I love Dolly Parton. Don’t lie, you love her too. She’s sassy, she’s smart, she’s fierce, she’s kind and she can get away with anything. So you’ll totally love her new interview with Southern Living – go here to read the full piece, which I would totally recommend. Dolly is 68 years young and she’s still involved with so many projects! I think she did this interview to promote her new resort, DreamMore, which is a Southern-style resort/hotel experience. Details from the interview… she’s always ten minutes early because she’s perfect. She loves porches and rocking chairs. She rolls up in a champagne-colored Escalade. Here are some other highlights from the piece:
Whether she considers herself a “hillbilly”: “Well, it’s a compliment to me. I mean we were really Hill. Billies. To me that’s not an insult. We were just mountain people. We were really redneck, roughneck, hillbilly people. And I’m proud of it. “White trash!” I am. People always say “Aren’t you insulted when people call you white trash?” I say, “Well it depends on who’s calling me white trash and how they mean it.” But we really were to some degree. Because when you’re that poor and you’re not educated, you fall in those categories. But I’m proud of my hillbilly, white trash background. To me that keeps you humble; that keeps you good. And it doesn’t matter how hard you try to outrun it—if that’s who you are, that’s who you are. It’ll show up once in a while.”
Her optimism: “Just being grateful for the things that happen to [me]. I think that also came from my childhood—my grandfather was a preacher—just having God, faith, and all that instilled in us. But I like to make things happen if they’re not happening. I like to get involved. So I like to think of myself as a Girl of Many Colors, not just a coat, because I have all kinds of moods and I experience them all. I think that’s what makes a human being. People always say “You seem to always be so happy.” But I’m not always happy. Nobody is happy all the time. I’m a very sensitive person. I’m a songwriter, so I have to live with my feelings on my sleeve. I have to not harden my heart, because I want to stay open to feel things. So when I hurt, I hurt all over. And when I cry, I cry real hard. And when I’m mad, I’m mad all over. I’m just a person; I like to experience whatever the feeling is and whatever I’m going through. But I have a good attitude. And I was born with a happy heart. I’m always looking for things to be better.”
She based her look on “the town trollop”: “That’s not a joke. That’s the honest truth. But it fits my personality too. I was not a natural beauty, and I always wanted to be pretty. I just have such an outgoing personality that it’s fitting that I would be overdone.”
Admitting she has plastic surgery: “Well, I never would have said I did it if I hadn’t got caught at it. But I wasn’t gonna lie about it! So then after I got caught and I didn’t lie about it, people started asking me [more often]. And I thought, “Well, you know, what the hell?” After so much time, after you get older, it can help people. I’m not being the poster child for any of that, but people know you do it.”
She’s happy being a godmother rather than a mother: “I feel more like a godmother, like a fairy godmother, than I do like a real mother. I think probably I make a better godmother and an aunt than I would a mother because I was always so involved in my own things. I probably would have been like my sisters and my mom. I probably would have given up my dreams for that. But I guess God has His reasons for doing things. I really am a great aunt. And I really love kids. I love the energy of children. It makes me feel young. I’m just drawn to them. They’re like magic to me. And they’re drawn to me, the childlike part of me that never did grow up. I look kinda cartoonish, and look like a Mother Goose or a Cinderella or a Fairy Godmother—kids kinda respond to that. Almost like a cartoon. And my voice is small. My energy is like that. I think it just works.”
I like what she says about motherhood and how she would have had to choose between her career and her kids. I mean, she’s 68. That’s generational. Most women at that time would have gotten married and had kids and not been one of the great musical talents of their generation. As for the rest of it… am I the only one genuinely moved by Dolly? Like, I’m welled up with tears of joy because I love her so much. Dolly is Trollop Realness.
Photos of Dolly headlining Glastonbury this year, courtesy of WENN.
I love her. She seems like such a positive person. Very sweet.
Although she calls herself “white trash” she’s such a class act
She really is. She started Dolly’s Imagination Library in Tennessee and if you sign up your child gets a free book every month. It’s a wonderful program!
Exactly. Where I come from, thousands of children experience the magic and fun of books because of Dolly. Here You Come Again is one of my top five favorite songs of all time, and one of the best nights of my life was watching Allison Janey in 9 to 5 on Broadway.
