Your bag is empty.
In 1978, Dolly Parton sat down with Playboy for the iconic, wide-ranging Playboy Interview. At 32 years old, she was already an industry veteran, having made her first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry at the tender age of 12. Unlike others who entered stardom so young, Dolly wasn’t jaded or closed-off. Instead, she opened up to Playboy about her life, her career, her lovers, and her joy.
In her interview, Dolly was quick to mention her looks. Her buxom nature was a signature, as were her blonde wigs and bright makeup. But to Dolly, being “gaudy,” as she said, was just part of her personality.
“I’m made up of many things. I’m very complex. I have much more depth than just my looks, which to me are not all that hot, anyway,” she said. “I’ve always looked a certain way and had an image. I like the big hairdo, the gaudy clothes. There’s not much sexy about that. Men are not usually turned on by artificial looks and I’ve always been like that.”
Dolly disregarded what others thought in many areas of her life—and judging by this interview, she was wrong quite a bit. She didn’t think she was much of a good singer (we’d disagree) but she did it because it brought her joy. She thought she had more confidence than talent (we think she had both in equal measure). She also predicted her career would fizzle out within five years of this interview. Clearly, she got a few things wrong.
But there were many, many more things that Dolly got right—one of them was her life philosophy, as told to this magazine. Dolly Parton’s family announced on August 25, 2026, that she died at the age of 80. Here, we’re publishing a snippet of her Playboy Interview that reflects her life philosophy, one that would serve us all well.
Playboy: How would you describe yourself to someone who had never seen or heard you?
Dolly Parton: I would start by saying that I pride myself on being a fair and honest person. I am free and open enough to be able to try new things. I’m outrageous. I feel like I have a lot of depth that only the people closest to me really see. I’m compulsive and very ambitious.
I’m playful. I’m joyful. I’m mischievous. Serious when I mean to be serious. I can be strong when I need to be and weak when I want to be. I can tell you where to put it if I don’t like where you got it. I’m not a very moody person. I don’t fall into great states of depression.
Very sentimental and highly emotional. I’m a baby when it comes to bein’ a baby. I like to be spoiled and petted. I get touched real easy. I’m curious, I have to know everything that goes on. I’m not a brilliant person, but I have a lot of guts. I just don’t have a fear of life.
I love life, so why should I fear somethin’ I love? And why should I not reach out to the things that I know I can touch? I’m strong-willed. I can think like a workingman because I know what a workingman goes through. I’m a person you could sit down with even if you were a total stranger and tell me the thing you thought was the most horrible thing and I would understand it.
And I wouldn’t tell. I’m a good friend. I’m loyal and devoted to the things that I believe in…. I’m full of shit!
Read Dolly’s full Playboy Interview here.
