Imagine pausing in front of the mirror before going out. You want to wear something bright today. But will it look as though you are trying too hard? You change into your usual clothes, and the outfit you love goes back on its hanger.
You want to be yourself, yet somehow being less noticeable begins to feel more authentic. Singer Dolly Parton offered a rather entertaining angle on appearance and sincerity.
Today’s quote
But I like to think I’m totally real where it really counts.
Dolly Parton / NPR interview, May 9, 2014
A glamorous look, a serious commitment to music
NPR’s David Greene asked Parton about the truthfulness of her voice alongside her carefully constructed appearance, including her wigs.
Parton explained that she had always taken music seriously, singing and writing from her heart and her gut. She acknowledged that her appearance looked artificial, then added the sentence featured here.
She also explained that her look came from a country girl’s idea of glamour. Beneath the elaborate appearance was an uncomplicated personal taste. That combination gives her answer its charm.
In the same interview, she joked about simply changing wigs if she disliked one. Even when discussing her appearance, she did not make the subject unnecessarily solemn.
Dressing up is not necessarily pretending
What follows is this article’s own interpretation of her remarks.
Being yourself can sometimes sound like a demand to add nothing: the unadorned version must be the real one. Yet choosing a favorite color or changing your hairstyle can also express something about you.
For example, imagine putting on a pair of large earrings for dinner with your family. Not to impress anyone, but because they caught your eye when you opened the drawer. Perhaps that is enough of a reason for choosing them.
Of course, some people feel most comfortable in plain clothes. This is not an argument that glamour is better. It is a suggestion that a restrained appearance need not be the measure of sincerity.
Remembering why you liked it
Parton’s remark is not an instruction to become more beautiful or more conspicuous. She spoke about her commitment to music and her preferred appearance without treating them as contradictions.
The outfit on the hanger was something you chose because you liked it. Whether you wear it today or not, you need not reject that preference too. The conversation in front of the mirror might become a little easier.
Source and translation notes
NPR, Dolly Parton’s Long Journey Home, May 9, 2014. Interviewer: David Greene. The quotation and context were checked against the published transcript. NPR identifies its audio as the authoritative record.
The featured quotation reproduces the English wording in NPR’s transcript. The Japanese companion article uses this series’ own translation: でも、本当に大切なところでは、私はまったく本物だと思っていたい。 No song lyrics are quoted. The opening and earring examples are fictional illustrations, not experiences attributed to Parton or the reader. The everyday reflections are the article’s own interpretation.
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