When I think of a female country star, I think of Dolly Parton. The stereotypical country queen is a blonde bombshell with a big country voice, big country hair, and big country boobs. Country music is a genre that has continued to outshine other genres with unparalleled natural talent and has radiated a theme of natural beauty derived from its blue-collar roots of not caring what others may think. However, throughout the previous couple of generations, I feel as if a few particular country stars have conformed to Hollywood influences on beauty preservation and have lost a sense of the reality of growing old.
When I think of beauty-gone-bad, I think of Dolly Parton. Not only is she one of the most talented stars in the industry, Dolly Parton is the image of what most people think of when they think of country music. From the beginning of her career, Dolly was obsessed with her looks and always strived to be “prettier”, even though she was already one of the prettiest girls in the industry. From the singer’s never-ending thirst for satisfaction, she quickly crafted a signature look. Ms. Parton’s big blonde hair and massive breasts could be spotted from miles away, but for her that was never enough. Dolly posed for Playboy Magazine in 1978, shifting her from “classic country” to a more sexualized image that greatly contributed to her desire for “bigger and better”.
Dolly Parton’s career continued through the decades, with each era adding more and more plastic surgery to her look. The singer once admitted, “if I see something sagging, dragging or bagging, I get it sucked, tucked or plucked. It takes a lot of money to look as cheap as I look”. Parton’s recognition to her spoiled beauty really makes me sad for her, because I feel as if so many beautiful people are so caught up in impressing others that they don’t let themselves naturally grow old. Especially within a genre that prides itself in cultivating such down-to-earth people who care more about the music than the image, I am surprised to see so many stars defy that ideal and conform to the media’s expectations on how to look.
Dolly Parton not only inspired future country singers with her musical talent, she also set a signature tone for the image of the female country star. Several proceeding singers began to craft the stereotypical look and also succeeded in spoiling their natural beauty. Reba McEntire, Kellie Pickler, and even Kenny Rodgers were a few that didn’t take growing old as an answer.
Although this whole article has seemed like a rant against plastic surgery, I do believe that if it weren’t for Dolly Parton’s strive for ageless beauty, she would not be the cute bubbly character that we all know and love. Dolly Parton may have allowed unnatural influences to shape her self-expression, but she created an image that will forever be embellished in the country music hall of fame and has put a serious imprint on the future generations of stars. Despite the plastic surgery, Dolly Parton radiates ageless beauty on the inside and out.
If this is not the cutest, most accurate video of Dolly Parton, then I don’t know what is…
I totally agree with your post. After watching the Youtube video in class of her performing at the Opry when she first started out, I started to question why she went so far to change her image. It is understandable that many girls go through stages of low esteem, but it makes me sad that Dolly conformed to the media’s image of beauty. It is also disappointing because I’m sure a lot of young girls look up to her because she is such an icon. I just hope they understand that natural beauty is still appreciated. She was absolutely gorgeous before and remains to be a beautiful soul now, she just didn’t need all the procedures to get that way. Luckily her talent has not changed the way her image did.
I like that you made it easy to see everything from both sides in this topic that could seem very easy to take sides. I felt kind of weird looking into how Kenny Rodgers aged, but it was a very helpful comparison to how Dolly aged. Also, I don’t know where you found that short youtube clip, but it was absolutely perfect for what you were talking about. I feel like there is a better place for it, but in your defense I have no idea where. The image in the middle on the other hand was perfectly placed. It was really eye opening to see all of those side by side. And I know I am mentioning it at the end, but I think that your intro that was kind of an alliteration with all the b’s was just perfect for a Dolly Parton article. It just seemed, well bubbly.
PREACH. Sweet Dolly Parton definitely has created an alternative image for herself that defies age. Even though Dolly Parton has had a tremendous amount of plastic surgery, people’s opinion of her seem to be unwavering–everyone loves her just the same as they did in the 70s and 80s. You wouldn’t expect such a strive for perfection and agelessness in country music as you would in any other music industry because of country music’s stereotype of humility, traditionalism, and genuineness. In country music we don’t really see people trying to be something they are not as we do in, say, pop music with artists like Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and Miley Cyrus to name a few. Long live Dolly, though. She rocks regardless of her appearance!
I really enjoyed reading your post and looking into the life of Dolly Parton. As a kid, I grew up knowing her as the sweetheart of pretty much everything. It’s such a shame to see that she conformed to what the media tries to portray girls as. The picture which showed us her aging from the 70s up till now really opened my eyes to how much plastic surgery she’d undergone. She was probably one of the prettiest girls in the 70s, and right now she’s just flat out fake. Although she has a bubbly personality and seems really sweet, I’ll never get over the fact that she looks like a 70 year old barbie doll. She should’ve aged naturally instead of wanting to look forever young. In spite of that being said, I give Dolly all due respect for what she’s done to help the country music industry and inspiring young talents to dream big.
The was so fun to read! My first memory of Dolly was when I went to the Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede at age seven. I remember thinking “Wow, this lady’s skin is so shiny!” That was before I knew about plastic surgery. I think it’s special thing to see people age, and how they do. For example, I think of Betty White, and think about how much of a beauty she is. But like you pointed out Dolly Parton would not be Dolly Parton if she had a wrinkle on her face that matches her bubbly personality. I love how you touched both sides of the discussion. Additionally, your images and video was a perfect touch to the article. Wonderful read!
I LOVE the creativity, humor, and honesty in this post. You did such a great job expressing your opinion and its obvious that you truly care about what you’re writing about. I agree with you 100% about the tragedy in Dolly going so overboard with her plastic surgery, because her real look is absolutely beautiful. Dolly Parton will be a forever image in country music, including the image of her unbelievably huge country boobs. You were spot on with this post and I really enjoyed it!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this article. All these artist and celebrities are going so crazy with the plastic surgery. I understand a little nip and tuck to make yourself feel a little younger but now these artist are starting to do it before there is even anything to hide. They are taking it to a new level. When you can not move your face anymore and your boobs are bigger than your body something has gone too far. Really loved this article because Dolly was so gorgeous and had she not taken such extremes I think she would have aged beautifully as well.
This blog post was super entertaining to read! Unfortunately, when I think of the current Dolly Parton I think of her as Miley’s god mother on Hannah Montana. I know how ridiculous this is because she is so much more than that small role. I just feel like if you didn’t grow up knowing or listening to Dolly, than our generation seems to only recognize her from that show. Her image is definitely one that is fried into my brain. Dolly’s plastic surgeries seem to be heading in the direction of Joan Rivers! Which I too find quite upsetting since she was such a beautiful young women, I know should would’ve aged well if she has given it a chance.
I’m not the biggest fan of Dolly’s constant plastic surgery and self “improvement,” but you really made this an easy blog to read and agree with! I do not understand why she did what she has done to her face, since she seemingly knows how poor it really looks, and that almost no one thinks that she’s real anymore. When I first saw a music video of her in her prime, I did not even recognize her, which is almost sad. All of the hard work she put in to being a star and being well known has been overshadowed by plastic surgery. When I think Dolly, I think fake. I wish I could say I thought “country star,” but it just doesn’t pop into my head due to her lack of honesty to herself growing old. I loved this article, great post!