Dolly Parton launches beauty line & the gays are already obsessed
Dolly Parton has launched a range of rhinestone-studded lipsticks that, frankly, couldn’t be any more camp (Getty/Dolly Beauty)
Country music legend and incredible LGBTQ+ ally Dolly Parton – who once famously said “If I wasn’t born a girl, I’dda been a drag queen!” – has decided to branch away from music.
Fans don’t have anything to fear though, Parton will not be leaving music permanently, just adding to her already impressive portfolio of work by launching a cosmetics company.
Parton announced her new brand, Dolly Beauty, on Instagram by posting a photo of herself sitting in a makeup chair and holding a red lipstick – and also tagging a new account for the beauty line.
Parton captioned the post with: “I feel glamorous on the inside, so I want to look like it on the outside… something is coming.”
The post has had hundreds of comments so far, including many from her army of gay fans. Make up artist and hairstylist David O’Shell wrote: “We’re going to have to start carrying Dolly makeup.” Another fan, TikTok beauty influencer Jake-Jamie, added: “You just know Dolly Beauty is going to be a MEGA SLAY!!!”
Dolly Beauty will begin by releasing four lipstick shades, with names linked to Parton’s enduring legacy of music.
The shades are called Jolene Red, Honey Plum, Rosebud, and Birthday Suit and will be available to purchase online as early as next week.
But Parton revealed that the brand will expand beyond lipsticks in the future. She recently told Women’s Wear Daily that they will be “doing different products with makeup” and that “anything that has to do with beauty” could be in Dolly Beauty’s future.
Parton said that she thought it was finally time to move into cosmetics because she has “wanted to be pretty” her whole life.
“I’ve always said I never leave a rhinestone unturned. I started creating my own little makeup things at home when I was just a kid and I’ve been known for wearing makeup – usually too much – for years. Lord knows, nobody wears more makeup than me, so I know all the little things I want,” she said.
Dolly Parton’s long history of LGBTQ+ allyship
Parton is a queen in so many ways. In particular, she has always supported the LGBTQ+ community and made being an ally a key part of who she is.
The 9 to 5 actor has been very vocal against anti-LGBTQ+ politics in the U.S, including speaking out against an anti-trans bill that was passed in Tennessee in 2023 which described gender as biological sex rather than identity.
Later that year, Tennessee also signed a ban on transgender athletes into law.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Parton said that she wants “everybody to be treated good” with respect to trans rights and the LGBTQ+ community.
“I know and love them all, and I do not judge. I know how important this is to them. That’s who they are. They cannot help that any more than I can help being Dolly Parton, you know, the way people know me,” Parton explained.
She added: “If there’s something to be judged, that is God’s business. But we are all God’s children and how we are is who we are.”
In fact, Parton spoke out against bathroom bans for trans people back in 2016 and supported marriage equality for same-sex couples in 2009, clearly showing that this is a constant in her life.
Her allyship actually goes all the way back to 1991 when she released a song titled “Family”, with the following lyrics that were certainly progressive back then: “Some are preachers / some are gay / some are addicts, drunks and strays / But not a one is turned away when it’s family.”
Ultimately, Dolly Parton can basically do no wrong and will always be an enduring icon for the LGBTQ+ community.
