Dolly Parton wears long sleeves to cover up her secret tattoo collection

When was the last time you saw Dolly Parton wearing short sleeves? Possibly never.

The Queen of Nashville is known for many things and wearing long sleeves is one of them! But why?

Over the years there’s been a few theories, but is there any truth to them or are they simply theories?

Dolly Parton
Richard E. Aaron/Redferns

For years there have been rumors that Parton is covered in tattoos, but the country singer has never confirmed nor has she necessarily denied it.

In 1996, Jay Leno spotted a tattoo on her arm when she appeared on The Tonight Show wearing a dress with cutouts. Parton shared she did in fact have some body ink, a “little butterfly and a little angel, [her] guardian angel.”

Years later she elaborated on her tattoos.

“I have a few little tattoos, but usually my tattoos were before they became a fad. I have a tendency to scar easy and I’m so fair-skinned that I stay purple right where I’ve had a scar. So I started having a a little pastel tattoos, pastel butterflies or little things, just to cover scars,” she said in an interview per Sounds Like Nashville.

She told Vanity Fair in 2017 she doesn’t like to make a “big to-do of [the tattoos] because people make such a big damn deal over every little thing.”

“I’m not trying to make some big, bold statement.”

Dolly Parton
Shutterstock/Jack Fordyce

Despite what Roseanne Barr said in a 2011 interview where she claimed Parton was “totally tattooed” with “gorgeous bows,” the country legend insisted as recently as 2021 she only has “a few little tattoos here and there.”

“I just gotta put tattoos to take the sting out.”

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No matter the reason for wearing long sleeves Dolly Parton always looks stunning!