I think a lot about the famous 1977 Dolly Parton interview by Barbara Walters. And fairly recently I’ve been finding newfound reasons to admire the famous big-haired country singer because of her all around philosophy around love, life and fashion. Here’s an excerpt of the famous interview;

“You don't have to look like this, you’re very beautiful, you don’t have to wear the blonde wigs, you don’t have to wear the extreme clothes, right?” asked Barbara Walters. “It’s certainly a choice,” said Parton. “I don’t like to be like everybody else.” She followed up with some words to live by: “I would never stoop so low to be fashionable, that’s the easiest thing in the world to do.”
Walters then asked, “Do you feel like you're a joke, that people make fun of you?”
Parton replied, “Oh, I know they make fun of me, but all these years, the people have thought the joke was on me, but it’s actually on them,” said Parton. “I am sure of myself as a person. I am sure of my talent. I’m sure of my love for life and that sort of thing. I am very content, I like the kind of person that I am. So, I can afford to piddle around and do-diddle around with makeup and clothes and stuff because I am secure with myself.”

That last part is what always gets me. I love everything about it because it shows that confidence really isn’t about what you wear but rather how you wear it. This remains to be one of my favorite interviews right up there with Cher’s famous words: “Mother, I am a rich man.” I like this philosophy about clothes and fashion in general, but also how it’s a bigger reflection on how we hold ourselves, how we express ourselves and what fuels our soul. That’s what I love about Dolly’s view of life - she fills it with color, tassels and hairspray and glitter. And the most amazing thing about it is that above all, she does it for her and herself only.

That philosophy ultimately inspired me to put together a shoot with a couple of friends that reflected that. And it really was a mirror of Dolly’s soul, since we used a super fun reflective background that brought a certain dreamy otherworldliness to each shot. I love how these all came out and how the styling came together - I loved that it was pink and loud, tassels flying everywhere and bold eyeshadow. This was the first shoot I did in 2020 and I’m so happy I did because I’m hoping it sets a creative precedent for myself; which is a reminder to keep creating for the sake of creating.

Styling and Photos by me

Makeup by @j_bingg

Tassel shirt and Hat made by @shelly.creative