While Dolly Parton hasn’t delved into specifics about her penchant for long sleeves, she’s hinted that it ties back to her tattoos adorning her arms. In an earlier interview, the 73-year-old shared insight into how she acquired her tattoos years ago as a means to conceal scars. “I don’t really like to make a big to-do of [the tattoos] because people make such a big damn deal over every little thing,” she candidly expressed to Vanity Fair in 2017.
“Most of the tattoos, when I first started, I was covering up some scars that I had, ’cause I have a tendency to have keloid scar tissue, and I have a tendency where if I have any kind of scars anywhere then they kind of have a purple tinge that I can never get rid of,” she elaborated. “So mine are all pastels, what few that I have, and they’re meant to cover some scars. I’m not trying to make some big, bold statement.”
In essence, Dolly’s tattoos serve as a camouflage for scars, prompting her preference for long sleeves to conceal both. It seems like quite the effort, doesn’t it?
Yet, despite her consistent long-sleeve attire, Dolly remains a revered style icon in entertainment circles. Back in the ’70s, she staunchly defended her fashion choices when questioned by Barbara Walters.
“You don’t have to look like this, you’re very beautiful, you don’t have to wear the blonde wigs, you don’t have to wear the extreme clothes, right,” Barbara remarked.
“It’s certainly a choice, I don’t like to be like everybody else,” Dolly retorted. “I’ve often made the statement: ‘I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable, that’s the easiest thing in the world to do.’ Show business is a money-making joke and I’ve always liked telling jokes.”
Unconcerned with public opinion, Dolly remains steadfast in her style convictions. “I know they make fun of me, but actually all these years people have thought the joke was on me, but it’s actually on the public. I am sure of myself as a person. I am sure of my talent. I’m sure of my love for life and that sort of thing,” she asserted.
“I am very content, I like the kind of person that I am,” she affirmed proudly. “So, I can afford to fiddle around and do-diddle around with makeup and clothes and stuff because I am secure with myself.” You go, Dolly!