Dolly Parton's rewrote the beauty rulebook with her 'open and honest' approach to surgery, and for that, she will be truly missed

We hear a lot about 'unrealistic beauty standards' in relation to modern-day celebrities.

The phrase relates to our A-listers looking out-of-this-world gorgeous in a way that's unattainable to us mere mortals. Whether that's down to aesthetic procedures, the best makeup artists in the business, or simply using filters or photo-editing apps, perfectly presented celebrities can make us feel like we're not good enough.

This is amplified when they're not open about the work they've had done - not that they have to be; that’s their private business – but as a teen, I truly believed when celebs said that their perfect skin was just down to the drinking water.

Now I've been around the beauty block; I know this is unlikely to be the case, and that's where our beloved Dolly Parton comes in.

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Dolly Parton's beauty legacy

Dolly Parton was only ever open and upfront about the work she'd had done, ranging from facelifts, breast augmentation, liposuction, brow lift, eyelid surgery and fillers.

She famously said: "If I see something saggin', baggin' or draggin', I'm gonna have it nipped, tucked or sucked!"

On another occasion, she admitted: "I'm no natural beauty, that's makeup, Botox, collagen and other nips and tucks," adding: "I try to look as good as I can, whatever age I am. I'm cartoon-like."

While many stars opt for subtle, undetectable tweaks, Dolly was loud and unapologetic about her procedures. She never claimed to be natural, and herein lies her power. People never looked at Dolly and wondered why they didn't look like her, causing feelings of inadequacy. 

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She made sure everyone knew she wasn't natural, killing any chance of comparison culture, which is why, along with her philanthropic work and her huge back catalogue of music, Dolly's refreshing, honest approach to beauty will be one of her legacies – and I wish more people in the public eye would follow her lead.

The power of Dolly Parton's open approach

I spoke to advanced aesthetic nurse practitioner Emma Wedgwood about the importance of celebrities being open about the work they've had done, and she backed up my theory that being open is good for squashing impossible beauty standards.

"Being open about treatments educates and reduces dangerous feelings of comparison and inadequacy," she explains. "It’s normal for skin to show signs of ageing, it’s normal to have scarring and it’s normal for skin to break out and have texture. But when we're constantly bombarded with images of celebrities with none of these things and no transparency as to why, it can cause very real feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy."

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Psychotherapist Lauren Baird, who specialises in body image, agrees that celebrities being transparent is key to the public accepting themselves.

"I understand why celebrities may be fearful of speaking out about cosmetic surgery, given the immense amount of pressure and criticism women in the spotlight receive; however, being honest about the procedures they’ve had supports women to see that perfect doesn’t exist.

"Being honest shows us that these unrealistic beauty standards are impossible to meet, even by celebrities and when we hold this knowledge, it allows us to be kinder towards our own imperfections. Perhaps acknowledging that our face has wrinkles as a natural consequence of ageing, rather than there being something wrong with us or that we’re ageing quicker than normal," Lauren continues.

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"Celebrities being open creates a more honest account of the measures some may go to in order to look wrinkle-free. And it puts a halt on my own self-criticism," she adds.

Lauren adds on the impact of being secretive about the procedures celebs have booked in for: "When celebrities hide the work they’ve had, it perpetuates a toxic beauty standard. Whereas when they’re open about the work they’ve had, it allows us mere mortals to hold a more realistic sense of what goes on behind the scenes to look a certain way."

Though Dolly, with her open, honest approach to beauty, is no longer with us, here's hoping her refreshing approach to appearance lives on.