Dolly Parton was warned her “cheap” look would stop her being taken seriously as a singer/songwriter.
The 78-year-old country legend has no regrets about always choosing to be herself because she knew that even if people were put off by her appearance, her music was strong enough to win people over.
She told Grazia magazine: “In my early days, so many people said, ‘Dolly nobody’s ever going to take you seriously as a songwriter, the way you dress, you need to tame it down. You don’t need all the make-up, it makes you look cheap. You don’t need all that hair.’
“But I said, ‘Well, if my songs are good enough, eventually people will hear my songs. In the meantime, I have to have fun for me.
“I’m going to write good songs, I’m going to sing good songs, I’m going to perform and I’m going to be me.’
“I’ve spent my whole life being me and it’s done me proud so far.”
The ‘Jolene’ hitmaker doesn’t care what other people think about her clothes so long as she feels comfortable.
She said: “I’m more of an eyesore than an icon in some of the stuff I wear.
“I like to feel confident in my clothes. Even if they weren’t fashionable, even if they were gaudy or cheap or whatever.
“If I felt like it fit me, then I was comfortable in it. And then if I’m comfortable in myself, other people are comfortable with me.”