Dolly Parton is a music and cultural icon. Over the course of her 60-year career, her music has become emblematic of country music culture, and so has her larger-than-life personality.
A big part of Parton’s persona is her one-of-a-kind look. Despite being in her mid-seventies, Parton’s famous appearance hasn’t changed very much since she first became a star. And while celebrities who’ve gone under the knife tend to be shy when it comes to dishing about what procedures they’ve had, Dolly Parton is not one of those people.
“It is true that I look artificial, but I believe that I’m totally real,” Parton said in a 2019 interview with CBS Sunday Morning. “I not, like, a natural beauty, but I can enhance it, whatever. Whatever it takes, I do. I try to make the most of everything.”
Dolly Parton Has Had Everything From A Boob Job To A Face Lift
Never one to be bashful about her looks, Parton herself has joked about the work she has had done over the years. “If I have one more facelift I’ll have a beard!” she told The Guardian in 2011.
In a 2003 interview on Larry King Live, Parton said she never wants to lie to fans. Among the procedures done, she rattled off a list that included botox, a facelift, breast implants, eye surgery, lip injections, liposuction, and excess skin removal.
Probably the most talked about procedure has been her breast augmentation.
On her small 5-foot frame, Parton’s 40DD bosom (“at least!” she told The Guardian) has become part of her signature look. In her interview with CBS Sunday Morning, she quipped, “they’re real expensive, they’re real big.”
To sum it all up, Parton said it best herself. “If something is bagging, sagging, or dragging, I’ll tuck it, suck it, or pluck it,” she told The Guardian.
Dolly Parton Modeled Her Look After A Sex Worker In Her Home Town
Parton chose her signature aesthetic when she was just a young girl, which she described to CBS Sunday Morning as “a country girl’s version of glam.”
In a YouTube series on Wired, Parton gave more details on this when the question “who does Dolly Parton look like” was posed.
“I patterned my look after what they called the town tramp in my hometown when I was a little girl. This woman who used to walk the streets—had all this makeup and hair and high heels shoes—I thought she was so beautiful.”
“And everybody used to say, ‘oh, she ain’t nothing but trash.'” Parton continued. “And I used to say, ‘well that’s what I’m going to be when I grow up: trash.’ And that’s kind of how I look, but I like to think that I’m a little more than that.”
Dolly Parton Doesn’t Regret A Thing
While other stars have admitted to going too far with plastic surgery or having dealt with botched procedures, Parton has never voiced anything similar. It seems clear from multiple interviews over the years she accepts who she is, what she has done, and where life has taken her.
“I never regret anything,” Parton said on CBS Sunday Morning. “You make your choices, you make your sacrifices.” And while Parton was talking about her decision to never have children, it seems clear she applies this outlook to everything in her life.
At the end of the day, the “Backwoods Barbie” singer knows her appearance is part of her charm. And despite her amazing sense of humor, her incredible altruistic attitude, and her iconic music, she still takes pride in how she looks.
It’s part of the reason why, when asked how she hopes to be remembered 100 years from now, she often replies: “I want ’em to say, ‘God, don’t she look good for her age!”