Little-known reason why Dolly Parton had rarely-seen tattoos hidden beneath her famous sleeves

While Dolly Parton was known for her big hair and bold glamour, the country icon also had a collection of rarely-seen tattoos - and she got them for a very specific reason.

With the majority of her famous looks featuring long sleeves, fans rarely got to see the collection of tattoos the star had inked.

But speaking with PEOPLE in 2020, the icon admitted: "I do have some tattoos, that’s true. But they’re tasteful. I’m not a tattoo girl."

In fact unlike many, she didn't get tattoos for the aesthetic. Instead, she got them to cover up a number of scars on her arms.

Speaking with Vanity Fair, said: "I don’t really like to make a big to-do of the tattoos because people make such a big damn deal over every little thing.

"But most of the tattoos, when I first started, I was covering up some scars that I had, 'cause I have a tendency to have keloid scar tissue, and I have a tendency where if I have any kind of scars anywhere then they kind of have a purple tinge that I can never get rid of. "

The majority of her iconic looks featured long sleeves. (Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

The 'Jolene' singer added: "So mine are all pastels, what few that I have, and they’re meant to cover some scars. I’m not trying to make some big, bold statement."

Prior to her death aged 80, she also opened up about the design choices she made, joking that her look is far from that of a 'biker chick'.

She explained: "My tattoos are pretty, they’re artful and they usually started out to cover some scar, not to make a big statement."

Parton noted that her collection of tattoos included butterflies, ribbons, bows, and more.

After launching her Dolly Beauty brand in 2024, the star further opened up about covering a particular scan after having a feeding tube that left an indentation on her side.

She rarely spoke about her collection of tattoos. (NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)

"I didn’t like it because I’m so fair that scars turn purple on me," she said.

"I like to make positives out of negatives. I had a little beehive tattooed over it - a little yellow-and-brown beehive with a tiny little bee on top of the hive. The mouth of it is that little sinkhole."

And despite being married to her late husband, Carl Dean, for 60 years, she surprisingly never had a tattoo dedicated to their relationship.

Speaking on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1996, she said: "No, he’s tattooed on my heart. Who knows, I may get some more later. I may just have to get covered with tattoos just so everybody could be right!"