Express Yourself
Last month, within days of each other, we lost two female American icons.
Dolly Parton was 80 and Gloria Steinem was 92.
At first glance, I'm not sure anyone would put these two women in the same sentence.
Gloria Steinem became one of the most recognizable faces of the modern women's movement. Aviator glasses. Center-parted hair. A journalist and activist who spent decades challenging the roles society expected women to play.
And Dolly Parton? Big blonde hair. Rhinestones. High heels. Sequins. And an exaggerated look she didn't just create—she embraced.
As I was reading about their life’s work and watching stories about them on the news, I couldn’t help but wonder: maybe Gloria & Dolly aren’t nearly as different as they appeared.
Both women came from humble beginnings. Both entered industries dominated by men. Often, they were underestimated. Both had a great sense of humor. And each certainly understood the power of her words.
I think we can all agree: Dolly Parton and Gloria Steinem refused to sand off the parts of themselves that made other people uncomfortable. Instead, they used their influence to create opportunities for others.
Gloria Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine in 1972, creating a national platform for women's voices and experiences. She helped establish the National Women's Political Caucus and the Ms. Foundation for Women, which has since directed more than $90 million to grassroots organizations working on behalf of women and girls. Her activism wasn't something separate from her life.
It was an expression of what she believed.
Dolly's expression looked very different. She became a movie star, entrepreneur, Grammy winner and member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Many of you know how much I love country music, but two of my favorite Dolly accomplishments have nothing to do with her music at all.
Dolly grew up one of 12 children in Sevier County, Tennessee. Her father couldn't read or write. In 1988, she created the Dollywood Foundation to help children in the community where she'd grown up. One of its first initiatives was the Buddy Program. Dolly promised local seventh- and eighth-graders that if they paired up with a buddy and both graduated from high school, she'd personally give each of them $500.
The dropout rate for those two classes reportedly fell from 35% to 6%. Then, in 1995, she created the Imagination Library in honor of her father, mailing free books every month to young children. What began in her home county now sends more than three million books a month to children around the world.
This is what it means to express yourself.
Neither Dolly nor Gloria waited for the world to tell her who she was allowed to be. Gloria didn't soften her convictions to make other people comfortable. Dolly didn't tone herself down to make other people take her seriously.
They were unmistakably themselves.
Which brings the question back to us. How are you expressing yourself?
Most of us won't become cultural icons. But every one of us is expressing something every day—through what we give our time to, what we're willing to stand up for, how we treat people, and what we choose to do with whatever influence we have.
Eventually, all those little choices become the answer to a much bigger question:
What are you known for?
And perhaps the better question:
What do you want to be known for?
Because there's still time to make your life more intentional.
Gloria had her aviator glasses and her convictions. Dolly had her rhinestones and her songs. But neither of them will be remembered simply for how she looked, what she wore, or even what she accomplished.
They'll be remembered for what they stood for—and how they dedicated their lives to taking action.
Maybe that's the real wisdom in expressing yourself.
Know what matters to you.
Have the courage to make it visible.
And then use whatever you've been given—your voice, your time, your money, your talents—to leave something better behind.
You don't have to be an icon to leave an imprint.
You just have to decide what you want your imprint to be.
This Week’s Cool Ideas & Resources
Put a Book in a Child’s Hands
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library continues the work she started in 1995. You can donate to the program—or even designate your contribution to an Imagination Library program in your own community. Her legacy lives on through this incredible nonprofit.
Help another woman's voice be heard
The Ms. Foundation for Women, which Gloria Steinem helped establish in 1973, continues to fund grassroots organizations working to advance opportunities for women and girls. If you care about the status of women and girls, and want to invest in making things better, this is a place to consider donating.
Create your own expression
The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker is a book that offers 131 clever little exercises designed to help you pay closer attention to the world around you—and perhaps notice something about yourself in the process. Because expressing yourself starts with knowing what you actually see, value, and care about.
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