Dolly is supreme. No one can touch her. I love her honesty, her talent. She is an icon and I adore her.
Agree 100%, love her!!
Dolly is the “anti-Gwyneth.” Adore her!
Love her!
LOVE. I just can’t help it.
I love her to death and am from not too far away from her, but I don’t really like how she implies that some people have to give up their dreams to be moms. It’s possible to do both! While motherhood sometimes means adjusting the timeline and priority for your dreams, it doesn’t mean that having children disqualifies you from having your dreams come true.
That’s much more true today than it was 40 or 45 years ago when she would have been having children. And even though it’s possible today, there are plenty of women who aren’t interested in making the sacrifices or adjusting their timelines.
Look at Loratta Lynn though. Of course, her husband was who gave it all up so she could follow her dream! Great man.
She’s not implying anything about some people. She’s talking about her own experiences and reasons for not having children.
I think we should keep into consideration the career she chose. While she has a long career, the music industry favors young people. And then you have to think about all the time away from home, especially tours. I was actually listening to an interview with Ja Rule and he had some great words about this. He said you can’t give 100% of yourself to two things. Being a great father required a lot of his time but so did the music industry. So he had to let one fall back, and he chose fatherhood. It sounds awful, but he chose to provide a future for his family the best way he could. While he got a little too caught up and went to jail, I understood what he was saying. It was applicable to me working and going to grad school. I eventually had to quit, because I wanted to devote myself to school.
I think she meant that in her young womanhood, with her upbringing, she probably would have done what her mother and sisters did and give up her dream to stay at home with her kids. Because that’s generally what people did back then. I don’t think she meant that you can’t have a career and be a mother.
Even today, don’t think that is necessarily true. It depends on the dream, connections & resources available. We as women have falsely believed we can have it all just because we believe it. A lot of times it actually isn’t possible or attainable much like the American dream. If that woman has few resources & limited income, add kids on top of it, the dream becomes a lot more unattainable.
I actually think Dolly had endometriosis and later a hysterectomy, which prevented her from having children. That’s why she mentioned God having his reasons for doing things: http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/health/celebrity-health-dolly-parton-26343186.html
She discussed her career to say that maybe she would have given it up to devote herself fulltime to motherhood.
I adore Dolly Parton. She has a song called “silver and gold” which I had once referenced to my mother in a card. My mom passed in July and I requested that song at the funeral. Dolly is the real deal, so was my mom.
Tulip
I posted before I saw yrs. I am so sorry for your loss.
My Ma passed away in June, full of years, and ready, etc, so things were celebratory rather than grief-stricken.
Just had to intrude, to say that I hope you feel your mother’s presence still, as I do mine, and take comfort and even happiness from that. (I’ve had my father ‘with me’ in that spiritual way for 35 years now, so can promise it doesn’t fade) x
Sorry Tulip, that was recent and I’m sure sill very raw.
Thanks to both of you. I really do appreciate it.
@Chris2, I am sorry for your loss as well. I think we probably had very similar experiences as far as our mothers being “ready” and having lived full lives. I do celebrate her life and think of her everyday, sometimes tearfully and sometimes not. I have lost loved ones before, including my wonderful father 10 years ago and, maybe, it is because she was my last surviving parent but I have never experienced this kind of pain. And, yes, my mother is with me always.
@Kiddo,
I somehow knew you would respond. Thank you my internet friend.
I will wipe away my tears now (literally), swallow this lump in my throat and revel in the blessing of having had my mother as long as I did and having wonderful people say simple things that really do help make things more bearable.
Tulip, your words here have me welling up; I’m not sure what’s affected me so. I’m so sorry for your loss, and will simply send some positive energy your way, as words fail me at the moment.
Tulip and Chris2, so sorry for your losses. Both of my parents are gone now, too, and I finally looked at the circle of life this way – the pain I felt at the loss was a small price to pay compared to the joy they brought into my life. Not that it isn’t painful, sometimes physically, and I would never downplay the grief but their lessons and love stay with you forever and you work even harder to make sure they would be proud of you.
Sometimes the humanity on this snark site overwhelms me.
I am sorry for your loss – my deepest sympathies to you.
Tulip Garden and Chris2
You both made my eyes fill with tears. I’m so sorry for your losses. Those of us with loving mothers are truly blessed.
