Typical Broad

Oh, Dolly. You are just my favorite.

That’s why I was so excited when I found you on the cover of the June/July issue of BUST Magazine and immediately purchased a copy.

And who belongs on the cover of BUST more than you do? No one. You busty goddess, you.

Can’t. Look. Away.

And the article about you was great. I could tell that the writer loved you and thought you obviously belonged in the feminist canon. Even though you don’t call yourself a feminist, I think you’re one fantastic lady who has inspired many women to be strong, funny, caring and hard-working.

But in the Editor’s Letter near the beginning of the magazine, Editor-In-Chief Debbie Stoller admits, “…I’m afraid I may have been absent the day [Parton] became a feminist icon…. whether she belongs on a feminist pedal has resulted in at least one debate/shouting match here at BUST.”

Which immediately made me roll my eyes. I understand where Stoller is coming from, but I am always weary of feminist in-fighting and the whole “She’s more feminist/she’s not feminist enough” bullshit. It’s counterproductive to the movement.

I mentioned this to my husband over breakfast and he also thought it was ridiculous to argue about whether or not Dolly Parton is a feminist icon. “Obviously she is. Just listen to her music,” he said. “Women can be their own worst enemies. With men, a similar conversation would go something like this:

‘Hey dude, you wanna be part of a masculine movement?’

‘Word, bro. Pound it.'”

And as he says this, I’m imagining Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill pounding fists and not giving a second thought about who belongs in the masculine movement with them.

Bros for Life.

Feminism, to me, is really about women and men coming together and supporting each other. Who cares if Dolly Parton looks like a Barbie doll and has had more plastic surgery than probably anyone? That’s how she wants to look, and if looking like that makes you feel good, rock on (or country on, in Dolly’s case).

BUST Writer Lisa Butterworth puts all of our concerns to rest by quoting Gloria Steinem, who praised Parton in a 1987 issue of Ms. Magazine, calling her a woman who “has turned all the devalued symbols of womanliness to her own ends.”

Dolly has always been the first to make fun of herself, which is evident when she jokes that she models her look after the “town tramp.” I think, with everything Dolly Parton has accomplished, even the town tramp can be worthy of the title “Feminist Icon.”

The Oh-So-Quoteable Dolly

A couple of Dolly quotes from the BUST article I particularly enjoyed:

“I don’t care what people do. I’m not God and I’m not a judge and I just accept people. I try to find the God-like in everybody and respond to that. I just love people and we’re all God’s children so I don’t pass judgment on anything or anybody. I just look for the fun and the joy and the light in everybody.”

“Yes, I’ve always been a dreamer and I’ve always tried. And dreams are special things. But dreams are of no value if they’re not equipped with wings and feet and hands and all that. If you’re gonna make a dream come true, you gotta work it. You can’t just sit around. That’s a wish. That’s not a dream. “