Two Women Who Refused to Let the World Tell Them Who they Could Be

Dolly Parton, 1946- 2026, Singer-songwriter and actress
Gloria Steinem, 1934- 2026, Journalist and social activist
The world lost two inspirational women within days of each other.

On the face of it, the two women couldn’t have been more different. One was a singer-songwriter with big hair and big boobs who performed country music about romance and heartbreak and spoke about Christian charity. The other was a sometimes bespectacled, often brunette woman who questioned the system and demanded equal rights for women. When Dolly Parton passed away, the collective grief was like nothing I have every witnessed before- everyone had something nice to say about her (she is probably the only celebrity who was honoured by Donald Trump and the queer and black communities). Steinman, on the other hand, received intellectual tributes from people who are Liberals or Left aligned, but even these tributes were often muted by criticism of specific stands she took. One was universally loved, the other was critically admired.

They differed in other ways too. Gloria Steinem, to many, is the personification of the word “Feminist”- a word she helped bring into popular discourse. Dolly Parton went out of her way to reject the label of feminism, choosing to call herself either “a woman in business” or asking that she be called a “humanist”. 

Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinman might appear to be polar opposites of each other, but they were nearly identical in one fundamental way. Both women believed in gender equity and social, economic and political justice. They differed only in the methods they adopted.
While Gloria Steinman was often confrontational, Dolly Parton (as Steinman wrote in a 1987 profile) “….used her business sense to bring other women and poor people along with her.” Dolly Parton’s support for the queer community was unconditional, but rather than talk publicly about gay marriage or trans rights, she chose to speak of love and charity and of how as a good Christian she should perform acts of kindness and leave the judging to Jesus.
Gloria Steinman, on the other hand, was the poster child of controversy. She took upon herself the near impossible task of educating people about the inherent inequity of a patriarchal system and of demanding equal rights for women. To those in a position of privilege, equity always seems like oppression, and the entire machinery of the patriarchal system was brought out to suppress Steinman’s voice. She was often considered “extreme” even by women who enjoyed the benefits of the freedom that Steinman’s work has catalysed.

Where Steinman was direct and confrontational, Parton was subtle- almost subversive. She used her body of work to highlight issues without appearing to. “They let you dream just to watch them shatter; you’re just a step on the boss man’s ladder, but you’ve got dreams he’ll never take away.” Who can hear the lyrics of her song 9 to 5 without realising that she is talking about the same workplace issues that Gloria Steinman advocates against. She just chose to do it in a way that is more palatable to the general population!

Both Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinman understood that society expected women to behave in a certain way, and they choose to defy conventional norms in very different, yet equally unambiguous ways. Dolly Parton has often spoken about how, as a young girl, she was fascinated by an extremely beautiful woman, and on being told that the person was “white trash” decided that she too would dress like her. By incorporating the big blond hair, the rhinestones and other devalued symbols of womanliness into her own image and flaunting them she made a deeply political statement without saying a single word.
Gloria Steinman chose a different route for exposing the same hypocrisy inherent in society. She went undercover as a waitress at the New York City Playboy Club to expose the low pay, harassment, and poor working conditions faced by Playboy Bunnies. While her investigative piece forced policy changes and improved working conditions, her time as a Playboy Bunny was subsequently used to discredit her professionalism.

Both Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinman were allies of the black movement. While Parton appeared to be a quintessential Southern girl, she was much loved by the black community because she invested in black neighbourhoods and was categorical in her support for ‘Black Lives Matter’. Gloria Steinman too worked closely with black women activists, helped organise black rallies and spoke publicly about how much white feminists can learn from their black counterparts. Despite this, when she passed away, some people accused her of usurping power from black feminists by letting herself become the ‘face of the feminist movement’.

The difference between Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinman was not in the ideas they espoused- both believed in empowering women and in wanting equal rights- but in the methods they chose. One chose to extend personal solidarity instead of speaking publicly about issues. The other was vocal in calling out gender injustice and demanding greater equity. When you compare the nature of tributes that each received, it is clear that people prefer one kind of activism over the other. Yet one cannot say that either mode of advocacy is better than the other- both are necessary to bring about lasting social change.

The two trailblazing women also had deep admiration for each other. Gloria Steinman wrote about Dolly Parton- “If feminism means each of us finding our unique power, and helping other women do the same, Dolly Parton certainly has done both.” While Dolly Parton wasn’t as effusive she did acknowledge that she had great respect for Gloria Steinman.

Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinman. Two women who were born in a world that told them who they were supposed to be and decided to be someone else. The world is poorer place without them in it.

References: 1. https://msmagazine.com/2026/08/27/dolly-parton-gloria-steinem-feminist/