All, this week is a little special since we recently lost one of the loved and celebrated country and pop music stars. My esteemed colleague and friend, Aileen Lane, wrote this blog post. With her permission, I am posting it on my blog! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
In Remembrance of Dolly Parton – Guest Blog
I want to talk about Dolly Parton this week.
She passed away last week, at 80, and like a lot of people, I’ve been saddened and thinking about her more than I expected to. Not just as a fan of the music but as an entrepreneur, watching someone build an entire empire out of fully, unapologetically owning who she was.
She lived life entirely on her own terms. Built that empire out of rhinestones, big hair, and a unique voice. She never tried to look like anyone else’s idea of tasteful or “appropriate.” She just kept looking like Dolly, no matter what her critics said.
Underneath the glamour was someone with a huge heart. She quietly funded a children’s literacy programme that’s sent free books to tens of millions of kids, for decades. And behind the wig and the drawl was one of the sharpest minds in entertainment. She ran her own empire and built Dollywood into a theme park that brings joy to so many. People underestimated her for decades because she let them.
Here’s the part I think about most, though. She knew people laughed at the hair, the voice, the rhinestones, and she laughed right along with them, often before they did. That’s not the same as not caring at all. It’s caring more about being herself than about being liked. Sixty years married to the same man, who mostly stayed out of the spotlight because that’s what he wanted, and she protected that without exception. She never tidied up her Appalachian roots or her “Coat of Many Colors” childhood to seem more polished. She built her whole image out of it.
As a colour consultant, I can’t help but notice one more thing. By the books, Dolly reads as a Summer – soft contrast, cool undertone. Her light grey eyes and pink undertone give it away. She also has ashy brown hair hiding underneath her many wigs.
But she choose to dress like a Spring her entire career: warm, bright, high-shine gold and sparkle. Because that’s what matched her personality and that’s what she wanted to express.It’s the best reminder I know that colour analysis is a tool, not a cage. Know your palette, then let your personality have the final word.
That’s exactly the standard I hold myself to when I teach the 16-Palette system. The depth isn’t there to box anyone in – it’s there so you and your clients know the rules well enough to break them on purpose, the way Dolly did. That confidence, the kind that comes from really knowing your craft, is what I want to hand every stylist who joins me this September in my ‘Master Online Colour Analysis FREE training between 16th-18th September.
Contact Beth Divine Style for Color Analysis Indianapolis Services
If you want to identify your best colors based on your hair, skin, and eye color, reach out for a Color Analysis Indianapolis appointment.
Keep it sassy, Indy.
Beth Divine, MA, AICI-CIC, Personal Image Consultant
