Dolly Parton, the epitome of glitz and glamour, has revealed that she sports some hidden tattoos that remain unseen by the public. The iconic singer, known for her hit “Jolene,” has previously mentioned having multiple tattoos done in light-colored ink. Despite showing some skin during her performance as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader at the Thanksgiving Day halftime show last year, her tattoos were not visible.
In an interview with Hello! Magazine on October 29, Dolly explained her tattoo journey. “When I first started getting a few little things done, I had a few little tattoos to cover up some scarring,” she shared. “If I have to get a scar for any reason, I never can get rid of that purple look. So I thought, ‘Well, I’m going to kind of decorate these with some flowers or little butterflies or whatever.’”
At 78, Dolly has touched on her body art in the past, but fans have yet to see these tattoos. In a September 2020 interview with People, she admitted, “I do have some tattoos, that’s true. But they’re tasteful. I’m not a tattoo girl.”
“My tattoos are pretty and artful; they usually started out to cover some scar, not to make a big statement,” she explained. “Ribbons, bows, and butterflies are the things that I have. I was very sick for a while and had to wear a feeding tube, which left a little indention in my side. Because I’m so fair, scars turn purple on me, so I thought I’d decorate them.”
Dolly described how she transformed her scars into art, saying, “I had a little beehive tattooed over it—a little yellow-and-brown beehive with a tiny little bee on top of it.”
She also clarified that her husband, Carl Thomas Dean, is not tattooed on her body. “No, he’s tattooed on my heart,” she stated. “Who knows, I may get some more later. I may just have to get covered with tattoos just so everybody could be right!”
Dolly explained her affinity for butterfly tattoos, saying, “Butterflies don’t sting, they don’t bite, and they are so beautiful. I relate to them with my own personality. I claimed them as my little symbol.”
“I have a few little tattoos here and there,” she added. “Most of my tattoos came because I’m very fair and tend to scar easily. I’ve had surgeries, and if the scars didn’t heal properly, I just put tattoos over them. I don’t have real heavy, dark tattoos; mine are all pastel. And I have more than one!”
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