Dolly Parton's voluminous hair and rhinestone-festooned outfits were so essential to her fame that her quips about her appearance have become almost as well-known as her lyrics.
"It costs a lot of money to look this cheap" is perhaps her most memorable quotation, and is typical of the self-depreciating wit she employed to talk about her appearance.
She wrote about her style in her songs, too, from her 1967 hit Dumb Blonde to 2008's Backwoods Barbie, though in reality there was nothing cheap, or dumb, about her image. With huge blond status wigs – Tennessee by way of the court of Versailles – a fondness for glitter and high heels and tightly cut clothes that showed off her exaggerated proportions, she made herself as recognizable as Coca-Cola while employing and subverting the tropes of femininity and of country music.
Parton never failed to poke fun at her own appearance. Her hair was a "fire hazard", she would say, or "I'm not a fashion icon; I'm an eyesore" – but her look was highly deliberate. Never once did she waver from the aesthetic she described to Allure in 2020 as "gaudy, flamboyant, fun, comfortable – for me – noticeable".
Parton grew up in poverty, in rural Sevier county, Tennessee, one of 12 children. One of her most moving songs – Coat of Many Colors – recalled that experience through her memory of the clothing her mother made for her from scraps.
#appearance #parton #cheap #made
"It costs a lot of money to look this cheap" is perhaps her most memorable quotation, and is typical of the self-depreciating wit she employed to talk about her appearance.
She wrote about her style in her songs, too, from her 1967 hit Dumb Blonde to 2008's Backwoods Barbie, though in reality there was nothing cheap, or dumb, about her image. With huge blond status wigs – Tennessee by way of the court of Versailles – a fondness for glitter and high heels and tightly cut clothes that showed off her exaggerated proportions, she made herself as recognizable as Coca-Cola while employing and subverting the tropes of femininity and of country music.
Parton never failed to poke fun at her own appearance. Her hair was a "fire hazard", she would say, or "I'm not a fashion icon; I'm an eyesore" – but her look was highly deliberate. Never once did she waver from the aesthetic she described to Allure in 2020 as "gaudy, flamboyant, fun, comfortable – for me – noticeable".
Parton grew up in poverty, in rural Sevier county, Tennessee, one of 12 children. One of her most moving songs – Coat of Many Colors – recalled that experience through her memory of the clothing her mother made for her from scraps.
#appearance #parton #cheap #made
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