Photo: Paris Hilton/INSTAGRAM
Paris Hiltonshared vulnerable photos on Thursday of herself at the age of 18 followingabuse she says she experiencedat a Utah boarding school.
The entrepreneur, 39, previously opened up about the emotional and psychological toll her stay at Provo Canyon School had on her in aYouTube Originals documentaryThis Is Paristhat premiered in September. The school is now under different ownership.
In the pictures she shared on Instagram, Hilton’s face has a somber expression as she poses in a hat and T-shirt with NYPD logos and black pants.
“These photos were taken when I was 18 and had recently came home from the horrible experiences I went through at #ProvoCanyonSchool. I can see the pain in my eyes,” the entrepreneurwrote.
She continued, “I was so traumatized that I pretended everything was okay, trying to block out the painful memories.”
“🥺 Looking at this now, I know that the teen me would be so incredibly proud of the woman I am today,” Hilton shared of her choice to open up about the alleged abuse.
She added, “Being brave and using my voice to make a difference and save children from having to endure the abuse myself and so many others have had to go through. #iSeeYouSurvivor#BreakingCodeSilence 🙌.”
The DJ has beenadvocating to shut down the Utah boarding schooland other institutions that allegedly abuse minors.
“I buried my truth for so long,” Hilton toldPEOPLEexclusively in Aug. 2020 of why she came forward 20 years after her stay at the institution. “But I’m proud of the strong woman I’ve become. People might assume everything in my life came easy to me, but I want to show the world who I truly am.”
Upon arrival, Hilton said, “I knew it was going to be worse than anywhere else.”
“It was supposed to be a school, but [classes] were not the focus at all,” she shared.
“From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture,” Hilton said. “The staff would say terrible things. They were constantly making me feel bad about myself and bully me. I think it was their goal to break us down. And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instill fear in the kids so we’d be too scared to disobey them.”
RELATED VIDEO: Kat Von D Reveals She Attended Same ‘Torturous’ School as Paris Hilton: ‘I Was Trapped’
Many of Hilton’s former Provo Canyon School classmates appeared in her YouTube documentary and shared their stories of alleged abuse.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
