Months after opening up about her horrible experiences at Provo Canyon School, the 'This Is Paris' star shares photos of herself at 18, and notes she 'pretended everything was okay.'

• Jan 23, 2021

AceShowbiz - Paris Hilton has taken a look back at her unpleasant time at Provo Canyon School. Months after opening up about the abusive treatments she claimed to have received at the Utah boarding school, the "This Is Paris" star shared photos of herself looking weary at the age of 18 taken after she came home.

The 39-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday, January 21 to post the compilation of throwback snaps. "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," she explained in her lengthy message.

"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," she went on. "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 Simple Life" alum, who was sent to the boarding school by her parents due to her rebelliousness in her teenage years, first got candid about her horrible experiences in late August 2020. She told PEOPLE, "I think it was their goal to break us down. And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instil fear in the kids so we'd be too scared to disobey them."

In her YouTube Originals documentary "This Is Paris" which premiered in September that year, Paris detailed, "You're sitting on a chair staring at a wall all day long, getting yelled at or hit." She further said, "I felt like a lot of the people who worked there got off on torturing children and seeing them naked. They would prescribe everyone all these pills. I didn't know what they were giving me."

The following month saw Paris creating a petition to call for the closure of Provo Canyon School, which approached 40,000 signatures at that time. She also led a peaceful protest in a park near the boarding school in an attempt to have the institution shut down.

In response to Paris' claims, officials at Provo Canyon explained to PEOPLE that the facility was placed under new ownership in August 2000. Therefore, the officials insisted they "cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to this time."