Dolly Parton’s unapologetic approach to beauty – years of procedures revealed

Dolly Parton’s death has broken hearts the world over. The singer was known for her soulful voice as well as her beauty and unique outfits. And while a lot of celebrities never like to admit that they have had ‘work done’, Dolly Parton was the exact opposite, never shying away from revealing what she had had done.

Keep reading to learn more.

Dolly Parton was born on January 19, 1946, in a small cabin in Sevierville, Tennessee. She was the fourth of 12 children born to Robert Lee Parton Sr. and Avie Lee Parton.

Her father was a sharecropper and farmer while her mother was a dedicated homemaker who cared for her family and, according to Parton, was also fond of playing music and singing. One of the things Parton was open about was the poverty which she and her family lived in as she was growing up. Her song, ‘Coat of Many Colors’ was based on a real life events, outlining the lack of money the family had even for necessities but always made do with what they had and the love they shared for one another.

Dolly Parton came from a humble background and never forgot her roots even when she made it big. She recalled her younger days and how she was “most impressed with” when she was younger was “the town tramp.”

She shared the story of when she saw a local Tennesse woman who changed her life, saying, “This woman had the yellow peroxide hai. She had the red nails, the red lipstick, the beautiful eyes, the high heels, short skirt, and I thought she was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen. And whoever I was with said, ‘Oh, she ain’t nothing but trash.’ And I make the joke, and I would say, ‘Well, that’s what I’m going to be when I grow up.’ Meaning, that’s how I want to look.”

Parton has long talked about her love for dressing up, makeup, and presenting herself to the best of her abilities. And as part of that, she was also open about the procedures she had done to maintain her look.

In a 2003 interview, Parton talked about her procedures with Larry King in an interview. When asked why she was so open about the topic, she shared that she saw no point in lying about it.

“I would say if I – you know, if I see something sagging, dragging or bagging, I’m going to go have the stuff tucked or plucked,” Dolly revealed.

She also confirmed having facelift, eye surgery, collagen in her lips, Botox, liposuction and excess-skin removal during the sit-down before addressing the longstanding attention around her chest.

“I am so tiny that my b—- just look so much bigger than they are. They’re actually just about 39 inches around,” she told Larry. “But they do like I pump them up with a bicycle pump. But I like them. Like I say, I don’t know — I mean, they have served me well. I don’t know if I’m supporting them or they’re supporting me, but it’s working, and I’m happy with it. So, as long as I’m happy, I can make everybody else happy. And I don’t care.”

Later the saw year, she talked to Oprah on her show and also mentioned that she had had “some nips, pulls and tucks.”

“Yes, I have, and I’ll have some more when I need ’em. A funny little thing I was telling the girls who are on this tribute album, a lot of them are very young. I tell them I was already into plastic surgery when they were still sleeping on plastic sheets,” she said.

While there might have been some who criticized her appearance, Parton was unapologetic and happy. She told The Guardian, “This is just who I am! It’s like what I always say: I may look fake but I’m real where it counts. Ha ha ha!”

She also opened up on The Howard Stern Show about her cosmetic procedures, sharing she used fillers, Botox and Juvéderm.

“I try to do just little bits at a time – I don’t do like really big stuff. Only when I have to do something a little more, and even then, I try to be careful,” she shared.

She talked about her approach to finding doctors, saying she was very careful on who she chose and also warned others about doing surgery.

She talked about the speculation that had always surrounded her breasts.

In 2012, she addressed speculation on Nightline about her aging with her implants. She said her experience had been “just fine.”

“I haven’t had to have that done in years, and my girls are going pretty good,” she added.

In 2023, the legendary singer had revealed to Saga, that she did come to regret a couple of procedures.

“If something is bagging, sagging or dragging, I’ll tuck it, suck it or pluck it,” she said in her now famous quote but she went on to add, “every now and then you’ll get a hematoma, or sometimes with fillers and Botox you can get too much and have to wait till the swelling goes down to look normal again.”

“It means that instead of being back at work in two weeks, it’s a month,” she continued.

Despite those regrets, Dolly often joked about her plastic surgeries while continuing to maintain her appearance.

While there were several plastic surgeons who have commented on Dolly Parton’s nose potentially undergoing a minor rhinoplasty early in her career, the singer never confirmed undergoing such a procedure.

All in all, Dolly’s open attitude towards discussing her upkeep and procedures she had done was a breath of fresh air in an industry where such procedures are done in secret and rarely ever admitted to let alone talked about in interviews.

Share this with other fans of Dolly Parton who are missing the amazing singer and would like to know more about her life.