Dolly Parton's Tattoos: The Truth Behind The Rumors
In the shimmering limelight where country music and storytelling intertwine, Dolly Parton, a legendary country music singer, has had rumors about her tattoos circling for decades.
Think about it, when was the last time you saw Dolly showing off her arms? If you can’t picture the Country icon wearing sleeveless sequined dresses, well, you’re not wrong.
In Dolly’s more than 50-year career, she has had a long track record of covering up her arms with sparkling sleeves and sometimes wearing fingerless gloves.
Fans have speculated that she has full sleeve tattoos to cover scars, that she was burned by boiling water as a child, and other reasons.
So we set out to find some truth about Dolly Parton's tattoos and get to the bottom of these rumors.
And what we found will surprise you and might make you love Dolly even more.
Does Dolly Parton Have Tattoos?
Yes. And there’s proof. Over the years, fans have caught glimpses of Dolly’s tattoos through two photographs, and interviews given by Jennifer Saunders and Roseanne Barr who claim to have seen them.
While on The Tonight Show in 1996, Jay Leno suddenly noticed Dolly's tattoo and asked, “Is that a tattoo?” while tugging at her off-the-shoulder outfit.
“Yeah, I have a little tattoo, but don’t start pullin’ my clothes down!” she laughed. “That’s an angel, as a matter of fact. I have a little butterfly and a little angel. My guardian angel.”
One of the first photos of a Dolly tattoo sighting was the 2006 photo from the 9 to 5 anniversary.
Dolly is pictured with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin wearing a thin while long-sleeve blouse (and looking great, by the way!)
Fans caught a glimpse of a butterfly tattoo on her arm, just barely visible through her blouse.
Another sighting was back in 2012, during the premiere of her film Joyful Noise, while on the red carpet.
Dolly bent over and accidentally revealed part of a tattoo. Fans can’t really see what it is, but it looks small, cute, and pink.
Has Anyone Ever Seen Dolly's Tattoos?
Then there’s the story from 2011 with Jennifer Saunders and Roseanne Barr. Saunders and Barr say they were having a meal together when Dolly joined them during a discussion about body art.
According to Saunders, Dolly asked them if they wanted to see her tattoos and ended up opening up her top. “They were completely covered in the most beautiful angels and beautiful butterflies and baskets of flowers in pastel-colored tattoos."
Dolly made them promise not to tell anyone, but it’s in Saunder’s autobiography and Barr gave a detailed description in an interview.
Dolly made them promise not to tell, but they did.
Shortly after this fateful night, Roseanne was a guest on Craig Ferguson's show. She said, “Do you know who's totally tattooed? I shouldn't even tell you this. Dolly Parton is totally tattooed…She showed me. She's got all these awesome tattoos all over body—no black or blue lines, all like, pastel gorgeous bows all over everything.”
Contrary to what Barr said in the interview, none of the photographs that are out there appear to have tattoos "all over her body." But it does explain why rumors started flying about Dolly having full-sleeve tattoos on her arms.
As far as we can find, there is no evidence of full sleeves, which has been rumored.
And the reasons she got them aren’t what you might expect.
Why Dolly Might Have Decided To Get Tattoos
Many Dolly Parton fans know about her history of health problems.
In 1981, when Dolly was 35, her health took a turn for the worst. At the height of her fame, she wound up suffering 3 long years of doctors, hospitals, and surgeries. She even had a feeding tube.
And it left her with scars.
She talked about the ordeal in a 1984 interview with Ladies’ Home Journal, and her plans to get tattoos to cover up her scars.
“I have keloid scars from my operation and the doctors can’t do anything about it,” she said, as recorded in the book Dolly on Dolly. “So I’m going to get tattooed right over my stomach incision. I don’t mean mermaids. I mean, from the left side of my navel down, I’ll make what looks like a tiny ribbon of eyelet lace in very light colors.
Dolly Has Talked About Her Tattoos
In 2020, she spoke openly to PEOPLE magazine saying, "My tattoos are pretty, they’re artful and they usually started out to cover some scar, not to make a big statement," she says. "Ribbons and bows and butterflies are the things that I have. I was very sick for a while and I had to wear a feeding tube. It left a little indention on my side and I didn't like it because I’m so fair that scars turn purple on me."
She said she decided to make something beautiful from an ugly experience.
"I like to make positives out of negatives. I had a little beehive tattooed over it — a little yellow-and-brown beehive with a tiny little bee on top of the hive. The mouth of it is that little sinkhole."
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter to Dolly Parton fans whether or not their beloved Dolly has tattoos. Her grace, elegance, beauty, and talent far outweigh any negative opinions someone might have about tattoos.
We love you Dolly, just the way you are!
Richard Sutherland
RichardSutherland@bitsnspurs.orgRichard is a western lifestyle author for Bits N' Spurs, the weekly newsletter that keeps pace with today's rodeo. His articles are featured on dozens of rodeo and Western related websites and provide a window to the world of cowboy culture.