I recently bumped into a fundraiser being offered in the town where I live. It's a campy Dolly Parton based dress-up and karaoke extravaganza. Attendees are invited to call upon their "inner Dolly" as they plan their outfits. A photo of a man in ho-made drag with, of course, an overstuffed chest is included in the promo. It clanged against my heart. And I've sat with it for a couple of days as I try to figure out why. Am I acting too 'woke' on this? Too quick to jump on the cancel culture bandwagon?
As I let thoughts percolate - I added 3 more influential female musicians who inspire me to a new scarf design. I worked on a 4-way design based on these four amazing powerhouses.
Dolly Parton
Here's Dolly's Influence First
I get why that fundraiser is a fun idea. Dolly Parton is a larger-than-life cultural icon that radiates pure femininity. But as the promoter's own photo selection proves - people are going to highlight her big boobs and spangles and blow right over her good deeds and larger professional themes.
In her autobiography "My Life And Other Unfinished Business", Ms. Parton explains her own take on her exaggerated style choices:
I’ve often said that I look so artificial but I want to believe that I’m totally real. You have to care about what other people think but you don’t need to care about that to such a degree that it changes how you are and who you are. I made a decision long ago to be comfortable with me, be comfortable in my own skin no matter how much make-up I might pile on my skin. It’s important that I feel comfortable. I try to care about other people’s needs and their opinion they have of themselves.
She has said through the years that how she presents herself is meant to inspire others to do our own thing with the same level of enthusiasm. Not to be her, but to be ourselves!
Gen Z blogger Brynn Walker says:
She’s not just an iconic singer; she’s one of the most inspirational public figures out there. Her life lessons are invaluable, and I can’t get enough of her wisdom.
Since living in Kentucky, I have followed and admired Dolly's philanthropic pursuits. Billboard Magazine took the trouble to research some of her larger, ongoing contributions here. Since 1995 she has fully funded a reading program designed to impact children the world over. As of this writing 251,386,641 books have been given to kids. Read up on Imagination Library here.
We often miss out on the deeper aspects of each other's passions especially when it comes to those of our pop culture icons. I'm guessing the attendees to the extravaganza are gonna stuff some large bras and don a ton of spangles and sing the Dolly Parton playbook front to back with wanton abandon. And of course that's ok. Fun, even. I wish them much joy. But I hope someone thinks to mention just how positive an influence Dolly has been to the disenfranchised and more fabulous among us.
Taylor Swift
Facebook is still a thing with the boomers where I live so yesterday I had the opportunity to inform a lady on a bitchy political thread there about the generosity of Taylor Swift. The post was disparaging her in light of her recent political endorsement and the supposition being made was she's 'just like all the others' when it comes to being all out for herself, etc.
Because I have some younger friends I was able to jump in and become a "Swifty" earlier this year because we simply HAD to stream her Eras Concert. I'm super glad I did, because it gave me a chance to come up to speed on how this young woman is influencing a generation of fans - a great majority of whom are young ladies.
TayTay's good deeds are legend among her followers. Here's some highlights:
She gave every single one of the staff who help put on her shows a huge bonus. Here's how Forbes reported it:
In 2023 Swift reportedly gave bonuses totaling more than $55 million to those working on her show. That money was distributed to her dancers, riggers, sound technicians, catering—and truckers. Multiple sources reported that Swift gave $100,000 bonuses to each of the 50 truck drivers of her tour before the Saturday night (July 29) show in Santa Clara, California—those amounts alone total more than $5 million. Mike Scherkenbach, founder and CEO of Denver, Colorado-based Shomotion trucking company, has worked on several Swift tours. He referred to the money as “unbelievable,” “generous,” and “life-changing.”
At every single city her Eras Tour plays she donates generously to a local food bank (the numbers are not publicly reported)
She has set up a series of scholarships at various schools in the US.
She donates regularly to crisis events
Communnity
But maybe even more important than the money is the community building and personal empowerment messages she champions for all the 'tortured poets' and other misfits among us.
She fills stadiums all over the world like she did this one in Philly - where tens of thousands of fans intermingle, party and sing their lungs out trading friendship bracelets and heart-felt good vibes - building a community of happiness, acceptance and joy wherever she sets up. Night after night. Month after month. All over the world.
Beyonce
A discussion of influential female artists of 2024 has to include Beyonce. Her Cowboy Carter album has helped Nashville music experience a powerful resurgence and has helped make it cool to be country once again. Ok, not singlehandedly - but her willingness to do some serious genre-bending is inspirational to us all!
But this is what she does. She does her thing 100% - no questions asked, take no prisoners. She is showing new generations how women ARE. Not just how we 'can be' but how WE ARE.
Beyoncé is credited with popularizing the feminist movement and mainstreaming intersectional feminism. Beyoncé was described as the most influential feminist in America by The Washington Post, citing how her form of feminism – which encompasses self-reliance, sexual confidence, representation, and economic empowerment – resonates with younger women.
So, yeah, All Hail Queen B!
Amy Winehouse
Winehouse's dichotomous public image of critical and commercial success versus personal turmoil prompted significant media comment. The New Statesman called Winehouse "a filthy-mouthed, down-to-earth diva", while Newsweek called her "a perfect storm of sex kitten, raw talent and poor impulse control". Karen Heller with The Philadelphia Inquirer summarized the maelstrom this way:
She was only 24 with six Grammy nominations, and crashed headfirst into success and despair, with a codependent husband in jail, exhibitionist parents with questionable judgement, and the paparazzi documenting her emotional and physical distress. Meanwhile, a haute designer Karl Lagerfeld appropriates her dishevelled style and eating issues to market to the elite while proclaiming her the new Bardot.
Talk about being used every which way. So Amy is our anti-hero. Ha, I guess we could say anti-heroin. Except they say that's what got her in the end. Of course, her drug dependency was related to so many other personal and cultural mores.
But she has had lasting impact on how several generations of women have begun to reclaim and celebrate aspects of our femininity that the larger society would rather suppress. She was an in-your-face symbol of what being a woman sounds like. They say she brought a third British invasion to pop music. I say she showed us how to unequivocally be ourselves in the face of misguided judgement and misunderstanding.
Boss Babes
Cultural icons and inspirational personalities enter our lives when we are ready to see them. The 4 boss babes mentioned above have made and continue to make positive impressions on everyone within their spheres of influence.
I have celebrated these particular 4 in a new scarf design that is as joyful as the women it represents.
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