In 2011, The Boot reported that Dolly Parton told a Chicago radio station, "I was on the cover of Playboy!" However, she made sure to emphasize, "I wasn't naked; all you saw was me in my bunny suit, with my boobs sticking out a little." She recalled, "I wouldn't do a layout. I'm not that brave, nor do I look that good!" She described the cover shoot as "a fun thing to do," in addition to claiming that she would never "do the whole dirty deal."
Nevertheless, the offer was on the table, but Parton said, "That was so totally not me. I would never do that." The Grammy Award winner recalled, "That was a good article they ran in there." She explained, "That was just another way I was trying to market myself, at that time, to kinda get in the mainstream and take it right to the edge."
Although Parton didn't strip down for her 1978 Playboy cover, she did show her arms, which is not something she has done in decades, instead opting to wear long-sleeve styles. In a 2011 interview, Parton's friend Roseanne Barr revealed a major secret to Craig Ferguson. The actress remarked, "Do you know who's totally tattooed? I shouldn't even tell this. Dolly Parton is totally tattooed." She claimed, "She showed me. She's got all these awesome tattoos all over her body — no black or blue lines, all like, pastel gorgeous bows all over everything."
