Country music star Dolly Parton has long been a champion of women, and she’s just opened up in a new interview about what the word “feminism” means to her.

In a new interview with “Time 100 Talks: Finding Hope,” Parton said that it’s “kind of a tricky question” when asked about if she is a feminist.

“I suppose I am a feminist if I believe that women should be able to do anything they want to,” said the 74 year-old. “And when I say a feminist, I just mean I don’t have to, for myself, get out and carry signs … I just really feel I can live my femininity and actually show that you can be a woman and you can still do whatever you want to do.”

Parton added that she knows her fanbase consists of those who identify as feminists and those who don’t and in her mind, she isn’t “ashamed” of the title.

“It’s just that there’s a group of people that kind of fit into that category more than me,” she added. “I just always say I don’t really go for titles or this or that. But I’m all for all our gals. I think everybody has the right to be who they are.”

Parton told the Guardian in 2019 that she often shunned the label of being a “feminist” and simply saw herself as a businesswoman.

“I don’t think … I mean, I must be if being a feminist means I’m all for women, yes. But I don’t feel I have to march, hold up a sign or label myself,” Parton explained. “I think the way I have conducted my life and my business and myself speaks for itself. I don’t think of it as being feminist.”

This comes as Parton has been going above and beyond to lift her fans’ spirits during quarantine amidst the coronavirus pandemic. She has also taken an active role in trying to fight this pandemic, donating $1 million Vanderbilt University’s research towards finding a cure for COVID-19.

“My longtime friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, who’s been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure,” Parton wrote in a statement that was posted to Instagram.

 

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