Fans defend Dolly Parton after she was slammed over her revealing outfit

NFL fans have taken to social media to scrutinise Dolly Parton, but the country singer’s fans have her back.

On Thursday (23 November), the 77-year-old took to the stage to perform a medley of her greatest hits to Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders fans.

Upon the half-time whistle, the ‘Islands in the Stream’ star sent the crowd wild by stepping out in a replica Cowboys cheerleading outfit.

For her performance, the undisputed Queen of Country wore a pair of white mini shorts, a cropped blue and white shirt, and a pair of cowboy boots.

Whilst appearing at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, Dolly covered ‘We Are The Champions’ and ‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen, as well as producing rousing renditions of ‘9 To 5’ and ‘Jolene’.

Following the show, NFL announcer, Tony Romo said that he was ‘stunned’ to see Dolly in the cheerleading getup, and claimed that she looked ‘amazing’.

The CBS commentator added: “I mean, she looks amazing, right? She's wonderful. Who doesn't like Dolly Parton?

However, not everyone agreed with the former Cowboys quarterback - with many viewers taking to social media to blast Dolly’s outfit.

Matthew Pearce

One X (formerly Twitter) user said: “Am I the only person who thought Dolly Parton's shorts look diapery?”

“No! She looks ridiculous and sounded awful. Wasn’t a class act,” said a second.

Another commented: “She’s covered head to toe in a wig, makeup, body suit. Honestly, not worth losing sleep over-but it was a little cringy. Dolly will always go out with a bang, not a whimper.”

Following the backlash, many X users have taken to the platform to praise the Thanksgiving performance.

One said: “I’m thankful for Cher and Dolly Parton. Two 77-year-old women were the best part of Thanksgiving 2023. Age is nothing but a number.

“Talent lasts for decades. Both amazing. And still got it. The old guard stands strong.”

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Another wrote: “Dolly Parton is one of those extremely rare public figures who is genuinely and universally beloved, which would be more than enough at this point to rest her laurels on, but instead, even now, she always gives it her all just for the sake of giving it her all.”

“Dolly Parton can dress any way she likes. Why? Because she’s Dolly Freaking Parton — and she’ll look AMAZING doing it,” messaged a third.

A fellow X user added: “Dolly Parton has earned the right to do literally -anything- she wants, with zero limits and zero judgement, for the rest of her life.

“She's a living national treasure.”

Following the show, Dolly took to social media and wrote: "I am so proud to have kicked off the giving season with my Red Kettle Kickoff performance! Every dollar you give to @SalvationArmyUS helps your neighbors in need during the holidays and all year long."