Quote Of The Day By Dolly Parton: 'It Costs A Lot Of Money To Look This...'

Following her untimely death in August 2026, the world is fully appreciating the wonder that was Dolly Parton. Born in Tennessee's famed Smoky Mountains on January 19, 1946, Parton was one of 12 children. Though she came from the humblest of beginnings, she was writing songs by the age of 5. By 10, she'd secured singing gigs on local TV and radio, and by 13, she achieved a milestone that most country singers dream of: performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Composing literally thousands of songs over the course of her career, as well as dipping her toes into Hollywood with roles in classic flicks like "9 to 5" and "Steel Magnolias," Parton established herself as a legend. And we haven't even arrived at her style yet! 

From her early days as a budding country singer, to her '80s stint in some of the decade's biggest movies, to her performances as a veteran star on the global stage in her 60s and 70s, Dolly Parton's signature style rarely changed over the decades. Even those who weren't die-hard fans could spot her from a country mile away: big blond hair, exaggerated glamorous makeup, and an explosion of glitter and rhinestones. Answering trends and catering to other people's opinions were both at the very bottom of her priority list. Instead, Parton stayed true to the style that represented her, right until the end.

She taught us that "dress your age" deserves banishment from fashion discourse. Her go-to look has inspired stars across generations. And while some might have mocked her over the years, finding her aesthetic to be lacking refinement or the touch of high fashion, Parton's most famous quote proves that she had the last laugh. 

In the 1982 musical comedy "The Best Little *W****house in Texas," Dolly Parton's character Mona Stangley had a line of dialog that would go on to stick with Parton forever: "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap." The "I Will Always Love You" singer repeated it frequently over the years, even joking that the line would end up carved on her tombstone, per Vanity Fair. 

Dolly Parton's quote reveals a simple truth: Her look was intentional. So while she was called everything from a hillbilly to white trash over the years — and those were two titles that she proudly embraced — her look wasn't a result of insufficient funds or even insufficient fashion sense. She chose it, because she loved it. And while she opened up about her "cheap" image being purposeful, many people still misunderstood her. Parton chose to stick with the style that she felt the most comfortable with, no matter what the fashion world had to say. She proved that your aesthetic is not necessarily a reflection of your background or financial status, but rather what's in your heart.

Over the years, she traced the origins of her image all the way back to her childhood, where she looked up to a woman in her town that everyone else used to look down upon. "She was flamboyant," Parton told The Guardian in 2023. "She had bright red lipstick, long red fingernails. She had high-heeled shoes, little floating plastic goldfish in the heels of them, short skirts, low-cut tops, and I just thought she was beautiful. When people would say, 'She ain't nothing but trash,' I would always say, 'Well, that's what I'm gonna be when I grow up.'"

There are so many lessons we can draw from Parton's wise take: Don't judge a book by a cover, wealth is what you don't see, and appearances can be deceiving. But more than anything, her philosophy was evidence that she was always in total control of her image and always stayed true to herself, other people's opinions be damned. That's why Dolly Parton will be remembered as a fashion icon.

• "You'll never do a whole lot unless you're brave enough to try."
• "I have pretty good skin considering my age, and I think a lot of it is mineral oil and bacon grease."
• "I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life. I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain. These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious pieces of good in the world."
• "I'm not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I'm not dumb. I also know that I'm not a blonde."
• "If I was trying to describe myself to someone that had never seen me before, I would say, 'Calm down. Don't get scared. It's just me. I know I look totally bizarre and artificial, but I'm totally real inside."
• "I ain't never gonna be old because I ain't got time to be old. I can't stop long enough to grow old. I'm just gonna be the best I can be at whatever age I am."
• "I don't like to be like everybody else. I've often made the statement that I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable. That's the easiest thing in the world to do."