Wearing five-inch heels, a plunging neckline and her trademark platinum-blonde wig, Dolly Parton raises her perfectly manicured eyebrows. It’s 1986, and she’s sitting in a quiet corner of her namesake theme park, Dollywood, in Tennessee, across from Australian 60 Minutes journalist Mike Munro. A crowd of adoring fans is waiting outside for a glimpse of the five-foot-nothing star, who spontaneously rides through the grounds on the back of a tractor, waving her cupped hand like the Queen. Towards the end of the interview, Munro brings up her “bust measurements” and Parton politely deflects the question. When Munro straight out asks her breast size, she lets out a shrill laugh and deadpans, “Up yours, Buster.”
Parton has heard all the jokes before. (“What’s worse than a giraffe with a sore throat? Dolly Parton with a chest cold.”) In fact, some of the best jokes she made up herself. Presenting the 2017 Emmy award for best supporting actor, she pointed to her chest and quipped, “Well, I know all about support.” It’s the kind of quick wit, self-deprecation and unapologetic humour that fans have come to expect from the country star. Her first hit single, called “Dumb Blonde”, ended on the formidable line: “Just because I’m blonde/Don’t think I’m dumb/Cause this dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool.”
This story is from the March 2021 edition of Marie Claire Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2021 edition of Marie Claire Australia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
NATALIE IMBRUGLIA
UK-based singer Natalie Imbruglia talks all things Taylor Swift, misconceptions about her and watching Prince William listen to her chart-topping song \"Torn\"
Courtney LOVE
Her life has swung between extremes, from her husband’s death to her multi platinum albums. But as the singer and actor prepares to turn 60, she’s in a calm place. By Cameron Adams
SWEET DREAMS
Tie on your apron and up your dessert game with these indulgent, chocolate-filled treats
CHASING the SUN
Chloe Tozer, founder and creative director of Clo Studios, welcomes us into her enchanting Sunshine Coast residence, writes Samantha Stewart
Wild at heart
At the Great Plains Conservation safari camp in Botswana, luxury seamlessly merges with the untamed beauty of the wilderness, writes Danika Porter
BEAUTY TALK CAMILA MENDES
The American actor’s latest venture as the creative director for cool-girl beauty brand Loops sees her further cementing a skincare-first beauty ethos. Here she shares her tips and tricks for a dewy, red-carpet-worthy complexion
IN CLINIC LIFT IT
Lifted skin, fewer jowls, overall tightening and plumping with minimal downtime and pain. Could this next-gen ultrasound treatment be the new alternative to going under the knife?
MAN THE OF MONTH BRANDON FLYNN
The American actor discusses history, horses and his hardest scene to film under Ryan Murphy
AMAZING AMY
Amy Shark isan ARIA-award winner, Australian Idol judge and former marie claire cover star. Bree Player catches up with her to talk new music and finding her feet on TV
EVEN THE PLAYING FIELDI
After Matildas mania” captivated the nation at the Women’s World Cup, a new documentary hopes to keep the spotlight on the sport, following the team’s long road to recognition and the game-changing women who paved the way