Listen to a Young Dolly Parton Talk About Her Love of Tight Clothes 

The interview (with Lawrence Gobel) was originally recorded back in 1978; here, PBS series Blank on Blank pairs it with animation. Listen to Dolly talk about creek-bathing, the first time she encountered a television and a toilet, and how she got started on her signature look: “When I was a sophomore in high school the teased hair came into style and ever since then I’ve done it. I just like it! And I wore my skirts so tight I couldn’t hardly wiggle in them. Even as a little bitty kid. Even before I had a figure I liked my clothes snug and tight.”

“Mama, she always understood stuff like that,” she added. “If we wanted to do something, Mama just always said ‘you be what you are and you don’t have to worry about nothing.’ If you wanna say something, you say it.”

Enjoy spending the rest of your afternoon watching old Dolly clips on YouTube! Start here, with this fuchsia pantsuit: