It is an extremely appropriate time to talk about justice, since we are amidst a global pandemic and a social movement to finally address the systemic racism and oppression affecting many people of colour. We have seen mass protests in solidarity with Black lives through our television screens and social media, alongside the removal of statues of racist figures, such as slave traders and confederate leaders. Statues are usually erected for the purpose of remembrance and idolisation, but too many hold a frightening and controversial past. History cannot be erased or rewritten, but we can learn from it and make sure we never make the same mistakes again.

Whilst recently scrolling through Instagram, I came across a link to a petition created by Alex Parsons to replace Confederate statues in Tennessee with statues of the country singer, Dolly Parton. One of the current statues that resides near Interstate 65 in Nashville is that of Confederate Army general Nathan Bedford Forrest surrounded by confederate flags. Forrest is mostly known for his involvement in the American Civil War and the massacre of 300 African American soldiers in 1864 at Fort Pillow in Tennessee, but also as the post-war leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Obviously, this statue should be pulled down due to its horrific history - and that’s not even mentioning his ugly and exaggerated profile - but you may be wondering why Alex Parsons chose Dolly Parton as the replacement? Why would the country singer with flamboyant sequined outfits, long painted nails, and blonde teased hair be chosen as the hero of Tennessee? I could enlighten you for hours about my adoration for Dolly Parton, and I would certainly have a shrine for her if I could. However, despite the fact I have grown up with her music blaring at every family party, it is necessary to really analyse why Dolly Parton’s statue would make the perfect replacement.

Parton was born in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee in rural Appalachia, in a one room cabin as the fourth of twelve children. After singing from a young age, and with her mother’s encouragement, she has paved her way to success in country music. Currently seventy-four years old, she is a popular figure amongst a wide-ranging audience, including the LGBTQIA+ communities and feminist groups, for her authentic narrative, and her work for social justice, and her appearance. As a matter of fact, the persona of the platinum blonde wigs, rhinestones, and makeup represent so much more than what meets the eye - it is something she has used to her advantage throughout her career. Leigh H Edwards, author of “Dolly Parton, Gender and Country Music” describes Parton’s façade to have components of “camp, burlesque, satire, parody and irony” in order to critique gender. Parton even describes her onstage persona to be “hillbilly trash” and “a country girl's idea of glam,” which inevitably pokes fun at rural stereotypes and the popular idea of the hillbilly being the scrutinised working class figure. Conversely, her image also appears to be camp - a style that grew out of the 20th century gay subculture and is meant to be exaggerated, theatrical, and a little bit tacky. Dolly’s image especially entices a huge gay male audience; but her larger than life façade of colourful outfits and showing a bit of cleavage here and there plays into commanding gender stereotypes, and embraces campy genres of femininity. Her exaggerated feminine qualities in performances have sometimes been compared to those of drag queens, or female impersonators. One of Dolly’s most prominent quotes is: “It’s a good thing I was born a girl, otherwise I’d be a drag queen.”

Dolly’s image is flexible and adapts to many audiences, with her expression criticising power hierarchies involving gender and sexuality – she dresses how she wants and she has fun with it. Although it may seem that she does not take her persona too seriously, this does not mean she is ridiculing stereotypes or not invested in her style or performance. In reality, she thoughtfully engages with her appearance and makes the marginalised image of femininity visible. Through her persona, she argues that gender roles are artificial social constructs made up of society’s ideas of how people should act or appear. 

Dolly Parton brings endless possibilities for gender expression in country music, with a lot of flexibility in her story-telling, and sincerity in her lyrics. Her representation as a poor, white southerner has attracted another audience for decades. For example, her 1971 single “Coat of Many Colours” (apparently written on the back of a receipt), tells the story of a coat made out of rags that Parton’s mother stitched for her. The lyrics to the song describe the hardship she faced for wearing the coat to school, but Dolly sings that the moral of the story (and in life), is that material possessions do not make you rich, but the coat and the love from her family did.

Parton has also gained popularity for her relatable lyrics of female empowerment with her iconic song “9 to 5,” that struck a chord with the Second Wave Feminist Movement. She expresses in the song that women were limited to certain roles and prevented from progressing in the working world due to their gender. She further emphasizes this in the backing track – Dolly realised if she rubbed her acrylic nails together, it would sound like a typewriter. Even though her image and songs critique popular gender stereotypes, such as her 1968 song “Just Because I Am a Woman,” Parton has never aligned herself with the middle class liberal movement like her peers. She sees her feminism as being popular rather than privileged, calling it a “working class Appalachian feminism.”

Alongside her advocacy for female empowerment, Dolly Parton is very progressive in country music - she is also an anti-racist and LGBTQIA+ rights spokeswoman. She has openly critiqued homophobia and also supports gay marriage. On the American talk show “Larry King Now” in 2016, Dolly condemned Christians who were against gay marriage, stating: “I think gay people should be able to marry….they’ve (Christians) forgotten that the bible preaches acceptance, tolerance, and forgiveness.” Despite Parton’s history of folk tradition music, she has also apparently planned a dance album with a song entitled “Just a Wee Bit Gay” with content to support gay rights. Dolly has written and performed an Oscar-nominated, pro-transgender song, “Travelin’ Thru” from the soundtrack to the movie “Transamerica.”

To many, Dolly Parton is not just seen as a country singer, but as a way of life - even her theme park, “Dollywood,” is the supposed mothership for gay males. Alongside work for the LGBTQIA+ community, Dolly has set up her own literacy program called the “Imagination Library,” which sends a free book to children each month around the world. Since her father was unable to read, Dolly has made it her mission to engage as many children as possible in a love for reading.

It is indisputable that Dolly Parton allows people to simply be themselves with her advocacy for human rights. She offers liberation to anyone who has ever felt that they were different, misunderstood, or judged based on gender stereotypes. She connects and empowers communities with her authentic narrative and fun persona, and enables people from all walks of life to come together and celebrate each other. In my eyes, Dolly Parton is an extremely worthy candidate to replace any confederate statue. It would replace a figure full of hatred, racism, and controversy, with a figure filled with love, colour, acceptance, and many, many sequins! A true hero of Tennessee.

Petition: “Replace all confederate statues in Tennessee with Dolly Parton”

Grace Hitchman is a fourth year student at the University of Edinburgh studying French and History.