(((GNAT))) x
Very true, and another reason to colour loss with joy (you and I are the same age…..so you’d know I was quite lucky to have her so long. I hope Tulip’s feeling serene today too)
One other thing my mother left me is an ingrained habit of buying her favourite caramels and cakes from Marks & Spencer, that I used to post to her each week (abroad). Oh dear…..what can I do but gorge on the lot meself? Thanks Ma! At this rate I’ll be Miss Michelin Tyres by Christmas! 😉
“It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.”
Dolly is the best.
Dolly is like Madonna and kind-hearted whore all rolled into one. She radiates so much kindness and innocence — the exaggerated sexual signals of her look seem like they come from a sweet, gentle girl who loves playing dress-up. Even judgmental fundamentalist old biddies have a hard time saying anything bad about her. LOVE.
Dolly Parton is the best. She’s a great performer and songwriter too. I have to confess that I prefer her original I Will Always Love You version to Whitney Houston’s.
Oh, she’s such a very lovable, decent, funny, giving lady. (Surely she can have no detractors?)
Kaiser, did you read about that abandoned dog left on site after the Glastonbury festival, that Dolly vowed to adopt if unclaimed? Her automatic urge to give succour turned my heart over.
She’d restore one’s faith, amidst current hideous news stories.
(Blimey…..sudden attack of fluffy pink soppiness, do excuse me)
I love Dolly-my mother used to tell me about how she would listen to Dolly Parton songs back in the 70’s to learn English-Dolly’s clear voice was the only one that spoke to her and she wanted to know what she was singing about.
She’s a treasure.
That’s a lovely story about your mom. I can relate.
LOVE DOLLY
Who DOESN’T love Dolly??? I’ve always just adored her. She is THE BEST!
My sisters and I always adored her growing up and still do. It wasn’t even about her look, ( although her looking like barbie probably helped) it was more her upbeat personality. Funfact; she has never been photographed with her husband. He is a very private man.
She makes me smile. I admire people who say “Here I am, this is what I do, take it or leave or leave it”. She is also very, very talented. Awesome.
Dolly says it with cheerfulness and even humility. Our younger stars, (ever combative, to illustrate their fierce independence…..hmmm) come out with similar sentiments, which grate on the brain (mine, at least): “I don’t give a føck about anyone’s opinion, they can eat it.” Lovely.
Thank you, thank you, thank you… this made my day. Dolly is the real deal. An amazing role model who is talented and comfortable with who she is, not to mention a prolific and moving artist and entertainer.
I’ll take her over the Courtney Stoddens and the Jamie Chungs and the (fill in the blank) wannabe starlets and tabloid fodder any damn day.
Nope, it’s not just you. She’s the real thing. Talent. Brains. Work ethic. Genuine respect for her fans. And her charity sends free books to children! How can you not like that?
Gah! She’s just so charming and funny and lovable.
9 to 5 is still one of my all-time-favorite movies. I’d love for her to have another big hit! One of today’s hot directors (I’m talking to you Steven Soderbergh or Vince Gilligan or Cary Fukunaga) should get her to write some music for them. Wouldn’t her voice make a great addition to OITNB or The Leftovers???
Dolly has never ignored her mountain roots, and that is one of many reasons I adore her. She started Imagination Library (which provides free books for young children) in honor of her father, who had a limited formal education but worked hard and was very business smart.
Dolly is incredibly good at business and she is probably more wealthy than we would imagine, but doesn’t brag about it. I never tire of her interviews. I grew up a few miles from her hometown and I think she represents us very well.
Such an honest heart of gold. Love her always.
Dolly has always been one of my heroes, since I was a little girl. My grandma loves her too. I admit, I’m a little shocked to see that she is only 68. She has a beautiful soul and it carries over into her words and actions. What a wonderful interview.
I love her so much. She seems really self-aware too. This was a great interview.
I think when she was young she WAS a natural beauty. I hate that she didn’t think so. She’s so talented and really a nice person who went back and helped build up where she was from with lots of commerce. She’s never let all the fame and $ go to her head and I wish more celebrities took her lead. She’s phenomenal.
Yes, I think she was quite pretty, too.
