# Who is the "Dolly Parton" of this generation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2010, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135 "2010-12-14T16:52:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/21 "2010-12-14T18:40:23Z")
I would like to thank Dolly Parton for making it possible for my 100 year old, ultra conservative grandfather to bring up and delight in mixed company conversations about boobies. To date I’m not aware of any replacement posessing that extraordinary skill. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/22 "2010-12-14T18:46:56Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > It’s no longer boobs and the answer is Kardashian. You want to make a joke about a physical attribute that 30 years ago the punchline would have been “Dolly Parton”… you now just say “Kim Kardashian.” Who the heck is Kim Kardashian? And no, I guess I don’t care enough to look it up. Just because someone has large breasts doesn’t make them the next Dolly Parton. I’d probably put Pamela Anderson in the same league; she’s just about as well-known, is at least partially famous because of her mammary endowment, and is an entertainer, of sorts. Neither Pamela Anderson or Dolly Parton do anything for me, however, even in their hey-days which, for both, are far in the past. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/23 "2010-12-14T19:10:52Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Who the heck is Kim Kardashian? And no, I guess I don’t care enough to look it up. Reality TV star, daughter of the late Robert Kardashian (one of O.J. Simpson’s defense lawyers at his murder trial), stepdaughter of triathlete Bruce Jenner, on-and-off girlfriend of NFL running back Reggie Bush. Curvy girl, but mostly known for her derriere, rather than her bosom. No really appreciable talents to speak of, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/24 "2010-12-14T19:14:02Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Though she may have had various tucks and what-not, I’m pretty sure Dolly was naturally well-endowed. The money quote I remember from her on the subject was something like “If I hadn’t been born with them, I would’ve had some made.” Nope. Falsies… > **[Nipped, Tucked & Talking](https://people.com/archive/cover-story-nipped-tucked-talking-vol-60-no-9/)** > > Nipped, Tucked & Talking ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/25 "2010-12-14T19:19:13Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Nope. Falsies… > > [Nipped, Tucked & Talking](http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20140945,00.html) Not entirely. From your article. > [@](#): > > •WHO’S BEHIND HER FAMOUS FIGURE? > Dr. John Grossman, a plastic surgeon in Denver and Beverly Hills, “does all my fender work,” joked Parton recently. > > •WHAT’S HE DONE FOR HER? > “ **She has a generous bosom,** which I augmented some years ago,” he says. “She’s had her face rejuvenated on a number of occasions, [but] not a full face-lift.” “Fender work” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/26 "2010-12-14T19:24:39Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Not entirely. > > “Fender work” 😃 Well yeah. I don’t think too many people go from an A to a DD. I think even Pamela Anderson was pretty well endowed before she became the 90s version of “that chick with the giant melons.” ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/27 "2010-12-14T19:33:13Z")
Yeah, she was naturally well-endowed. [Here](http://oi33.tinypic.com/nfmgqx.jpg) [are](http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/73909466.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF8789215ABF3343C02EA548BF359CCA6D1338D99EF8AE02987E1EEEF908AE165451A805) [pictures](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rOuTnds2hPY/TDqYIzK8U_I/AAAAAAAABZs/xAK0G5IuegA/s1600/CIMG0137.jpg) from her old days with Porter Wagoner (1967 or so). Well before any Hollywood plastic surgeon would have laid hands on her. But I’m sure she has taken some steps to defy gravity (and perhaps enhance nature) over the years. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/28 "2010-12-14T19:41:39Z")
According to [this](http://www.dollymania.net/faq.html#013), Dolly probably didn’t have any work done until the 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/29 "2010-12-14T22:25:19Z")
Lara Croft, probably. ---
**Author:** ![Yaxche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8dc957/32.png) [@Yaxche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yaxche)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/30 "2010-12-14T22:37:18Z")
Salma Hayek maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/31 "2010-12-14T23:06:19Z")
Nobody has quite the ubiquitousness that Dolly Parton possessed. She was such a prominent figure for so long, that’s how she became the pop culture reference she is. Nobody has come close to that kind of market saturation to be the Dolly Parton replacement. Pamela Anderson is the closest, with Jennifer Love Hewitt carrying some market share. There are plenty of pop culture refs that the kiddies will get that haven’t made it to a lot of folks over 30. Though Madonna got a bit, not from breast _size_, but _shape_ via wardrobe. The pointy cone breasts carry her name. (Amusing anecdote: there’s an office building near here known for it’s profile where there are two pointed projections on the front of the building. I have heard it referred to as “the Dolly Parton building” and “the Madonna building” for this reason. Both in the last 5 years. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/32 "2010-12-14T23:34:37Z")
