Aquarius also helps to explain how she has managed to disseminate a number of cultural catchphrases, including but not limited to the iconic “that’s hot,” “loves it” and her newest, “sliving,” a bastardization of slay and living. Proof that the decline of the English language is nigh and that if anyone can make fetch happen, it’s our girl.
Most importantly, Hilton’s Mercury in rabble-rousing, paradigm-shifting Aquarius imbues her with the confidence to be a vocal advocate for change and the conviction to use her celebrity platform to bring visibility to movements like #BreakingCodeSilence.
Love in the air, written in the stars
Venus is the planet of love, aesthetics and attachment. A Venus-in-Aquarius native, Hilton has had a bit of a rough go in the relationship department; see this douche lord sabotaging her stage performance, ex-boyfriend Rick Salomon shopping her teenage sex tape, and the recent revelation that five of her former partners were physically abusive towards her, she has alleged.
Venus in Aquarius prefers an intellectual connection, cerebral chemistry being more important than physical intimacy. In 2019, Hilton revealed that she is staggeringly chaste, her resistance to running the bases having earned her the moniker Miss Blue Baller. Put that on a monogrammed tea towel. Astrologically speaking, the nickname tracks, as Venus in Aquarius natives easily detach from their own carnality, preferring to talk about sex rather than actually have it.
Previously engaged to actor Chris Zylka, Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis and model Jason Shaw, Hilton took her first and only trip down the aisle in November of 2021 with long-time friend and venture capitalist Carter Reum. Equals in astrology and ambition, Reum is a fellow Aquarius sun and Aquarius Venus. With these two space cadets, weird recognizes, and reveres, weird. Each respects the aspirations and work ethic of the other, they intrinsically get each other and there’s no edge of competition or threat of codependency. Curious conversationalists, they find freedom in one another.
It’s been a long road for Hilton, but it seems she has at long last found her penguin in Reum and her purpose in advocacy. Happy Birthday, Paris, even if the “Stars Are Blind,” may they burn bright for you and through you.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.
