Dolly Parton Reveals She Was ‘Whipped’ by Grandfather over Her Appearance

Dolly Parton is set to release her new book ‘Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones’ this month and new album ‘Rockstar’ in November

Dolly Parton in London in June 2023. Photo:David Fisher/Shutterstock

Dolly Parton is revealing her grandfather’s reaction to the fashion choices she made when she was younger.

Speaking ahead of the release of her new album Rockstar and book Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, Parton, 77, told The Guardian that her style inspiration in her younger years came from the “town tramp.”

According to the outlet, Parton explained that the “town tramp” was a particular woman who would wear tight skirts and high heels.

“She was flamboyant. She had bright red lipstick, long red fingernails,” Parton said. “She had high-heeled shoes, little floating plastic goldfish in the heels of them, short skirts, low-cut tops, and I just thought she was beautiful.”

Dolly Parton.Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

The “Jolene” singer added that when people would describe the lady as “nothing but trash,” she would say, “Well, that’s what I’m gonna be when I grow up.”

Per The Guardian, Parton’s grandfather would punish her physically for the way she dressed, however, the country icon told the outlet that it didn’t stop her from sticking to her fashion choices.

“I was willing to pay for it,” Parton revealed. “I’m very sensitive, I didn’t like being disciplined – it hurt my feelings so bad to be scolded or whipped or whatever. But sometimes there’s just that part of you that’s willing, if you want something bad enough, to go for it.”

The 9-5 star’s book Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, which is expected to be released Oct. 17,  will celebrate Parton’s style and fashion choices over the years.

Parton’s album Rockstar is set for release on Nov. 17  and features many well-known names in music. Paul McCartney, Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, Lizzo and Chris Stapleton are just a few of the starry collaborating artists that appear on the record.

Dolly Parton.Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Back in May, Parton and Garth Brooks spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about their friendship ahead of co-hosting the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 18.

“A lot of people do think that we’re close friends and we feel close. We definitely have that kindred spirit, but we’ve never had a chance to spend a lot of time together,” the “Jolene” singer said at the time.

“We see each other now and then but over the last few weeks as we’ve been preparing for for this, I feel like we are beginning to build a really good lasting friendship. I’ve always admired him and respected him and I know who he is and what he does, and I have a lot of friends that are close to him,” she added.

Meanwhile, Brooks explained that he’d admired Parton for some time and that their bond had developed naturally.

“I’ve been a fan for a while. It’s not an everyday thing that you could just sit down with someone like Dolly Parton,” he said. “We did the promos about a month ago. But when we walked in we held hands. It was like all of a sudden now, I felt we’d known each other forever.”