‘Just Because I’m A Woman’: Dolly Parton’s femininity is both pretty and progressive
Feminism has been the talk of the entertainment industry for decades, yet there are many big names in Hollywood nixing the label. Many modern fans have called on celebrities to become role models and figureheads for social and political movements, yet some prickle at the idea of alienating part of their fanbase when they just want to entertain.
Ten-time Grammy winner and maestra of mountain music Dolly Parton is one such celebrity. Recognized by three key features—big hair, big boobs, and a big heart—she once hesitated to adopt any sort of politically charged distinctions, yet the longevity of her career and celebration of her own womanhood is incredibly progressive and empowering for female-identifying individuals everywhere.
With over six decades of performing and 51 studio albums under her guitar strap, Dolly’s career in Hollywood has often been a meandering path. The fourth of 12 children, she grew up poor in the Tennessee mountains and credits her father for her business savvy and mother for her musical talents. After finding success during her seven years on The Porter Wagoner Show, 28-year-old Dolly shifted focus to her solo career.
During the 1970s, she had several singles reach number one on the country chart—including hits like “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You”—hosted the Dolly! variety show, and earned an Emmy nomination for her appearance on the Cher...Special. She made her feature film debut with 1980’s 9-5, the film’s theme song becoming a triple number-one hit and leading to many Communist Manifesto-inspired memes four decades after its release.
Along with her musical talent, Parton is a powerful businesswoman. She’s launched two record labels and co-owns the Dollywood Company and Sandollar Productions. Her deal with Warner Bros. Television includes the Netflix show Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, the anthology series exploring the stories and inspiration behind eight of her classic songs. And she does all this in outfits that would make Barbie envious.
As the epitome of the blonde bimbo stereotype, Miss Dolly’s icon status along with her kindness, intelligence, and flashy image sets her up to become a guiding light for the social media movement to reclaim the term, young women flipping “bimbo” into a positive title for a hyperfeminine woman with a big heart. She has said in the past her signature look was directly inspired by the “town tramp” in her hometown. “I would talk about how beautiful she was and different ones would say, 'Oh, she's just trash,'” she said. “And I thought, 'That's what I want to be when I grow up. I'm gonna be trash!'"
Her debut album Hello, I’m Dolly! features the song “Dumb Blonde,” an anthem for those society thinks are just their looks. A play on Hollywood’s deep-seated stereotype of blondes as more desirable and less intelligent than their brunette counterparts, Dolly flips the script by crooning “this dumb blond ain't nobody's fool,” the smart and sassy track launching her career.
During an episode of Dolly Parton’s America, host Jad Abumrad points out that her looks were often the punchlines on talk shows earlier in her career, yet Dolly’s quick with jokes of her own. “I just think, ‘Oh this is how I look. Of course, you’re gonna notice it,’” she told Abumrad. “You see, I do that too for the public. It’s like a little comedy thing.” She’s been in on the joke for decades, using society’s expectations for women that look like her to continuously surprise the public with her progressive beliefs and philanthropic actions.
Her recent statement in support of Black Lives Matter garnered mixed reactions on social media, conservatives like Stuart D. Baker and DeAnna Lorraine calling for a boycott of all things Dolly while Paul F. Thompkins and other left-leaning fans celebrated the legend. But Dolly sees herself as an entertainer, not a political figure. It’s not in a celebrity’s job description to speak on social issues, even if their art reflects otherwise.
In Dolly Parton: Here I Am, Jane Fonda points out her friend “has created a mythic, iconic character” and Abumrad believes there is something “very Christ-like” about Dolly. Her public persona is one bathed in optimism and acceptance, Dolly often avoiding actions that could offend a portion of her fanbase. She still stands for her beliefs, but she does not judge those who believe the opposite. She leaves that up to God.
While she won’t be out on the frontlines with a glittery protest sign, Dolly still believes women can do whatever they desire. “I just really feel I can live my femininity and actually show that you can be a woman and you can still do whatever you want to do,” she said during a TIME100 Talks: Finding Hope conversation.
After the second and third waves of feminism shunned and shamed women who accepted traditional feminine roles, the current fourth wave has become more supportive of a woman’s right to choose her own path. Cultural critic Camille Paglia wrote about the power and majesty held by her two grandmothers who “rarely left the kitchen, the warm shrine of the home,” their embracement of woman and motherhood giving them “greater stature” in her eyes compared to her contemporary feminist peers.
Dolly eloped with her husband Carl Dean in 1966 as her music career began to take off, going against the advice of her male producers. They worried marriage would hinder the rising star, but the couple continues to have a healthy union and Dolly has cemented herself as a country music legend half a century later. We may not view marriage as a radical act today, but the choices behind the Parton-Dean nuptials were very progressive. By going against the advice of her producers, she made a choice for herself that ended up creating a loving and long-lasting support system. Her union with Carl became one of Dolly’s strongest foundations, a constant she could always return to during the ups and downs of her career.
Dolly’s hyperfeminine looks may be the first thing we notice, but there’s a big brain under that blonde wig and an even bigger heart under her busty chest. She’s grown to become a great unifier, her presence bringing a sense of positivity and community to her fans even as their ideologies differ. By embracing her femininity her entire life, Dolly has lived as her true self while championing causes she cares about, providing aid and advocacy wherever she can. While others tweet about being a #girlboss, Dolly’s just happy being a girl.