I was thinking the same thing, she had a square jawline and dimples, and that huge radiant smile. Of course the town trollop look is pure stage, so that can make any person look “plain” when out of country/western styling.
I love her. She throws herself completely out there without feeling the need to take away from others.
What a good way to put it.
There is a statue of Dolly in front of the Sevier County Courthouse in the town square in Sevierville Tennessee (which is roughly where she is from). The locals tell a story that her parents would come into town every so often to clean the statue and surrounding area.
I’m afraid when Dolly is gone people are going to all of a sudden wake up and realize how very important she was to the industry and women in particular. She is a treasure.
Sometime before Dolly did 9 to 5, my parents and I tracked down one of her childhood homes on the back roads between Sevierville and Pigeon Forge. It was a tiny shack, just like many large families had. Her parents’ house was nearby, on a secluded hill, and it stood out because of the chain link fence and driveway gate, which was unusual in such a rural place. Dolly has taken care of her family.
An older gentleman we know was her neighbor as a child. He says she didn’t stand out from any of the other kids. He describes her as just a scrawny girl he played with years ago.
I share your thought that she has been undervalued for her contributions. She is remarkable in many ways.
Dolly is a treasure and she’s right about motherhood and careers. No one can have it all because we all have 24 hours each day. If you chose both motherhood and career you have to make compromises and some of them are excruciating.
She’s always been so honest about herself. Not an easy thing to do. I love Dolly.
“Trash” is the LAST word I’d use to describe her. She is 100% pure class.
amen to that!! She is a rare gem!
I Love Dolly! I think I want to go re-watch Steel Magnolias now.
Love, LOVE me so Dolly. Idk who wouldn’t love her.
I think it totally shows that Dolly is Miley’s godmother. They have that same overdone (as Dolly said), put-on-a-show bubbliness, albeit that Miley’s is exceedingly more crude. But I think they both know how to be entertainers, and neither of them are ashamed of where they come from. I’ll admit that Miley is a bit more contrived, but I hope someday she comes back to her roots and takes a page from her godmama’s book. Love Dolly!
I can’t imagine Dolly supports the crude stage antics of Miley. I would love hear Godmom’s real thoughts about this whole connection.
I saw Dolly on Wendy Williams recently, and when she was asked about Miley, she was actually very sweet and supportive of her goddaughter.
She is one of the very best! The massive success she had at Glasto earlier this summer was proof of the regard in which she is held!
I swear I love her and always have!
” I was not a natural beauty, and I always wanted to be pretty.”
I saw pictures of her when she was very young – before fame and then early days into her career. She was always a stunningly beautiful girl/young woman. Like a porcelain doll-came-alive. So I do not understand this remark here. She is being way too modest and I don’t know why. She was a classically beautiful woman.
Luminous lady all around. True American legend and icon, in her own lifetime.
This. I was scrolling down to post this. I’ve seen her yearbook photos, and she was always beautiful. I hate it if she doesn’t know that.
I will always love Dolly. I quote her a lot when she said, “When people call me a dumb blonde I don’t mind, ’cause I know I’m not dumb and I know I’m not blonde!”
I just want to see these tattoos I keep hearing about!
totally!
I love Dolly–she’s the real deal with a work ethic and heart the size of Tennessee. Dolly is class, not trash. Her quips are legendary. The one I remember most is someone asked her how long it takes to do her hair. She replied, “I don’t know–I’m never there.”
My favorite Dolly movie: 9 to 5
My favorite Dolly song: Jolene
Dolly is the absolute best. Her laugh is one of my favourite things ever, in this world.
I love, love, love her! My Dad used to play her 8-tracks in our Chevy van when he drove my teams to our games in jr high, and I’ve loved her ever since! That tape included Coat of Many Colors, love it.
Great interview – I really appreciated her point about not hardening herself to her emotions.
Yesss! Coat of many colors! Emmy lou harris song, covered by Dolly. Fabulous!!
I got no issue with people who are poor or living off the grid. But where did it all go so wrong with Fox News taking control of rural white culture, so that terms like hillbilly and redneck now basically just mean people who vote foolishly?
