Dolly Parton on Miley Cyrus, Feminism, and Music Festivals

Musical instrument, String instrument, Guitar, Plucked string instruments, String instrument, Musician, Musical instrument accessory, Acoustic guitar, Guitarist, String instrument accessory,

(Image credit: Archives)

published 24 June 2014

Hair, Human, Mouth, Smile, Lip, Hairstyle, Eye, Chin, Eyebrow, Red,

Lily Allen and Dolly Parton have a lot in common. They're singer-songwriters, trailblazers, and above all, unafraid to speak their mind. Of course we'd love to hear the two go tête--tête. Allen has interviewed Parton for British magazine Radio Times and the country singer's sound bites are just as colorful as we imagined.

Naturally, Parton's granddaughter Miley Cyrus was a hot topic, but as always, she had nothing but praise for the audacious 21-year-old calling her "fantastic." In fact it was a segue into further conversation about women in the entertainment.

"Women have got a long way to go, but I really think we've made a lot of great strides since Jane Fonda [and Parton herself] starred in 9 to 5," said Parton. "I felt I was part of a whole new movement, especially in the workplace. There are a lot of wonderful women out there doing a lot of wonderful things."

This said, while Parton has thrived as a strong, independent women, she has also been empowered by the men in her life.

"I think women have been accepted a lot over the years. It has more to do with your attitude, your personality and your talent," she explained. "I never had those problems. It served me well, being a girl, and being brought up in a family of men. Six brothers, my dad, close to all my uncles. So I know men, I love men, I understand men."

Another talking point was Parton's forthcoming performance at Glastonbury this weekend. It's her first time hitting the music festival and she has cold — alebit heel-clad — feet.

"What should I expect?" she asked, jokingly. "Mud? I'll be wearing my high heels, even if I'm up to my knees in mud. I'm a little bit apprehensive. I'm excited, I just want to make sure I do the right show. I've heard of Glastonbury because it's one of the biggest in the world, right? For years, everybody's asked me why I've never done it, and I guess it's never worked out where I could, and so now I am."

We don't know exactly what Dolly has in store, but we do know one thing: the Brits are in for a treat.

Lauren is the former beauty editor at Marie Claire. She love to while away the hours at coffee shops, hunt for vintage clothes, and bask in the rough-and-tumble beauty of NYC. She firmly believes that solitude can be a luxury if you’ve got the right soundtrack—that being the Rolling Stones, of course.