Dolly Parton is one of the most iconic country music stars and has been famous for her big blonde hair for decades. However, many fans wonder if Dolly has ever revealed what her natural hair looks like without all the wigs and extensions. Let’s explore Dolly’s history with wigs, examine some potential photos of her real hair, and analyze why she started wearing wigs in the first place.
Dolly Parton’s Wig History
Dolly Parton has become synonymous with her large, teased blonde hairdo. She’s sported the look since the late 1960s, when her career first took off. According to Dolly, her signature style started by accident on the day of her very first TV appearance on The Porter Wagoner Show in 1967. She had over-bleached her hair the night before, leaving it fried, so she asked her wig stylist to put her hair in a beehive style wig. Dolly ended up loving the look, and it became her trademark style over the next few decades.
Dolly is very open about wearing wigs instead of her natural hair. She gets a new wig made every two weeks and has estimated that she has likely worn thousands of wigs over her long career. Her wigs are made with real human hair and often customized just for her by top wig makers. She’s unapologetic about it, saying, “I’m not real, and I’m not pretending to be real. I wear my wigs, I wear my makeup, and I wear my boobs. I’m loud and proud.”
Rumored Photos of Dolly’s Real Hair
Given how iconic Dolly’s wig hairstyles are, fans are often curious about what she really looks like underneath. There are a few photos circulating online that some claim show Dolly’s real, natural hair.
Childhood Photo
One photo that often makes the rounds is a blurry childhood picture of a young Dolly that shows her with brunette hair. However, many fans argue that this is simply a photo of Dolly wearing her natural brown hair as a child, not necessarily her natural hair as an adult.
Candid Photo with Dark Roots
There is also a candid photo where Dolly is talking to fans outside and seems to have dark roots under her blonde wig. The roots appear to be brown or black, leading some to believe this shows her natural hair color peeking through.
Photos from Early Career
Some early photos from when Dolly’s career was first taking off in the late 1960s show her with a beehive blonde wig and also a short, curly blonde style. In both sets of photos, fans claim you can see some of her natural brown hair and eyebrows peeking out from under the wigs if you look closely.
However, others argue that these early career photos just show Dolly’s brown roots growing in under bleached blonde hair, not necessarily her untouched natural hair.
Analysis of the Photos
While these photos provide some clues, there is no definitive photo that clearly shows Dolly Parton’s full head of untouched natural hair. Analyzing the photos leads to a few conclusions:
- Dolly likely had brown or darker hair as a child, as seen in the childhood photo.
- She seems to have naturally dark brown or black roots and eyebrows, based on the darker roots in the candid wig photo and peeking out under early wigs.
- The early photos likely show Dolly’s real hair color growing in, but are inconclusive about texture and full length.
- There are no clear photos showing Dolly’s hair in its natural state, without dyes, bleaches or wigs.
Why Dolly Started Wearing Wigs
This leads to the question – why did Dolly start wearing wigs in the first place? Especially since they now seem to be hiding her beautiful natural hair?
In several interviews over the years, Dolly has shared that she initially started wearing wigs out of necessity:
- As mentioned, her hair was damaged from over-bleaching when she first adopted her signature beehive wig.
- Constant styling, dyeing, and hot curlers in the 1960s and 70s damaged her tresses.
- Wigs protected her natural hair from further styling damage.
- She later realized she could have more fun and versatility with wigs than her real hair.
Dolly has never been ashamed of admitting she wears wigs or extensive hairpieces. For her, wigs allow her to adopt any hairstyle she wants as her look evolves over the decades. It’s simply part of her image. She once said:
“I’m not afraid to expose myself. I’d take off all my makeup and wigs if the world wanted me to. This artificial look has become part of who I am. I’ve accepted it just like the world has accepted it.”
Dolly’s Natural Look in Recent Years
Though verified photos have never surfaced, it seems Dolly has embraced her natural hair off-stage in more recent years:
- In 2011 interviews, she admitted she will often go wig-free in her downtime at home.
- She described her natural hair as shoulder-length, frizzy, and grey-streaked.
- While she feels the wigs are part of her look, she enjoys giving her hair and scalp a break behind-the-scenes.
- Those who have worked with Dolly also recall her wearing little makeup and no wig on their projects during this time.
So while Dolly clearly feels most like herself in her signature wigs, she does seem to be letting her natural hair show a bit more in her personal life. But don’t expect her to lose the wigs and over-the-top style anytime soon!
Conclusion
After examining the evidence, there are a few conclusions we can draw:
- There are no definitive, confirmed photos publicly available of Dolly Parton’s full head of natural hair without wig or extensions.
- Based on roots and eyebrows, she seems to naturally have dark brown or black hair, not blonde.
- Her texture seems to be curly or frizzy when natural, rather than straight.
- Length is hard to judge, but may be shoulder length or longer when not styled.
- Dolly wears wigs due to hair damage early in her career and now enjoys the versatility.
- She doesn’t hide the fact that she wears wigs or extensions as part of her look.
- While no public photos exist, she does seem to embrace her natural hair more in her downtime lately.
So in summary – no, there are no confirmed public photos of Dolly Parton’s full head of natural hair. But her roots and glimpses we get suggest she has lovely, dark curly locks under all that signature blonde! Fans may just have to use their imagination as to exactly what Dolly’s hair looks like naturally.