I’m a muti-generational Hillbilly. Grew up not far from where Dolly grew up & my family is still pure mountain folk. When I was younger I tried to remove myself from it but now that I’m older & comfortable with who I am, traveled a lot, claim it proudly. Mountain folk have a strange form of optimism, in that no matters what happens, they believe they can move on & survive. They may come off negative but down deep are very whatever happens, happens. Plus, a great sense of humor. Love Dolly because she represents us well, & she has done a lot behind the scenes to help her community in TN. She is a bona fide good woman.
Just here to jump on the Dolly train. I’ve loved her since childhood. She is just so…genuine? You really feel that with her what you see is what you get. She seems so honest and kind and, above all, gracious. I love that about her. And her laugh–like someone above said!
And can I just say how much I love that there are rhinestones in her hair in these pictures! Pure awesomeness. 🙂
I think the genuineness is a lot of what people respond to in her. She’s always struck me as being a “be yourself – as hard as you can” sort of person. She dresses and styles herself exactly how she wants to, says what’s on her mind, doesn’t try to play dumb, and doesn’t try to play down either her roots or her present lifestyle, and I don’t think she cares whether or not people approve of any of that.
Legend!!!! Dolly is just Dolly, parts of her body may not be real but she is real as it gets. I have nothing but respect for this woman.
She makes me proud to be from TN. She has and will always be my hero.
I love her so so much. She’s my spirit animal 🙂
Yep, I love her too.
Tears of joy over here, too. Right now I’ve got the chorus of “9 to 5” in my head. 🙂
She’s adorable!
She is just such a sweet, delightful, humble human being. I love Dolly. She has such talent and she is incredibly classy; always polite, early, positive and professional. I’ll always be a fan, I’ve loved her since I was a kid and watched Steel Magnolias for the first time.
Man, I love her. I loved this interview, she comes off as very self-aware and real. Not many celebs like that.
She has sequins IN HER HAIR. What’s not to love?
I love her. She makes people feel good. She has a great energy, and she is extremely intelligent. What a fabulous songwriter!
+1 Janel.
+1!
Love Dolly Parton.
Bookmarking this thread because I love her quotes so much.
Misstrial (good name…..I wish I’d gone for Miss D Meenagh!)
What a good idea…..it never occurred to me to bookmark any thread. This one is so completely positive, and celebrating such a shining person, it could be reread as a kind of uplifting prayer, now and then, in times of gloom.
(Watch me blow up my iPhone in an attempt to bookmark this …..!)
Dolly has always radiated a unique kind of goodness that draws everyone to her. Unlike most big stars, she’s never let her fame and fortune rule her, she gives as much as she can back and has always remained humble. Love her to bits – the world definitely needs more Dollies!
68?? She’s got more pizzaz than Cher!! And she seems much younger too.
“Not a natural beauty,” my ass. She has one of the most beautiful souls God ever created, and that’s what really counts. Long live Dolly!
Nothing but love here. I listened to my Mom’s country albums when I was a kid and Dolly was one of them. I watched her on Hee Haw and The Grand Ole Opry. She was adorable. I can’t believe she would think she wasn’t a natural beauty. She was cute off the charts – maybe she thought cute isn’t pretty because there’s a child-like quality to cuteness. I prefer cute. It’s youthful, high-energy, humble and approachable. I hope she realizes how beloved she is.
I heard an interview by Keith Urban. He was asked about mentors or inspirations and he named Dolly. He said she understood that she was merely a vessel to share a God-given talent. So she doesn’t take it for granted and feels a duty to share it. Her humility overwhelms me.
A beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. No wonder people adore her.
Who doesn’t belt out ‘Islands In the Stream’ whenever it comes on the radio?
Wish Dolly was reading this thread! While she has many enviable talents, I think what I admire most is that she seems happy in her own skin and lot in life.
I didn’t know much about Dolly but funnily enough I learned about her through that show Drunk History. I always thought she was a nice lady but I had no idea how nice. She’s great!
Dolly is one of the most courteous, friendly & thoughtful performers, well-liked & much respected by stage crews where she performs. She may be wearing a bathrobe & a towel around her head to a rehearsal, but she’s got make-up, is on time, pays attention to work, chats with the stage hands & hasn’t got a bit of diva in her. One of my relatives manages a major casino showroom & has said for decades that she’s one of the nicest people in the biz. Nobody wants to take vacation days during Dolly’s runs.