Dolly Parton knew perfectly well that many people underestimated her because of her appearance, and instead of changing so they would take her seriously, she learned to play on that prejudice to her advantage. For decades she cultivated an exaggeratedly feminine image, with enormous blonde wigs, makeup, high heels, and eye-catching dresses, but behind it was also the woman who built and controlled a huge professional empire.
Dolly said that more than once she sat down to negotiate with men who assumed she wasn’t very intelligent because of the way she looked. She had no interest in convincing them ahead of time: she let them think whatever they wanted until the deal was closed. Then, as she said with her characteristic humor, when they finally discovered that she wasn’t a fool at all, she already had the money and was gone.
That business acumen also shaped some of the most important decisions of her career. Dolly protected the rights to her songs and even turned down Elvis Presley when his team wanted to keep some of the publishing rights to I Will Always Love You. Years later, Whitney Houston’s version turned the song into a worldwide phenomenon, and Dolly remained its owner.
Dolly never needed to look less blonde, less feminine, or less extravagant to prove that she was intelligent. If someone mistook her appearance for naivety, that was their problem… and many times an advantage for her ❤️.