Dolly Parton reveals the meaning behind her butterfly tattoos

Country star says she got tattoos to cover up scarring caused by various surgeries

Dolly Parton has revealed more details about her tattoos, which she keeps hidden under long-sleeved outfits.

Rumours about Parton’s ink first spread in 2011, when Roseanne Barr mentioned it at random during an interview.

“Do you know who’s totally tattooed?” she said. “I shouldn’t even tell this. Dolly Parton is totally tattooed. She showed me. She’s got all these awesome tattoos all over her body. No black or blue lines. All pastel, gorgeous bows all over everything.”

The country music star has now given an interview to W Magazine, where she confirmed that she has “a few little tattoos here and there”.

Having previously revealed that she has ink of ribbons, bows and butterflies, she said this week that she doesn’t have “the real heavy, dark tattoos”.

“Mine are all pastel,” she said. “And I have more than one!”

“Most of my tattoos came because I’m very fair and I have a tendency to scar when I get any kind of cut,” she explained.

“I’ve had surgeries for different things, and if the scars didn’t heal properly, I just gotta put tattoos to take the sting out.”

Dolly Parton opens up about tattoo collection

(AFP via Getty Images)

Parton said the butterfly tattoos reflect the symbol she has long-since claimed as her own: “Butterflies don’t sting, they don’t bite, and they are so beautiful.”

“I just kind of related to them with my own personality,” she said.

Last year, Parton told People that she doesn’t consider herself a “tattoo girl” and only chooses symbols she believes to be “tasteful”.