celebrity

Every time Paris Hilton announces the birth of a child, she has a defensive response ready to go.

Life moves fast. In the past week, Paris Hilton announced she was having a baby girl and then the baby girl already arrived. Like, straightaway.

As with Paris and her husband Carter Reum's first baby, Phoenix, their daughter London arrived via a surrogate birth.

The Simple Life star announced the news of London's arrival on Instagram, then spoke about the news further with People magazine, saying, "I'm just over the moon that our little princess is here!

"My life just feels so complete, having my little baby boy and now my little girl."

Paris Hilton welcomed a daughter, London. Image: Instagram/@parishilton.

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Hilton and Carter welcomed their son Phoenix in January, and she said the couple "are just so grateful and so happy. It's exciting to be spending our first holidays as parents."

On the season two premiere of Hilton's reality show, Paris in Love, on November 30, she opened up about her decision to use a surrogate for both of her births.

"I would have loved that experience of growing the baby in your tummy and feeling the kicks and all of those exciting moments, but my life has just been so public," she said. "So even though the baby is biologically mine and Carter's, we decided to have a surrogate carry him."

Since the early '00s, Hilton has lived in the public eye. She's been stalked by paparazzi, had her intimate video released and mocked by the masses, and has appeared on several reality TV shows. So it makes sense that, at 42 years old, Paris now wants to keep her private life... well, private. 

The social media pioneer even kept London's birth a secret from her own mother, Kathy Hilton.

But Paris has now shared a second, fairly different reason for opting to use a surrogate.

Paris and son, Phoenix. Image: Instagram/@parishilton.

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In a new interview with Romper, she said that the thought of medical exams related to pregnancy had triggered her past trauma. 

"I just have so much PTSD from what I went through as a teenager," she said.

Paris is referring to the sexual abuse she alleges she experienced at controversial Utah boarding school, Provo Canyon School, where she stayed for 11 months when she was 16.

"If I'm in a doctor's office, I get a shot, anything, I will literally have a panic attack and I can't breathe," Paris shared. "I just knew that would not be healthy for me or the baby, growing inside of someone who has such high anxiety."

Hilton told Glamour UK in February that she's "just so scared – I think, again, leading back to Provo – of even being in a doctor's office, just all of that. The shots, the IVs that they put in," she said.

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Paris also said that she had watched a woman give birth for a reality TV scene, which affected her deeply. "When I was in The Simple Life, I had to be in a room when a woman was giving birth, and that traumatised me as well," the former reality star said.

"But I want a family so bad, it's just the physical part of doing it. I'm just so scared… childbirth and death are the two things that scare me more than anything in the world."

But whether Paris decided to use a surrogate to protect her privacy or due to her history of abuse, it shouldn't really matter. This is precisely none of our business. Paris does not owe anyone an explanation. 

What is concerning is that she felt the need to justify her choices around childbirth and how she chose to have a family.

Each time Paris has had a baby, online trolls have been quick to vilify her for using a surrogate, as they assume her decision to avoid carrying a child is fuelled by vanity. It's no wonder she has reasons at the ready in the face of those who roll their eyes and judge – reasons she shouldn't have to share, no matter what they are. 

Paris Hilton has spent her life being crucified for her body and her choices.

And while times have mostly changed for the better in how celebrity culture judges women, there's still a long way to go in how it regards mothers.

Feature image: Instagram/@parishilton. 

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