We are very much not sorry to report that singer-songwriter and living legend Dolly Parton now legally owns Hot Girl Summer, and everyone else can just go home already. Parton took to Twitter on Tuesday to recreate her 1978 Playboy cover for her husband Carl’s birthday, blessing us all with a video that covers her views on aging, marriage, and the death of print media. July 20 is Carl’s birthday, Parton explained, and she recently had a spark of inspiration regarding his present. “Remember some time back I said I was going to pose for Playboy magazine when I was 75?†Parton said. “Well, I’m 75 and they don’t have a magazine anymore but my husband always loved the original cover of Playboy, so I was trying to think of something to do to make him happy. He still thinks I’m a hot chick after 57 years — and I’m not going to try to talk him out of that.†It should bring us all some small comfort to know that Dolly Parton’s career (and marriage) has outlasted, among other things, Playboy’s print magazine.
The amount of down-home wisdom and folksy innuendo that Parton packs into one minute and 17 seconds is remarkable. “I was kind of a little butterball in [the 1978 Playboy cover],†the 2021 Emmy nominee remarks at one point. “Well, I’m string cheese now. But he’ll probably think I’m cream cheese … I hope.†Parton concludes her message by asking, “You think Playboy ought to pay me for at least a photoshoot? I do.†We agree.