Los Angeles, Nov 26 (IANS): Socialite Paris Hilton says she is not a dumb blonde.

Although people often expect the socialite to be ditzy, she says they are pleasantly surprised when they hear her talk about her business empire, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"If someone hasn't met me yet, they automatically have their misconceptions about me. As soon as I am in a board room in front of them talking about my business, they immediately know I'm not the dumb blonde they thought I was," Hilton told Galore magazine.

Hilton, 35, says that she is "flattered" when people call her an icon.

"I've been called that by people and I found it very flattering but I've never used it to describe myself... It makes me happy to be an inspiration to people. I am all about girl power and women being fierce and independent. So, it's nice to see women following my lead and doing things on their own instead of just depending on a man," she said.

Hilton also says that she has a good idea of who is using her for her fame and who genuinely wants to spend time with her.

"Over the years I have definitely figured out all the signs of a hungry tiger. I can mostly tell when there are paparazzi and I can see the way a person like that reacts. Also, being in this business for so long it's pretty obvious what people's intentions are," she said.