Quoth **Onomatopoeia** : > [@](#): > > Yep, if it weren’t for the Dope, I wouldn’t even know who Christina Hendricks is; in fact I still don’t. To mainstream audiences, she’s probably best known for her role on _Mad Men_ (don’t know the character name); nerds may know her better as Saffron, a recurring role on _Firefly_. Back to the OP, Teri Hatcher sometimes gets the same pop-culture treatment, largely from her guest appearance on _Seinfeld_: “They’re real, and they’re spectacular”. Still nowhere near the public-consciousness penetration as Dolly, though. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/33 "2010-12-15T00:29:15Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > (Amusing anecdote: there’s an office building near here known for it’s profile where there are two pointed projections on the front of the building. I have heard it referred to as “the Dolly Parton building” and “the Madonna building” for this reason. Both in the last 5 years. Not an office building, but a couple of big mounds near a gypsum mine are locally known as The Dolly Parton Hills. They’ve flattened somewhat over the years though. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/34 "2010-12-15T01:00:19Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > When I was young, it was widely acknowledged, even in polite company, that Dolly Parton was the standard for “huge boobs.” If you needed to make a joke involving an oversized rack, Dolly was the go-to gag. It was something that everyone knew. > > But these days, actresses and singers and such all seem so skinny and waifish. Is there any single female today who is as widely recognized as Dolly was, for the same reason she was? Who’s the go-to big-boob standard? It’s Pam Anderson or it’s no one. Not that, in the 21st century, I’ve heard anyone but maybe Jay Leno or my racist, sexist uncle make a joke based on big boobs. ---
**Author:** ![AppallingGael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@AppallingGael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AppallingGael)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/35 "2010-12-15T01:29:28Z")
I don’t have a candidate, but I would suggest Jayne Mansfield for the generation before Dolly, in case anyone is interested in mapping the entire dynasty. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/36 "2010-12-15T02:00:52Z")
> [@AppallingGael](#): > > I don’t have a candidate, but I would suggest Jayne Mansfield for the generation before Dolly, in case anyone is interested in mapping the entire dynasty. No, Raquel Welch was the go-to boob reference pre-Dolly. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/37 "2010-12-15T02:44:42Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > No, Raquel Welch was the go-to boob reference pre-Dolly. Are you [sure](http://cdn.idontlikeyouinthatway.com//pictures/20071121/jayne%20mansfield%20sophia%20loren%20nipple%20slip%20romanoffs%20/t/jayne_mansfield_nipple_slip_4thumb.jpg) [about](http://www.posters.ws/images/339540/jayne_mansfield_sophia_loren.jpg) [that](http://cdn.idontlikeyouinthatway.com//pictures/20071121/jayne%20mansfield%20sophia%20loren%20nipple%20slip%20romanoffs%20/t/jayne_mansfield_nipple_slip_5thumb.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/38 "2010-12-15T03:15:10Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > (Amusing anecdote: there’s an office building near here known for it’s profile where there are two pointed projections on the front of the building. I have heard it referred to as “the Dolly Parton building” and “the Madonna building” for this reason. Both in the last 5 years. You live in Cincinnati? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/39 "2010-12-15T03:19:08Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > Are you [sure](http://cdn.idontlikeyouinthatway.com//pictures/20071121/jayne%20mansfield%20sophia%20loren%20nipple%20slip%20romanoffs%20/t/jayne_mansfield_nipple_slip_4thumb.jpg) [about](http://www.posters.ws/images/339540/jayne_mansfield_sophia_loren.jpg) [that](http://cdn.idontlikeyouinthatway.com//pictures/20071121/jayne%20mansfield%20sophia%20loren%20nipple%20slip%20romanoffs%20/t/jayne_mansfield_nipple_slip_5thumb.jpg)? Yep - Jayne Mansfield had big knockers, but her heyday was over (due to death) before the Raquel Welch era. And those pictures remind me that before Raquel, Sophia Loren was probably the better known big-boob reference. Before her, it would have been Jane Russell, then I guess Mae West. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135/40 "2010-12-15T03:28:52Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > It’s Pam Anderson or it’s no one. Not that, in the 21st century, I’ve heard anyone but maybe Jay Leno or my racist, sexist uncle make a joke based on big boobs. Going with the ass angle, there was a time a few years ago when comedians, talk show hosts, etc. couldn’t stop talking about Jennifer Lopez’s big booty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-dolly-parton-of-this-generation/564135.md?page=3)