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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Jocelyn Noveck

Was Dolly Parton a feminist? She wouldn’t say it, but fans heard it — in her life and her lyrics

Dolly Parton’s life and career as a country music icon, actor and philanthropist, in photos - (AP Photo/Charles Sykes)

Smiling on the January 1987 cover of Ms., the magazine co-founded by feminism pioneer Gloria Steinem, are its 12 Women of the Year. They include a U.S. senator, a renowned novelist, a former nun who helped Central American refugees. And, smiling brightest of all, Dolly Parton.

The beloved country superstar, who died this week at 80, never embraced the feminist label. In fact, she eschewed it when asked, just as she carefully avoided political labels.

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