Dolly Parton never had trouble being the first to laugh at herself ❤️. For decades, she turned her enormous blonde hair, shiny dresses, makeup, and exaggerated image into an inseparable part of her persona, but she also made it clear that behind it all was a woman who knew perfectly well what she was doing.
So, whenever the classic jokes about “dumb blondes” appeared, Dolly had the perfect response ready: “I’m not offended by all the jokes about dumb blondes because I know I’m not dumb… and I also know I’m not blonde”. Her platinum hair was, in reality, part of the persona: for decades, she spoke openly about her famous wigs and laughed at all the work that went into her appearance.
That sense of humor eventually became one of her most beloved characteristics. Dolly could joke about her hair, her body, her clothes, or cosmetic surgery before allowing anyone to use those same things to make her feel inferior.
Today, following news of her death at the age of 80, those phrases also remain, explaining why she was much more than a legend of country music. Dolly knew how to laugh at herself without ever allowing the joke to truly be about her ❤️.