Dolly Parton's 'to hell with you' approach fueled decades of success

Fox News

05-04-2025

If you have a problem with Dolly Parton's style, that's your business, not hers.
As she told Women's Wear Daily, "I want to look cheap. That's my look. I want to look a little bit, you know, trashy. I don't mean it in a bad way. I just like that kind of almost artificial look. I like the overdone. I like the bleached hair.
"It doesn't matter what anybody else says. If your mama doesn't like the way you dress, especially if you're a 30-year-old girl, a woman, if somebody doesn't like the way you look … well, say, 'To hell with you. This is me. I'm the one who has to wear this. You're not wearing it.'"
Kara Schmiemann of Red Banyan told Fox News Digital, "Today's generation appreciates raw authenticity, and Dolly's style has always been nothing short of unique and truly quintessential of her own brand. She is unafraid to stand in her own confidence and present herself exactly as she wants, and her joy in her external presentation is infectious. And as they say, 'If it ain't broke …'"
Parton just partnered with Khloé Kardashian's Good American brand to release "Joleans," a limited-edition lineup of denim inspired by her hit "Jolene."
"It was just a no-brainer to collaborate with Khloé Kardashian and Emma from Good American, and then with a great name like Joleans jeans," she told People magazine. "I mean, it was just a win-win situation all around. Also, to have that girl power to say, 'OK girls, let's just do something special,' and I think we did."
The jeans all have a touch of Parton's signature style, with gingham and rhinestones, one she's maintained for decades. She once declared, "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap."
"The branding deals and service and product offerings Dolly works on are always strategic; always aligning well with who she is and what she stands for," Schmiemann said. "Whether it is a family vacation at Dollywood, free books for children through her Imagination Library or the multitudes of family and home-centered partnerships, she keeps relatability and accessibility at the heart of what she does. Cooking, beauty, family, pets and clothing don't go out of style, and her wholesome brand and targeted deals certainly play into her lasting and positive reputation."
Parton also recently teamed up with Sabrina Carpenter on a refreshed version of Carpenter's hit "Please, Please, Please," turning the song into a duet with the pop star released on Valentine's Day this year.
"She is just the cutest little thing ever," Parton told E! News of Carpenter. "She looks like she could be my little sister or my little daughter. And now, when we got together, she's a big fan. And she had kind of reached out to us early on, and then when she asked if I'd do the video, I said, 'Well, if you're sure you want me, I will absolutely do it.' And, so, when we got together, we just realized we felt like we were family, and we looked like we were from the same family. And we both have similar tastes in a lot of things. The day we spent doing that video, we had the best time.
"I want to look cheap. That's my look. I want to look a little bit, you know, trashy."
"My little nieces and nephews and all my little friends that age, they all think I'm the biggest thing going now because I worked with her. You know how that goes. I was just Gigi and Aunt Dolly til then, and now I'm big stuff."
"Dolly doesn't need the support and access to younger celebrity fan bases like Sabrina Carpenter or Khloé Kardashian to stay relevant; she has her own mega following and business ventures that keep her top of mind," Schmiemann said. "It's clear that Dolly Parton chooses to work with younger women because she enjoys the work and collaboration and has made a name for herself as someone who celebrates, empowers and amplifies other voices."
"Her longevity is in part due to her continual active engagement and collaborations with new generations," Tim Derdenger, associate professor of marketing and strategy at Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business, told Fox News Digital. "Her work with Sabrina Carpenter is the most current example, but past examples include many other Grammy Award-winning artists across multiple genres, including Elton John, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Nicks, Pitbull and Sia (she hasn't won one yet but is a nine-time nominee). These collaborations ultimately keep her relevant across a wide array of music fans.
"These branding deals have turned her from a music icon into a full-on cultural phenomenon, extending her reach beyond music."
Parton doesn't sign on to brands and projects blindly though.
"When I first had the big idea to start Dollywood, my accountants and lawyers all thought I was making a big mistake," she told Forbes during Dollywood's 40th anniversary. "But I felt a calling to do this. So I got rid of all of them and brought in people who had faith in me. I told them, 'You need to listen to what my dreams are. I don't need to dream your dreams; you need to help me carry out mine.'
"I was found out to be right, and they were found out to be gone."
One time she didn't listen to her own gut came when she did her short-lived show, "Dolly," a variety show that earned her top dollar but wasn't successful.
"I wanted to do a variety show, not the old kind, but my version of it, my personality, things that would touch the all-American people," Parton told the outlet. "But everyone kept trying to bring back the old format through me. They all pushed and shoved until I got so frustrated I just said, 'Oh hell, let's try it your way.'"
The show was canceled in its first season, and while she still took home the full paycheck from her two-year contract, Patron said, "Looking back. I still would rather have had the show be a hit than have that money."
"It's been a long time, but now I know to go by what I feel," she added.
Following her own instincts dates back to the wisdom her own mother gave her when she first started performing as a child.
"The first piece of advice I would give to a young artist is the same as my mother gave to me: To thine own self be true," she told Harper's Bazaar in a recent interview. "Know who you are, know what your talent is and be willing to work for it."
And Parton plans on continuing to work.
"I would never retire. I'll just hopefully drop dead in the middle of a song onstage someday," she told the "Greatest Hits Radio" show in 2023. "That's how I hope to go."
The "Coat of Many Colors" singer also said she wants to add more TV hosting gigs in the future and expand her lifestyle brand.
"But I do want to have my own line of makeup, my own line of wigs — that sort of thing — and clothes. So, those things all come under that 'branding,' which we're doing so much of now," she told the outlet.
"So, once you get to a certain place in your career, you get a lot of offers. And some of them are just a little hard to turn down."
Even with all her success, Parton still feels the need to put in effort.
"I can't honestly say if there was a particular point in my career where I thought I'd arrived," she recently told 92.5 XTU. "In my early days, when I first got my first encore when I was a little girl, that's when I thought that I was gonna definitely be in show business, but I still don't think I've arrived.
"I'm still a working girl, and I still never think of myself as a star. I've got plenty of work to do."
"It's been a long time, but now I know to go by what I feel."
"Age is just a number, and energy and dedication comes from within," Schmiemann said. "Dolly has built an empire over the course of many decades through grit, hard work, human connection and continuous dedication every day. 'A body in motion stays in motion,' and so too does Dolly Parton."
Parton's work ethic has held up despite the loss of her husband of almost 60 years, Carl Dean, on March 3.
"Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can't do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy," she said in a statement at the time.
On March 14, Parton surprised fans by appearing at Dollywood's Celebrity Theater in honor of Dollywood's 40th anniversary.
"Of course, I will always love him, and I'll miss him, but I wanted you to know that I will always love you," Parton told guests, according to 7News.
Parton also revealed she is still adjusting to life without Dean, telling Knox News, "I'm doing better than I thought I would. I've been with him 60 years. So, I'm going to have to relearn some of the things that we've done. But I'll keep him always close."
She added his loss is "a hole in my heart," but "we'll fill that up with good stuff, and he'll still always be with me."