Dolly Parton confirmed a long-held fan theory about her secret collection of body art, revealing to People, “I do have some tattoos, that’s true.” The country legend first revealed her love of a little ink to Jay Leno in the 90s, sparking rumors that her arms were actually covered in tattoos because of her love of long-sleeved dresses.
But Parton’s tats aren’t quite the full arm-spanning images that people have speculated. “They’re tasteful. I’m not a tattoo girl. My tattoos are pretty, they’re artful and they usually started out to cover some scar, not to make a big statement,” Parton explained. “Ribbons and bows and butterflies are the things that I have. I was very sick for a while and I had to wear a feeding tube. It left a little indention in my side and I didn’t like it because I’m so fair that scars turn purple on me.”
The singer wanted to turn this difficult time in her life into something beautiful, explaining, “I like to make positives out of negatives. I had a little beehive tattooed over it — a little yellow-and-brown beehive with a tiny little bee on top of the hive. The mouth of it is that little sinkhole.”
Parton added that she doesn’t have a tattoo dedicated to her husband of 54 years, Carl Dean, because “He’s tattooed on my heart.” As for what the future holds for Dolly and her tattoos, she says, “Who knows, I may get some more later. I may just have to get covered with tattoos just so everybody could be right!”
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