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WIRED

10 Mar, 10 tweets, 3 min read

@DollyParton

.@DollyParton has always been more than what she appears. While some may see her as just an entertainer, she's actually a business-savvy multi-millionaire, who has found subtle ways to advocate for culture change throughout her 60-year career. 1/

Art: Sam Whitney

Dolly, an early investor into Covid-19 vaccine research, is one of our Women's History Month honorees.
Since the start of her career in 1959, she has disarmed people by allowing them to think her humble-upbringing and lack of formal education made her less than smart. 2/

But she's made strategic use of her 'trashy' bleached blonde look to gain a public platform for clearly feminist songs like 'Just Because I'm A Woman.' 3/

Way before #knowyourworth became a trendy hashtag, Parton was demanding fair pay for herself. In fact, her song '9-to-5' became an 80s anthem for the equal pay movement. #WomensHistoryMonth 4/

Other marginalized groups have found themselves reflected in Parton's music as well. Parton's 'Coat of many Colors,' although filled with Christian references, is embraced by many in the LGBTQ community as a ballad about pride. 5/

In 2018, as the Black Lives Matter movement took hold, Parton was confronted by activists who took offense to the name of one of her Dollywood theme park attractions. When told the name "Dixie Stampede" was problematic... 6/

Parton chose to revamp and rename the civil-war themed program, explaining "when you realize that [something] is a problem, then you fix it. Don't be a dumbass." 7/

Then in April 2020, as the world grappled with the magnitude of the Covid-19 pandemic, Dolly Parton used her wealth to invest in vaccine research. Her million dollar donation partly funded the Moderna vaccine which the company says is up to 95% effective. 8/

Despite her age-eligibility, Parton chose to wait to receive her vaccination until early March, so to not be seen as using her money, status, and privilege to leapfrog ahead of the line. 9/

You'll notice in WIRED's interview in the link bellow, Dolly Parton doesn't mention any of the things we just told you. She chooses instead to let her actions speak for themselves. wired.trib.al/L2lWPos 10/

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