Dolly Parton Opens Up About Her Struggles With Body Image
Country music star Dolly Parton is opening up about her past struggles with insecurity surrounding her body image. While the music icon has been known for keeping up her youthful appearance through the years, she’s actually struggled a lot with the pressure to look perfect. According to Today, Parton is working on a musical comedy film that will bring the topic of body image into the spotlight. While Parton will be the voice behind the music sound track, actresses Jennifer Aniston and Danielle MacDonald will star in the film.
The movie, called Dumplin’, will hit theaters and Netflix on December 7, and the soundtrack will be released on November 30. The show’s protagonist is an overweight teenager who was inspired by many of Parton’s past songs dealing with body image. Parton feels like she’s the perfect person to create the music for the film since it is concerning an issue she is well familiar with. The singer says she has gone through phases of feeling too overweight to fit the mold society and the music industry wanted to fit her in. “I’m a hog at heart,” the 72-year-old entertainer told People magazine. “I’ve been up and down with my weight through the years, so I can definitely relate to that.”
Despite having mostly overcome her own insecurities through time, the “Jolene” singer says she worries about young girls growing up in the current age. With super skinny Instagram models and the influx of media, there can be enormous pressures for young people to look a certain way. This constant comparison can cause young people to feel less-than and never good enough in their own bodies. Parton wants girls to know that you don’t have to look a certain way to seek out the life you want.
“(This movie) shows that you don’t have to be physically beautiful,” Parton said. “You don’t have to look like a supermodel. I really worry a lot about young girls today because they think they have to look like the models or the people on television. We need to be accepting of ourselves in how we are.” While Parton strives to live a healthy lifestyle, she admits she definitely doesn’t always count calories. She enjoys indulging in a good meal from time to time and does not feel guilty about it. “My husband loves my cooking, so I cook for him,” she said simply. “I really cook just old Southern food” — which includes “gravy and biscuits and fried sausage or fried spam.”
