By Tracie, 4:30 PM on Wed Jul 9 2008, 8,936 views (Edit post, Set to draft, Slurp)

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Everybody loves Dolly Parton, even if they aren't particularly into her music. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone saying a cruel word about her. In fact, she's probably the only celeb who can get away with, at times, hideous dresses on the red carpet and step away unscathed by fashion critics and tabloid rags because people are like, "Oh, that's our Dolly!" With her big boobs and big hair and big makeup, she's the embodiment of extreme femininity. But is she a feminist? She's certainly been beloved by many feminists across the board, wave after wave, ever since she wrote the women-in-the-workplace anthem "9 to 5." A male writer, Harry Phibbs, at the Guardian explored this phenomenon today, asking whether or not she's a feminist icon.

Phibbs thinks she is. But first off, what exactly constitutes a feminist icon? Surely, it's a title that is bestowed upon a person, rather than sought out. And it probably has less to do with what the icon has actually done, and more to do with what it meant for and how it affected the fan.

For me, Dolly Parton is totally a feminist icon. But not for "9 to 5." Instead, it was "Just Because I'm a Woman," a song about fighting sexual double standards that — released in 1968 — was far ahead of it's time.

I can see you’re disappointed
By the way you look at me
And I’m sorry that I’m not
The woman you thought I’d be
Yes, I’ve made my mistakes
But listen and understand
My mistakes are no worse than yours
Just because I’m a woman

So when you look at me
Don’t feel sorry for yourself
Just think of all the shame
You might have brought somebody else

Just let me tell you this
Then we’ll both know where we stand
My mistakes are no worse than yours
Just because I’m a woman

Now a man will take a good girl
And he’ll ruin her reputation
But when he wants to marry
Well, that’s a different situation

He’ll just walk off and leave her
To do the best she can
While he looks for an angel
To wear his wedding band

Now I know that I’m no angel
If that’s what you thought you’d found
I was just the victum of
A man that let me down

Yes, I’ve made my mistakes
But listen and understand
My mistakes are no worse than yours
Just because I’m a woman

No, my mistakes are no worse than yours
Just because I’m a woman

Dolly Parton: Feminist Icon? [The Guardian]