At the NFL’s holiday halftime show, Dolly Parton put on an amazing performance of some of her biggest like Jolene and 9 to 5, but some were too focused on the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfit she was wearing.
Dolly Parton performed at this year’s NFL Christmas halftime show, and although she put on a show-stopping performance, people weren’t happy with the fact that the 77-year-old decided to wear a cheerleader outfit on stage. People branded the music star “too old” and said she didn’t “look good.” While people are entitled to their opinions, I’m not sure they realize how damaging those beliefs are.
After her NFL performance on November 23, people were very quick to express their disapproval of her outfit choice and overall set on X, formerly Twitter.
Dolly Parton’s sister defended her NFL outfit – rightly so
77-year-old women shouldn't be on stage pretending they're 20. They should be at home spending time with loved ones and family.
We need to stop normalizing this behavior.
Do you agree or disagree?👇 pic.twitter.com/JdF5HQcL23
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 🇺🇸 (@creation247) November 24, 2023View Tweet
Dolly’s sister, Stella, defended her sister and had some strong words for those being negative about Dolly’s outfit during the NFL halftime show. She penned: “I personally thought my big sister Dolly was cute as hell in her Dallas Cowboys cheerleading costume at the halftime show on Thanksgiving.
“To those of you being so critical of a 77-year-old kicking up her heels, I say f*** yourself. Shame on you not her.”
A movie star also spoke out in the celebrity’s defense during a segment on The View.
Whoopi Goldberg said: “77-year-old superstar Dolly Parton stole the show on Thanksgiving at the Cowboys-Commanders game dressed as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, but some critics told her to act her age. Bite me! Everybody that participated in this, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
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‘Showbiz is failing women’
Ageism is becoming more and more of a noticeable issue; it’s a conversation I think has lagged behind but is important to have, especially when it intersects with other areas of a person’s identity, such as gender or race.
A study called It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World by the executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, Martha Lauzen, found that 21 percent of female characters in movies were in their 20s, compared to an 11 percent for male ones. 30 percent of women were in their 30 and 40s, compared to 53 percent of men in this age bracket. For those 60 and older, it was eight and 12 percent for women and men respectively.
But it still isn’t enough. The entertainment industry is failing older women and something needs to change – enough women, such as Oprah Winfrey, Emma Thompson, Beyoncé, and Kylie Minogue have had their say on aging and how it affects not only women’s careers but their self-esteem.
Talking about having a number one single at the age of 55, Kylie Minogue told People: “I remember a few years ago being in a lot of interview situations where I would be asked: “What age do you think it is still OK to be in pop music, or to be sexy in pop?” It was really awkward, and I felt like I had to justify my presence there.
“I’m really proud to be representing this moment, and guess what? The earth didn’t cave in, and everyone’s having a great time. This is the age I am. What can I do?”
Dolly Parton turned down the NFL show multiple times and now this happened
Oprah said while appearing on The Checkup with Dr. David Agus: “The whole culture is set up to tell you that the thing that is most natural – we’re surrounded by these beautiful trees here that literally get better with age. I think we all get better with age – the culture is set up to tell us, in our particular society, that it’s the wrong thing.”
Oprah makes a great point because the amount of times I’ve heard or read that an older male celebrity has “aged like fine wine” is ridiculous. You never really hear that about a woman; she instead only “ages gracefully” and is praised in a way that will make other women who are a similar age feel awful. Or, like in Emma Thompson’s case where she was told that she was “too old” for Hugh Grant when they appeared in the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility … she is only a year older than him.
It is truly maddening.
Dolly had never done a halftime show even though she’d been asked numerous times as she didn’t think she was “big enough” and now her great NFL performance has been overshadowed by people’s malicious comments about her outfit.
The entertainment industry should do better, but I don’t think it can improve in leaps and bounds until we as a society decide to first.
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