Head-Turning Pics Show Dolly Parton Is Almost Unrecognizable Sporting Her Natural Hair
In the words of Hannah Montana: "Oh, sweet niblets!" Dolly Parton, who's known for her big hair and an even bigger heart, looks completely different without one of her signature wigs. In a carousel posted to Instagram by a nostalgia fan account, everyone's favorite "9 to 5" worker resembled a totally different person. In the undated photos, the young Parton is hard at work in the recording studio. Another pic in the carousel featured the future country star rocking a beehive hairstyle, which was hugely popular in the 1960s.
It's actually somewhat unnerving to see Parton not rocking a wig (especially since she owns tons of them). The Grammy winner confirmed in a 2024 chat with Allure that she wears one every single day she's out in public. "Wigs are just so handy. I am not the kind of person that can wait and sit under a hairdryer," Parton reasoned. "It's not healthy for your hair to use it the way that I [would have to]." In fact, the "Jolene" hitmaker joked to Out back in 2019 she had "at least 365" wigs in her regular rotation, one for each day of the year.
These snapshots were also taken before Parton underwent plastic surgery. Her face seemed much more relaxed, before Botox pulled everything back and made it taut. And unlike other celebrities, there's zero speculation about if the country icon had work done or not. She's very open about her cosmetic procedures. "If something is bagging, sagging or dragging, I'll tuck it, suck it or pluck it," Parton quipped to Saga Magazine in 2023.
Dolly Parton's hair transformation is jarring
This is far from the first time fans have been shocked to see Dolly Parton rocking her natural hair, of course. A throwback photo posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, of a young Parton and her beloved husband Carl Dean made the rounds in 2022. In the snapshot, the "Islands in the Stream" hitmaker rocked another beehive look — and no obvious Botox — while Dean gave his best smize to the camera.
A young Dolly Parton with her husband Carl Dean. They've been married since 1966. pic.twitter.com/vLEIkAxuvn
— Seth Metoyer (@SethMetoyer) January 28, 2022
Going back even further in Parton's life, she had super short hair when she was a kid. In a portrait the future Grammy winner had done in her home state of Tennessee, in 1955, the not-yet 10-year-old wore her hair close to the scalp. Her signature smile, however, was exactly the same. Clearly, Parton has had a stunning transformation, but it's nice to see her mischievous grin has always been present.
It goes to show just how much of a hair metamorphosis the country icon endured in only a decade's worth of time. She went from having short, cropped hair in 1955 to rocking one of the tallest hairdos we've ever seen. A portrait of Parton taken in 1965 also showcased the beginning of her relationship with tall hair, hinting that the singer's eyes were always firmly fixed on the heavens when it came to her look.