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dream more
November 30, 2012

Visual History: Dolly Parton’s Fantastic Beauty

By Christina Han

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Photo: Raul Vega/Corbis

Dolly Parton’s book Dream More made its debut on bookshelves this week. It’s full of lessons and maxims about living life and, uh, dreaming more, from the woman for whom “go big or go home” is more than a motto. From her modest Tennessee beginnings, she became the country legend known for rhinestoned denim outfits and melon-size boobs, and she eventually swelled into the only celebrity to launch her own amusement park. But if there’s one reason why we truly love Dolly, it’s her ever-evolving beauty regimen. The hair, the nails, the lashes of steel. Click through our slideshow to see how she’s evolved over 60 years, fawning over her radiant glory along the way. We’d tell you to zoom in, but that just seems obvious.

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1 / 15 Photos
Mid-fifties Despite having short hair in this photo, life is still swell for Dolly. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
1965 Dolly's the kind of gal who would let you rest your tired head on her ample, voluminous, hair hive. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/© Corbis. ... 1965 Dolly's the kind of gal who would let you rest your tired head on her ample, voluminous, hair hive. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
1980 Happiness, earnestness, and a whole lot of brassiness keep this hair helmet in place. Photo: CinemaPhoto/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
1981 Dolly's the only person who could possibly convince us to wear matching pearlescent pink nail polish and eye shadow. Photo: LGI Stock/© Cor... 1981 Dolly's the only person who could possibly convince us to wear matching pearlescent pink nail polish and eye shadow. Photo: LGI Stock/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
1987 If you're ever at a loss for beauty inspiration, just think, What would Dolly do? She'll never steer you wrong. Photo: Raul Vega/Corbis
1987 #YOLO. Photo: Raul Vega/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
April 1987 Dolly-meets–David Bowie–meets-the-soft-tufts-of-baby-chick-feathers. Photo: Debra Myrent/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
April 1987 Country tip #43: A true Tennessee woman coordinates her lipstick, nails, and eye shadow with the photographer's backdrop. Photo: Barb... April 1987 Country tip #43: A true Tennessee woman coordinates her lipstick, nails, and eye shadow with the photographer's backdrop. Photo: Barbara Walz/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
April 1989 Her "casual" look. Photo: Edie Baskin/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
March 1997 Dolly must have been gifted with lashes of steel: It's the only way they can be coated with excessive layers of mascara and still mana... March 1997 Dolly must have been gifted with lashes of steel: It's the only way they can be coated with excessive layers of mascara and still manage to curl upward. Applause. Photo: Roger Ressmeyer/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
Circa 1999 This one's a little too Andy Warhol. Not her strongest look. Photo: Rob Brown/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
January 2001 This is a favorite trick of Dolly's: From the front, it looks like she has face-framing layers. From the back, it's all piled high i... January 2001 This is a favorite trick of Dolly's: From the front, it looks like she has face-framing layers. From the back, it's all piled high into a coccoon of hair. Photo: Walter McBride/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
October 2002 Zoom in on that tiny turquoise hair clip. Gotta love a woman who can match a barrette to a banjo-embroidered, pastel-blue leather bl... October 2002 Zoom in on that tiny turquoise hair clip. Gotta love a woman who can match a barrette to a banjo-embroidered, pastel-blue leather blazer. Photo: Rune Hellestad/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
March 2006 Even that spray of hair spurting out of that crystal princess clip seems genuinely optimistic. Photo: Axel Koester/© Corbis. All Rig... March 2006 Even that spray of hair spurting out of that crystal princess clip seems genuinely optimistic. Photo: Axel Koester/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
January 2012 This is 66-year-old sassiness looking right at ya, hun. Photo: Frank Trapper/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
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  • beauty
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