Dolly Parton drew her iconic fashion and stylistic inspirations from lingerie models, and she’s not ashamed to admit it.
In fact, the country music legend, 77, expressed to People magazine that the catalog of Frederick’s of Hollywood, a now-discontinued lingerie brand whose flagship store was once a Hollywood Boulevard landmark, helped her become comfortable with her own style.
“I was kind of influenced by those early days, with women that I would see, like the loose women in our town, or just people that I’d see in magazines,” Parton recalled, further declaring that the models in the Frederick’s catalog “spoke to me.”
Noting that the racy looks reflected her own style and personality perfectly, the Jolene songstress expressed that it was important for her to feel comfortable with herself first before expecting anyone else to “accept” her.
“I was never one to care as much about what other people thought of me as I felt about what I thought of me, because I felt if I was comfortable in whatever I was wearing, then people would be comfortable around me,” she explained.
Indeed, the 9 to 5 singer has always embraced her “over the top” fashion choices despite the countless repercussions she received for it growing up.
Previously, Parton, who is godmother to Miley Cyrus, opened up to The Guardian about how the men in her hometown, including her own grandfather and father, “hated the way she dressed” and would frequently “physically punish” her for it.
However, Parton stayed true to herself, realising that “sometimes there’s just that part of you that’s willing, if you want something bad enough, to go for it.”