By doing nothing, I'm sure people mean that Paris has not exhibited talent in anything besides self-promotion that would warrant the attention she gets. Paris is a house-hold name because we live in an era where the tabloids create celebrities. Paris achieved her fame by basically showing up for the opening of envelopes and getting herself noticed and reported on enough that the media began mistaking her for an actual celebrity. Of course the sex tape pushed her over the edge. The downside of her type of celebrity is that it will probably not last beyond her youth in the absence of any true talent. People famous only for notoriety are easily replacable by younger more outrageous tabloid magnets.
Notice that the true A-list celebrities go out of their way to avoid the media in their downtime. You do not see them at Koi, Mood or the Ivy every day where celebrities who want attention go to get their picture in US Weekly.