Will Paris Hilton's Arrest for Cocaine Possession Mark the Beginning of the End for Her?

Paris Hilton, perhaps the personification of a celebrity famous for being famous, was arrested Friday night in Las Vegas for cocaine possession.

Hilton, 29, was the passenger in a car that was pulled over for an unspecified reason, though the driver, Hilton's boyfriend Cy Waits, was charged with driving under the influence of drugs. After a search of Hilton's purse, the onetime sex tape and reality show star was arrested for cocaine possession and spent the night in jail.

TMZ is reporting this morning that Hilton plans to claim that the purse wasn't actually hers and neither were the drugs.

Even before her arrest, there have been signs that Paris Hilton's life may not be as fulfilling and productive as one might like to think. As mentioned, she truly is 'famous for being famous'. Born into the Hilton hotel family, Paris Hilton has never had to work to make ends meet and seems to be trying to find fulfillment elsewhere. She has been arrested twice for driving under the influence, and even served jail time for violating her probation. Earlier this summer, she was arrested in South Africa at the World Cup for possession of marijuana. The charges were eventually dropped.

She remains best known for her appearance in a sex tape, titled "1 Night in Paris", released by a former boyfriend and has had many non-serious television acting roles basically playing herself.

One wonders what the future is for Paris Hilton, particularly on the heels of two drug arrests for drug possession over the past three months. If in fact the purse is proven to be hers and if in fact she is guilty of cocaine possession, she would seem to be even more of a cliché than ever before: a rich woman who enjoyed the nightlife and party circuit with no apparent direction or focus in her life.

In many ways, people such as Hilton and Kim Kardashian provide an 'escape' for the rest of us. To be free of financial concerns, good looking and able shirk any real responsibility holds some appeal to those looking to forget their everyday concerns and nine to five grind.

But, eventually, if the lifestyle leads to legal problems and issues with drugs and or alcohol, the lack of substance in these people's lives becomes obvious and the attraction to watching their reality shows (and, eventually even their sex tapes) wears off.

As Paris Hilton fights cocaine possession allegations, she could soon be fighting for whatever relevance she has left.

Source: Staff, "Paris Hilton -- 'It Wasn't My Purse'", tmz.com