Dolly Parton Talks About How She Handles Men
via The Howard Stern Show / Youtube
Dolly Parton, the iconic country singer, recently graced The Howard Stern Show to discuss her new album, Rockstar, and share insights into her early years in Nashville.
In a candid conversation, Stern asked Dolly about the challenges she faced as an attractive young woman entering the music scene:
“I’m envisioning you as a 19-year old girl going to Nashville, and let’s face it, you were extremely attractive, a very good looking woman, were men constantly hitting on you?”
Dolly responded with grace and humor
Revealing that she met her husband, Carl Dean, on the first day she moved to Nashville, steering clear of the pitfalls that some may encounter in the industry:
“Well, I was 18 when I moved to Nashville, I met my husband the first day I got there. So I had left two boyfriends back home, thinkin’ the last thing I want in Nashville is a boyfriend. So what’s the first thing I do? Find one.”
Growing up with six brothers and a close-knit family, Dolly expressed that the attention from men didn’t faze her. She emphasized her ability to [QUOTE] “look like a woman, but think like a man,” which she believes made a significant difference:
“But I never thought of it… men flirted with me, but I was a flirt myself. And I never took it wrong, because you gotta remember, I had six brothers and my dad and uncles, and I love men.”
Dolly acknowledged a few uncomfortable moments but maintained that she handled them by making it clear when someone wasn’t taking her seriously:
“So I didn’t have the same problems, I was sure of who I was and I’ve often said, even before Steve Harvey said it, I’d said in interviews that I look like a woman, but I think like a man.”
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Addressing misconceptions
Dolly clarified that any personal choices she made were independent of business motives:
“Let me just say this… I never slept with anybody to get ahead, to get from point A to point B. If I slept with somebody, it’s because I wanted to, not because I was doing it for any reason other than just something that I wanted to do.”
Dolly’s sharp wit and clever approach to handling attention were evident when she jokingly mentioned that, given her appearance, she would have been “disappointed” if no one noticed her:
“I was pretty clever, and knowing the nature of men, and understanding that, if I was gonna dress like I dressed, and look like I looked, I would’ve been disappointed if someone hadn’t noticed more paid attention to me.”
The conversation also touched on Dolly’s unique style
Inspired by the town tramp she observed in her youth. Dolly stood firm, emphasizing her commitment to expressing herself regardless of societal expectations:
“I just knew how I was gonna look. Daddy couldn’t whip it out of me, mama couldn’t talk it out of me, and grandpa couldn’t preach it out of me. I was gonna look the way I looked, and I still do because that’s how I felt.”
You can watch the conversation below:
