DOLLY PARTON: Inside My WILD & WACKY WORLD

THE BELOVED QUEEN OF COUNTRY MUSIC SHARES THE TRUTH ABOUT HER LIFE

- Natalie Posner

This is just who I am,” says Dolly Parton. “I may look fake, but I’m real where it counts!”

Since bursting onto the country music scene in the late 1960s, the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter with the flashy looks and down-home charm has become an American icon — and the target of a lot of rumors. “Everyone loves her, so it’s only natural that there’s a lot of curiosity,” says a friend. “Plus, she’s such a character.”

The buxom blonde, who famously patterned her vixen image after her hometown’s prostitute, has always wanted to stand out. “I can’t get enough rhinestones, enough color, enough gaud, because it fits my personality,” she says.

Since the start, Dolly’s wigs have been a big part of her look, but she wears them only when she’s working. “I don’t always wear them in my daily life, but I always still poof up my hair,” Dolly says.

On stage, her wigs also serve a practical purpose: