For years, a photograph circulated online that appeared to show a completely unknown version of Dolly Parton: without her huge blonde hair, without her signature hairstyle and, apparently, completely bald.
The image attracted so much attention that it helped fuel an old rumor: that beneath the enormous hairstyles Dolly wore in public, there was practically no hair.
But the reality is quite different.
Dolly Parton did have hair. The secret to her look was not that she was bald, but that for much of her career, she made wigs a fundamental part of her image.
Dolly herself never hid the fact that she used them. In fact, she has said that she began relying on them because her hair was suffering from the constant use of dyes, bleaching, and extremely elaborate hairstyles. With a wig, she could achieve the volume and height she wanted without having to subject her natural hair to those processes every day.
In an interview with Allure, she even explained that she owns hundreds of wigs and can wear a different one practically every day when she is working or appearing in public. But she also made an important clarification: when she is at home, she does not necessarily wear one. There, she can wear her own hair, which she keeps bleached and at a length similar to that of her wigs.
The whole subject became even more amusing because Dolly has never had a problem joking about baldness.
In a 1998 interview, a man in the audience who was losing his hair asked her whether he should use Rogaine, wear a wig, or simply accept his situation.
Dolly, true to her style, replied with a line that prompted laughter:
“I think you should stay as you are, because losing your fuzz doesn’t mean you’re not a peach”.
So the image of a completely bald Dolly is irresistible as a viral photograph, but her hair story is considerably less extreme.
She didn’t need to be bald to wear wigs. She simply made wigs one of the most recognizable parts of her persona.
And perhaps that’s the real charm: for decades, millions of people wondered what was underneath that huge blonde hair…
and Dolly never had any problem admitting that, many times, it was a wig.