Paris Hilton calls herself an "inspiration"

Paris Hilton has defended herself against claims she is the superficial simpleton portrayed by the media -- insisting she's an "inspiration".

The socialite, who has starred in her own best-selling sex tape, made a fool of herself on several seasons of reality TV, had a brief stint in prison, and is currently judging the annual Miss Turkey beauty pageant in Istanbul, said:

"I don't pay attention to lies because I am a good person.

"I work very hard and I've built this empire on my own. I think this is an inspiration for a lot of girls out there."

Speaking of her wealthy grandfather, the 27-year-old Hilton sister shrugged off the bad news that she and her siblings have been all but completely written out of their portion of Conrad Hilton's $2.3 billion fortune, saying, "It won't affect me anyway."